Derek Carden conducts Hastings Sinfonia at St Mary in the Castle.

Winter warmer with Winston

Hastings composer Polo Piatti will be premiering the piano and orchestra version of his composition Broad, Sunlit Uplands with the Hastings Sinfonia on the last Saturday in January. He dedicated this composition to the London branch of the famous Winkle Club, having conceived the music with former club-member Winston Churchill in mind, writes HOT’s Chris Cormack.

Broad, Sunlit Uplands is a term used in Churchill’s ‘Finest Hour’ speech made in the House of Commons on 18 June 1940 after Dunkirk and before the Battle of Britain. It referred to the fine place we could aspire to be by resisting Hitler as opposed to the new ‘dark age’ we would see if we failed. BBC research at the time showed that 51% of the population listened to Churchill’s first broadcast as Prime Minister on 19 May 1940; the percentage rose with every broadcast, reaching almost 60% on 18 June for the Finest Hour, and increasing further after that.

the Hastings Sinfonia with Jonathan Bruce on violincello

Many of the musicians involved in Hastings Sinfonia were brought together for the Hastings International Composers Festival, which has just announced that it will hold its third festival on the last weekend of September 2015. This Hastings orchestra now meets regularly – its last concert was a very big success and filled the venue to capacity. Be sure to get your ticket by booking in advance and securing a £2 discount!

Hastings Sinfonia will be performing a wonderful programme of melodic classical music. The concert will include Elgar’s Nimrod, Nessun Dorma and the duet from La Boheme by Puccini,  the Merry Widow waltz duet by Lehar, the second movement from Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, Ladies In Lavender Fantasy by Hess and Novello’s I Can Give You The Starlight.

Guest soloists will include tenor Gediminas Varna, soprano Thomasin Trezise, violinist Daniel Rainey and composer and concert pianist Polo Piatti. These last two made a huge impact at the Composers Festival and the young Daniel has subsequently forged an international career.

Refreshments will be available during the interval.

The Winter Warmers Concert takes place at St John The Evangelist church, Brittany Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN38 0RD, 7.30pm on Saturday 31 January. Tickets £8 in advance, or £10 at the door, children under 12 free. Advance tickets from the Tourist Information Centre, Aquila House, Hastings TN34 3UY, Phoenix and Plum, 13 Kings Road, St. Leonards-on-Sea  TN37 6EA and Imagen Art Gallery, 20 Claremont, Hastings TN34 1HA (opposite the library).

Also in: Music & Sound