LCF
Photo credit - M Heidemann/LCF
The London Centre for Commercial and Financial Law
About Us
St Clements Wind Ensemble (SCWE) was formed in January 2004 by Maren Heidemann (flute), Glenn Colville (horn) and Rachel Wickham (oboe) and is named after its first rehearsal venue at St Clement & St James in Notting Dale, London. Michael Round as the musical director is SCWE's conductor, arranger and pianist.
The ensemble performs woodwind chamber music for different sized groups such as piano sextets, quintets, but also pieces for symphonic wind sections. The players are dedicated to performing beautiful wind chamber music which, although popular with audiences, is often overlooked in concert repertoires.
SCWE have successfully premiered a considerable number of original wood wind chamber music as well as arrangements both by members of SCWE and internationally renowned composers such as Barber’s ‘Knoxville - the summer of 1915’ arranged by Kenneth Singleton (2004) and Schoenberg’s arrangement of Mahler’s ‘Lied von der Erde’ (2011). SCWE have staged rarely performed original masterpieces such as Milhaud’s ‘La Creation du Monde’, Frank Martin’s ‘Concerto’ for wind instruments and piano and most recently the cello concerto by Friedrich Gulda which received its first Scottish performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011 by cellist Thomas Carroll accompanied by SCWE under the baton of Michael Round to standing ovations. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe also saw premieres of new arrangements for the ensemble of music by Grieg, Debussy and Mozart (Michael Round) as well as by Brahms (Serenade No.1 in D major, op.11 was broadcast by BBC Radio 3 in 2008) and Liszt (Jonathan West). Other premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe included the wind quintet ‘Timepiece’ by US composer Lyle Sanford. SCWE have toured several European countries and appear regularly in London and around the UK.
For further information and our past concerts click here.
Each year since 2004, the ensemble has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to great acclaim from the audience.
Here are a couple of reviews of our Edinburgh performances...
2007 review
Some might think primarily of the International Festival when looking for classical music, but there are some classical gems in the Fringe too, as this concert proved. The ensemble is almost faultless, and the rightfully titled 'classic' music is so much more moving when experienced live. The arrangements are nicely done and the Richard Strauss finale is the highlight. This is definitely a must for lovers of classical music, but it's an easy introduction for casual listeners to the world of live concerts too. If this is your thing, you will not be disappointed.
Rating: 4/5 - A very good example of this show's genre
[ThreeWeeks]
2005 review
The internationally acclaimed London ensemble returns to the Fringe for a short three-day stint that should be a must see for any classical music fan. The actual performance varies daily and this review is of the draining, double-header featuring Mozart's Gran Partita and Strauss' Symphonie für Bläser durations of which are 50 minutes and 42 minutes respectively. A highly professional piece that will delight your auditory senses and your imagination equally. At one point, sun poured in through a side window and I could almost imagine a doorway in the clouds being opened up by the angelic sounds in the room. One of the highlights on the Fringe's music calendar that is well worth your time, money and applause. [ThreeWeeks]