Time to sing the praises of female composers

Classical music was once seen as an all-male, and largely German-speaking, club. But as the latest Three Rivers Music Society concert in Rickmansworth will again demonstrate, those days are well and truly over.
The guest artists – soprano Alexandra Lowe (pictured) and pianist Emma Abbate – will present an evening of ‘Women in Song’, devoted to songs written for, by and about women.
Alexandra was recently described by The Times as “stunningly assured and superbly expressive” while Emma has been hailed as “amazingly talented” by the leading Italian music magazine, Musica.
Their concert on Monday, February 12 will include some works by male composers – Claude Debussy, George Bizet and Richard Strauss – but the majority of the programme will be given over to songs written by 19th and 20th-century female composers.
The best known of them, Nadia Boulanger, taught many of the leading male composers and musicians of the 20th century. Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, Astor Piazzolla and Daniel Barenboim were among her students.
Alexandra and Emma will also perform songs by two lesser-known English women composers, Maude Valerie White and Madeleine Dring, and by the once-celebrated French mezzo-soprano, pianist and composer, Pauline Viardot, who had a remarkable life and career.
One of her piano teachers was none other than Franz Liszt, who later concluded that she was a composer of genius. Pauline Viardot also played duets with Chopin and sang at his funeral.
Nevertheless, after her death in 1910 her name soon passed into obscurity. It is unlikely to remain there, however. The bicentenary of her birth in 2021 sparked renewed interest in her music and her songs are now being included in concert programmes around the world.
The concert will be held at the Baptist Church in High Street Rickmansworth WD3 1EH. 7.30pm start. Tickets £16 at the door (including programme and refreshments). Reduced price for members. Free entry for under-25s.
Further information: trms.uk

For more information visit http://trms.uk/