Roman River Spring Concert Series, 2025
Friday 28 March, Wednesday 23 April, Thursday 22 May
Colchester

CONCERT I - Beauty and the Bass: Dvořák, Rossini, and Mendelssohn

Friday 28 March, 7.30pm
The Girling Room, The Minories, Colchester, CO1 1UE

The Bloomsbury Players return to Roman River's Spring Concerts with a programme showcasing Dvořák's double bass quintet, performed on gut strings and in its original 5-movement version (including the extraordinary Intermezzo).

They pair this with Rossini's first Sonata a quattro, composed when he was just twelve years old, and Fanny Mendelssohn's rhapsodic and poignant String Quartet in E-flat - her only mature work for that ensemble.

Programme

Gioachino Rossini Sonata a quattro No. 1 in G major (1804/26)
Fanny Mendelssohn String Quartet in E-flat major (1834)

(Interval)

Antonín Dvořák String Quartet in G major, op.77 (1875) - including Dvořák's famous Intermezzo

Duration: approx. 1 hr 45 mins (including a 20-minute interval)

Sijie Chen and Will McGahon violin | Hannah Shaw viola | Orlando Jopling cello | Alexander Jones double bass

The Hayletts Gallery exhibition of Contemporary and Modern British Original Prints - by such artists as Mary Fedden, Ben Nicholson, and Eric Ravilious - in The Minories Ballroom will remain open until 7pm especially for ticket holders to our concert. Entry is free.

The Commons Cafe at The Minories will also stay open until 7pm for our audience. To pre-book a delicious meal, see details below.

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CONCERT II - Nathaniel Mander plays Bach's Goldberg Variations

Wednesday 23 April, 7.30pm
The Old Library, Colchester, CO1 1PG

Nathaniel Mander harpsichord

Programme

J. S. Bach Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (1741)

Duration: approx. 1 hr 40 mins (including a 20-minute interval)

Nathaniel Mander is harpsichordist known for his expressive, elegant and virtuosic style; his performances as recitalist and continuo player have taken him across the world. He trained at the Royal Academy of Music with Carole Cerasi and is recognised as one of the leading keyboard artists of his generation.

As solo recitalist Nathaniel has performed internationally a wide ranging repertoire from the Elizabethan Virginalists, through the sonatas of Mozart and Haydn, and right up to the music of Chopin and Schubert on fortepiano. His 2022 recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations received brilliant reviews across the board, and he was awarded the highest accolade by Dutch specialist classical music magazine, Luister.

Sneak a glimpse of Nathaniel performing the work at St.Martin's Church, Barcheston.

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CONCERT III - Jonathan Leibovitz: Sonatas for Clarinet

Thursday 22 May, 7.30pm
The Girling Room, The Minories, Colchester, CO1 1UE

Jonathan Leibovitz clarinet
Jo Havlat piano

Programme

Claude Debussy Première Rhapsodie, L. 116 (1909-10)
Edison Denisov Sonata for solo clarinet (1972)
Johannes Brahms Clarinet Sonata in E-flat, Op. 120 No. 2 (1894)
Francis Poulenc Sonate pour clarinette et piano, FP. 184 (1962)

Jonathan Leibovitz is an award-winning clarinettist and, over the past two seasons, has been announced as a prize-winner at the Young Classical Artists Trust and Concert Artists Guild International Auditions, a 2022 Classic FM ‘Rising Star’, a winner of the prestigious Arthur Waser Foundation and Lucerne Symphony Orchestra Award, and was announced as a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship Artist 2024.

As well as recitals across Europe - including at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, Konzerthaus Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Wigmore Hall - Jonathan's debut album Eastern Reflections was released in August on Delphian Records.

His accompanist (both in the recording and in this programme) is pianist Joseph Havlat. Joseph is a pianist, composer, and leading interpreter of new music, having collaborated with such composers as Hans Abrahamsen, John Adams, Thomas Adès, Gerald Barry, Brett Dean, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Michael Finnissy, and Thomas Larcher. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where he is now a tutor.

