Gallery

16 February 2022

For their first get together in 2022, Bardi players enjoyed a workshop day at Holy Trinity Church concentrating on rehearsing pieces for the ‘Fantasy and Adventure’ concert on 20 March. After the carefully managed covid-secure play days held during the pandemic, something a bit more special was needed, so the highly successful formula followed back in 2019 was dusted off to the great enjoyment of all concerned. 

Claus Efland flew in from Berlin for a day of concentrated rehearsal punctuated by a delicious lunch. This was followed by a drinks reception during which everyone was treated to a special film of archive footage of Bardi performances (in the UK and Europe) dating back to the late 1980s compered by Orchestra Manager Robert Calow.  The day was rounded off with an excellent evening meal interrupted by a power cut during which candles were handed out by the HT staff which added to the fun.  Huge thanks to everyone at Holy Trinity for making us so welcome.

We are now off to a flying start for ‘Fantasy and Adventure’…

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29th November 2021

Snow didn’t stop play!

What a show! Thank you to everyone who braved the elements to attend a sparkling concert of music from Stage and Screen on Sunday.

From the start there was a festive atmosphere. The audience, quite a number of first time concert-goers, waiting for covid passes to be checked in the falling snow before the concert at De Montfort Hall seemed to be enjoying themselves. After the concert, excited young audience members rushed off on to the grass outside hall to make snowballs, making this a really memorable pre-Christmas treat. Faces in the audience lit up and feet tapped as people recognised their favourites from Star Wars to West Side Story and the buzz of excitement continued long afterwards in a string of enthusiastic online messages received by the Orchestra.

It was evident too that the Orchestra were enjoying themselves and Music Director Claus Efland, safely back in Berlin the next day said “it was a great concert and I really enjoyed it, the Orchestra sounded impressive with so many fine musical details”.  The pictures say it all with vivid special lighting adding to the overall effects.    

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22nd November 2021

Stage & Screen Favourites
Sunday 28 November at 3pm
De Montfort Hall

Lights, camera, action!

Following the successful 2021-22 season opening concert in October, the Bardi are back on Sunday 28 November with a completely contrasting concert programme featuring music from stage and screen. Judging by the levels of enthusiasm by players and Music Director at Sunday’s rehearsal for the concert it looks set to be a real winter warmer. 

The programme opens with the Imperial March from Star Wars followed by other film music from John Williams, and also includes perennial favourites from James Bond films, Pirates of the Caribbean and the iconic Dam Busters March.  Musicals are represented by, amongst others, Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, West Side Story and The Phantom of the Opera. Local entertainment celebrity Martin Ballard will take a break from preparing his lines for the upcoming De Montfort Hall Christmas Pantomime to compere the programme which will be conducted by Bardi’s Musical Director Claus Efland.

Orchestra Manager Robert Calow commented ‘the Orchestra are so enthusiastic about playing this wonderful music for the audience to enjoy as they listen to the West End stage and Big Screen favourites’.

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17th October 2021

When not on stage at De Montfort Hall, the talented members of the Bardi can be found performing regularly across the county! Members of the clarinet sections of the Bardi Symphony and Wind Orchestras were in action on Monday 4 October 2021. Performing as the Bardi Clarinet Quartet, Christine Taylor, Mark Wilson, Verity Morris and Peter Fielding played at Leicester’s New Walk Museum and Art gallery where they were guests of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, following the 2021 AGM of the Society. The quartet played a wide ranging programme from Mozart and British Folk Songs to Lennon and McCartney.

The recital was introduced by Orchestra Manager Robert Calow, himself a clarinettist but on this occasion in the role of host, who introduced the various musical items and provided some historical background to the Clarinet. Interestingly there were several sizes of Clarinet on show during the performance for the appreciative audience of ‘Lit and Phil’ members who joined in person in the Art Gallery and on Zoom.   

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13th October 2021

The Bardi really are back!

There was a real buzz of excitement both backstage and front of house on Sunday 10 October when Bardi players and audience were clearly very pleased to be back sharing live music in De Montfort Hall. Covid safety measures put in place by De Montfort Hall were smoothly and unobtrusively conducted and small queues outside in the sunshine added to the slightly festive atmosphere as concertgoers greeted friends they hadn’t seen for a very long time.

The concert was a resounding success with appearances by local soloists not to mention that local celebrity the De Montfort Hall organ which, played by Leicester Cathedral Organist David Cowen, reminded us of just what a powerful instrument it is in Saint-Saëns’s Organ Symphony. The Bardi were delighted to welcome back violinist Amalia Young, a former Bardi Young Musician winner, who gave a memorable performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in the first half of the concert.  

Here’s to the next concert in De Montfort Hall (Sunday 28th November at 3pm for your diary!).

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8th September 2021

A fine early September Saturday evening saw the Bardi Wind Orchestra make their first concert appearance since December 2019 when they were invited by Hinckley and Bosworth District Council to perform in Hinckley’s Hollycroft Park in a ‘Proms in the Park’ concert. An estimated audience of over 1,000 enjoyed a programme which included a host of popular melodies from stage and screen including Harry Potter, James Bond themes, the Big Country, Frozen and Aladdin. The second half concluded with well known favourites from the Last Night of the Proms which went down well with the flag-waving audience who joined in enthusiastically. BWO were joined for the concert by long-time friends of the Orchestra, singers Jenny Saunders and David Morris and the concert was compered by Colin Blackler, well-known to Hinckley audiences for his appearances at the Concordia Theatre, and a former Chairman of Bardi.   

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16th July 2021

Collectively, the instruments of the Bardi Symphony Orchestra fell silent after a wonderful workshop day last October.  Attempts were made to hold further workshops in February and March but these were thwarted by lockdown restrictions so it was with great excitement (and not a little trepidation!) that players got together again just nine months to the week later in July and in the covid-secure surroundings of a very welcoming Holy Trinity Church, Leicester.

Well over 50 players, divided into two groups, wind and stings because of space constraints, got together to rehearse pieces specifically for those two groups: Mendelssohn’s Overture for Winds and Elgar’s Serenade for Strings. Sadly MD Claus Efland could not travel from Berlin because of quarantine restrictions but Orchestra Leader Adam Summerhayes (strings) and Bardi Wind Orchestra Conductor David Calow (wind) very capably put players through their paces (to the evident satisfaction of Claus who was watching via a special link from Berlin!). 

Feedback received by Orchestra Manager Robert Calow afterwards gave a big thumbs up to the Bardi board for all the organisation which went into arranging the day. All eyes are now on our first rehearsals for the 2021-22 season which begin in September with the new season to be announced very soon! 

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5th June 2021

As a sneak peak at what is to come in the Bardi’s 35th concert season from October 2021, here is a snippet of the Bardi’s workshop on Elgar’s First Symphony back in February 2020, weeks before the world ground to a halt. The orchestra perform the finale to the symphony under the baton of Musical Director Claus Efland at Holy Trinity Church, Leicester.

The new 2021-22 season will be announced soon. Hopefully we can bring back the energy and excitement of live music to Leicester audiences in the autumn!

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5th October 2020

The Bardi Symphony Orchestra met for the first time since March at the Covid-secure Holy Trinity Church, Regent Road, Leicester on Saturday October 3rd. Under the baton of Music Director Claus Efland, the 3 sections of the Orchestra; Brass, Winds/Horns and Strings met at different times of the day socially distanced in the secure, vast space of the church. Works included Handel’s “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” and Gabrieli’s “Sonata Pian’e Forte” for the Brass, the “Serenade” Op.7 by Richard Strauss for the Winds/Horns and the “Little Suite for Strings” Op.1 by Carl Nielsen.

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