The Putney Knitting Concert Sunday 23rd February @ 7.00pm

Robert Bridge (piano) will perform Bach and Chopin and Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit whilst Helen Budge reads the poems and you knit, read, draw, or even listen.

Retiring collection for Shelter.

There is an element of fantasy running through this programme: the Fantasy that starts Bach's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue is the closest record we have of Bach's improvisational skill; Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasie is the summation of his series of Polonaises, taking the dance rhythm as a jumping-off point and inspiration for a powerful piece of beauty and majesty; and Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit takes as its inspiration the sinister and macabre fantasy of three poems by Aloysius Bertrand which variously depict a seductive water nymph, a corpse swinging on the gallows and a mischievous and terrifying goblin. To enable you to enjoy the full gothic horror of Ravel's pieces young local actress Helen Budge willread a translation of Bertrand's poems during the performance.

As ever the concert is free with complimentary wine and soft drinks and you are invited to bring something (not too noisy!) to do whilst you listen. Helen Budge's choice of charity is for the homeless charity Shelter.

For those of you who came to the bassoon bonanza in January you will be delighted to know £700 was donated to the Nicholas Hunka bassoon fund at the Royal College of Music.

The next concert will be on March 16th (not March 23rd as advertised in the Parish Magazine) when the pianist Antony Peebles will give a recital which will include music by Schubert and Liszt.

For your diary, the remaining dates are April 27th, May 25th and June 29th.