Just a couple of notes about these recordings
They were mostly made by my parents who came along to concerts with their trusty tape recorder and a hand held mic and sat with that on their laps. Considering the instability of that, it is amazing that anything came out at all!
Thanks to my husband we have been able to extract the files and then I have edited them on audacity software (for anybody who is familiar with that!).
The recording quality aside for the 1970s home spun efforts, it is so precious to have these and were recorded over a couple of specific years. Below is resume of what I have placed here.
You hear our love of the music that we were so lucky to access in school and how we kept that going beyond school for at least a couple of years when we were free to get together. The recordings from 1978 in particular when we are singing through songs and laughing and rerunning stuff is now delightful and you hear our enthusiasm and joy at music making. There is a lot of chat – some inaudible – but all with great happiness and joy.
I have cried while listening to them, and been amazed by the same token at how flipping good we were! Kudos in particular to Margaret for her piano playing – she never got a break and wears her serious skills on the keyboard with ease.
BACKGROUND
We were all at Wirral County Grammar School for Girls in the 1970s and Jane joined the rest of us in 1973 when our new music master, GORDON PULLIN, came to the school.
Helen Charnock was in the year above us and then there was Jane, myself, Margaret McMillan and Helen Thomas. We ranged across the voice parts – Helen C soprano, Jane sop 1 or 2, me alto 1 and Helen alto 2. Margaret was and still is, an amazing pianist.
Jane was immediately in all the choirs and was an overnight sensation when the school performed ALL THE KING’S MEN by Richard Rodney Bennett in which she had the leading role.
From there a core group of us got together in holidays, once we had left school, to sing our old repertoire which was varied and stunning. I don’t have all that we did, but what I do have is highly treasured as you can imagine.
The choir was already well established in the region and we went on to win the regional finals in an international competition called Let the Peoples Sing , run by the BBC and we always won at Llangollen International Eisteddfod (before Jane’s time). Gordon pulled us into performing opera and lighter music concerts along with the classical choral repertoire and oratorio. This photo is from the BBC when we were recording in the Manchester studios for a TV programme.
Jane is left and I am far right in this screenshot.
We performed Mozart’s Magic Flute and the following year Marriage of Figaro where I played Figaro and Jane was the Countess. The entire operas with members of the school orchestra (Margaret playing cello) and players from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jane (Countess) and Janet (Figaro)
Jane as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro 1977
The recordings here are from 17th July 1974 the school summer concert.
1975 a performance of Amahl and the night visitors by Menotti. Jane played King Kaspar who is slightly deaf and eccentric. I do have the recoding of the entire opera, not always very audible in detail – but Jane’s our de force was the way she said “Eh?” as the hard of hearing Kaspar, eliciting laughter from the audience at every turn. (not on this extract).
And from 1978 when five of us got together at Helen’s house and I took along the recorder to get something of a flavour of the legacy we were so fortunate to have.
For the last 10 -15 years or so, four of us have taken to meeting up and talking about our lives and the music we shared. Jane has attended concerts of mine and we have met up in London for food and drink and other concerts. Politics, education, music and laughter were never far off the agenda.
If you want three things to listen to might I suggest the Fledermaus, the Amahl and Pleasure it is as showcasing jane’s versatility and musicianship.
In chronological order there is as follows:
17th July 1974 Summer concert
March 1975 Amahl and the Night visitors (Menotti)
Summer 1978
