Welcome
Seasons Greetings
Every year at Christmas we hope to add to your merriments Of the season by presenting a video programme to sing along with or relax and watch.
Here is our Christmas 2014 presentation...Our most ambitious yet!
Our 'Alternative Top of the Pops' before The Queens speech on Christmas Day.
Happy Christmas and New Year everyone!
And from our AJSW Chamber Music Ensemble and 'Inzpir8tion' (8 hands on 2 pianos) live audio recordings published for Christmas 2013.
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FUTURE SPECIAL CONCERTS
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To hear live in concert recordings of our 'AJSW Chamber Music Ensemble' press arrow below.
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Click here for detailed event information and S. Coleridge-Taylor appraisal (re: Fantasiestucke)
Katya Lazareva (viola) and Ayako Yamazaki (violin) will perform with the AJSW Chamber Music Ensemble on February 19th, 2015. Here they are playing the Allegro from Bohuslav Martinu's 3 Madrigals for Violin and Viola H.313 at St. Peter's Church Notting Hill on the evening of 24th October 2013.
Katya's album 'The Expressive Viola' was released in October. More details at www.katyalazareva.com.
Martinu Madrigal by Katya Lazareva, Ayako Yamazaki (click to play video)
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To hear a sampler of Yukiko's solo, 4 hands on two pianos (with "4Tune") and 8 hands on two pianos performances (with "Inzpir8tion") press arrow below.
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For ticket and booking information click here.
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RECENT EVENTS
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Ein Traum Edvard Grieg by Ayaka Tanimoto
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AJSW Chamber Orchestra - St. Sepulchre's Church - July 18th 7:30
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Event sponsors (click logo to go to website):
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At The Forge & Foundry, Camden - March 19th 7.30
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Yukiko Shinohara and Jung Yoon Cho are featured in our Christmas composite
AJSW Chamber Music Ensemble - St. George's - February 20th 1.10 - 2.00pm
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Aiki & Asa Mori - St George's - February 13th 1.00 - 2.00pm
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Here is Aiki playing Saint-Saens' 'The Swan' at St George's for our 15th Anniversary concert there November 10th 2011 backed by our AJSW Chamber Music Ensemble (live recording)
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Our Wessex Title Explained
Our title and what inspired it is often assumed to cover the region described in Thomas Hardy's novels based on the Wessex Region.....but he was a novelist not an historian and his geographical outline of Wessex described to suit his novels within a defined area and names he used of towns and villages pseudonyms for real places within that area. The real history of Wessex and the area it covered is more complex and over a variable area of the country as its fortunes ebbed and flowed. Our oft asked question "What are you doing in London" sometimes wearisome to answer as little can be explained in a few sentences to a half interested listener and especially the Japanese!
Wessex simply means 'West Saxons' and Sussex (South Saxons), Essex (East Saxons) and Middlesex (Middle Saxons). Wessex, unlike those counties, was never enshrined in the name of a county. The Saxons came from an area of Germany and our present Monarchy are only called the family name of Windsor due to a name change from Saxe-Coburg because of its Germanic connections and the concerns within the UK about the Royal Family's loyalties during World War I due to its relatives within the German Royal Family.
Surpressed post 1066 after the Norman invasion took over the Monarchy of the United Kingdom (s), the region of Wessex shone dimly through the ages almost as a folk memory until Hardy revived interest in it albeit with a novelist's interest to 'tell a good story' but not necessarily a factual one.
But it was the only Monarch called 'Great'...'Alfred The Great'....who established the region of Wessex as a crucial element to everything we now think of as 'English'....the 'Anglo-Saxons' (the English Saxons). Defeated by the Danish forces he hid on what we know as The Isle of Athelney close to Glastonbury in Somerset and from there rose again to defeat the Danes including taking London. Alfred believed the best way to establish national stability was to educate its people. And so began the process that grew into the British Empire that covered nearly the whole world which is why, whatever history's twists and turns may cause, there is some corner of a foreign field 'Forever England'.
Let us say then our title is symbolic of what one man can dream of and bring to a reality 'from a swamp in Somerset'.
Here is a visual explanation explaining some of the history by Ryan M. Reeves:
Alfred and Anglo Saxon England
Further info may be gained from myriad sources and Wikpedia a good place to embark on an expansive and interesting historical quest (see here).
Godfrey King 15.7.14
Want to know more?
Join us if you wish to keep in touch with what we are doing. Our constitution is written on our membership form so you know what you are signing up to. There will be a fresh approach to membership options as part of our overhaul and we have some exciting ideas we hope to bring to fruition in time not least with our web site that Stephen Rice and Phil Ronan looks after for us. If you have any ideas please contact us.
Our Patrons and President
- Patron: Kyoko Gledhill
- Hon. Patron: Yukiko Shinohara (BMus, MMus)
- Hon. Patron: George Logan (Dr Evadne Hinge)
- Hon. Patron: Alexander Rosenblatt
- Hon. Patron: Kotono Sato (BMus(Hon), MMus, Dip. RAM, LRAM)
- Hon. Patron: Michael Soumei Coxall
Our illustrious figureheads represent cultural diversity and success midst diversity. Each have had lives that beg the question -- What is normal? -- Each are much loved and admired as much for "doing it their way" as for being human beings imbued with a generosity of spirit.
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