Hammers & Horsehair are preparing to share their music with South Canterbury.
The duo — Douglas Mews on piano and Robert Ibell on cello — have been touring New Zealand for six years, and their upcoming programme will consist of light classics typical of concerts from 100 years ago.
The name of the group refers to the hammers in the piano and the horsehair on the bow of the cello.
This year the group welcomes soprano Rowena Simpson ,who is just as passionate as the other two musicians about sharing stories about music with audiences.
The short pieces in their concert will include Waiata Poi by Alfred Hill, Il Bacio by Luigi Arditi, Rimsky Korsakov’s Song of India, Dvorak’s Humoresque and Moskowski’s Guitarre.
All of these pieces were found in the touring programme of Blenheim-born soprano Rosina Buckman, who performed atthe Theatre Royal in Timaru during 1922 and early 1923 with cellist Adelina Leon and pianist Percy Kahn, Simpson said.
“At the first Timaru concert in July, Rosina had just received the worst review of her tour from an Oamaru critic, but the Timaru reception was warm, despite bitterly cold weather, so the touring party returned there for a second concert in January, but Oamaru did not receive a return concert,’’ she said.
‘‘The reviews of their concerts dedicated much more attention to the singer than the cellist and any mention of the long›suffering pianist was usually in praise of his unobtrusiveness.
‘‘Our 2022 programme is more relaxed, like a salon concert, in which all performers share the limelight.”
The concert will be held on October 28 at St Mary’s Church at 7.30pm.