Recent highlights include playing Adès’ In Seven Days with the LSO under the baton of the composer, as well as the premiere of his Növények at Wigmore Hall. In late 2021 he appeared with the BBC Philharmonic giving the premiere of Robert Laidlow’s piano concerto Warp, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and in 2023 he made his solo recital debuts at King’s Place and Wigmore Hall in London, where he appeared five times in last year's season.

We are also delighted to be offering a young artist spotlight performance to recorder player Hassan Marzban, who is currently studying at the Junior Royal Academy of Music. Winner of the First Prize at the North London Festival of Music, the Croydon Performing Arts Festival Concerto Prize, the Royal Academy of Music Senior Woodwind Prize, and Woodwind finalist of the Gregynog Young Musician Competition, Hassan is dedicated to showcasing the recorder as a compelling solo instrument, demonstrating its depth and versatility in both historical and contemporary contexts. 

He already has extensive experience as both a soloist and ensemble performer. His concerto debut took place in January 2024 with the London Mozart Players, and he has since performed concertos with the Academy Baroque players and the Chiswick chamber orchestra. Other notable engagements include his collaboration with the English National Opera in their production of Noye’s Fludde and a recent solo recital at the London International Festival of Early Music. Hassan will be accompanied by Matthew Gearing on percussion.

Programme

Anonymous Tre Fontane: Italian Medieval Dance

Isang Yun Der Affenspieler

Paul Leenhouts Big Baboon

The Commons Cafe at The Minories will stay open until 7pm for our audience. To pre-book a delicious meal, see details below.

Take a look at Jonathan and Joseph performing Brahms' Clarinet Sonata at Wigmore Hall.

Listen to Joseph discuss artists from Schumann and Tchaikovsky to Nick Drake in Jess Gillam's This Classical Life on Radio 3.

This concert is supported by YCAT (Young Classical Artists Trust)

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Details

The doors will open at 6.30pm and drinks will be available beforehand.
Front row tickets are available, and under 21s come for just £10 to any concert.

Disabled access

The Minories is only partly wheelchair accessible. Step-free access is available via the back gate, which is opposite the entrance to Firstsite Art Gallery. If you need any further advice in advance, or to arrange for a parking space, please contact info@theminories.org

The Old Library has disabled access at the rear of the building. Please ask for a member of staff upon arrival and someone will come and assist you.

The Commons Café

The Commons Cafe at The Minories will stay open until 7pm especially for members of our audience on both Friday 28th March and Thursday 22nd May, serving a choice of two seasonal dishes inspired by local, organic produce sourced from Bennison Farm CSA as well as other local farms & growers. 

Pre-booking required: please e-mail commongroundcolchester@gmail.com

• Caribbean Curry with Organic Rice & Spelt Chapati: seasonal vegetable curry in a mild Caribbean coconut sauce (Ve) - £14

• The Commons Seasonal Bowl: a selection of roasted seasonal vegetables, organic quinoa & beans, house-made hummus, seasonal salad & pickles served on a socca pancake (GF Ve) - £11

A selection of cakes & baked goods, as well as organic barista coffee, herbal tea, soft drinks & alcohol will also available until 7pm when the cafe will close.

How to get there

The Minories and The Old Library are both a 25-minute walk from Colchester mainline train station. Lots of buses go along Colchester High Street, a few yards away.

While The Minories has no on-site parking other than for disabled visitors, there are a number of other car parks in Colchester town centre. The closest car parks are on Priory Street and Greyfriars via Roman Road/Castle Road. We do not advise you to use All Saints House carpark (off Roman Road) because it is full of potholes, very small, and closes early. Greyfriars carpark is cash only, so bring change. If you forget, go to the hotel reception desk where they are happy to help.

At The Old Library, there is free parking for ticket-holders behind the venue in the carpark on St Runwald Street. There is no vehicular access via the High Street, so approach via St Peter's Street and Short Cut Road.

Please do travel by foot or public transport where possible, and if you can offer a lift to someone else and cut down on car journeys, please let us know. Thank you.

We look forward to seeing you at the concerts.

Jessie, Max and the Wild Arts / Roman River team