Central London Samaritans have recently moved into new premises in Marylebone, and to celebrate they are hosting a special recital to introduce themselves to the local community, raise awareness of their work, and generate essential funds to sustain their services. The recital features violinist Katherine Gowers and pianist Simon Crawford Philips in a programme of music from the 1920s at St Marylebone Parish Church on Monday 28 April 2025. The evening will feature Prokfiev’s Five Melodies, Enescu’s Violin Sonata No. 3, Ravel’s Violin Sonata No. 2 and Copland’s Two Pieces.
Prokofiev’s Five Melodies began life as five vocalises, written for the soprano Nina Koshetz who created the role of Fata Morgana in his opera The Love for Three Oranges but the vocalises proved impractical for regular performance and Prokofiev recast them for violin and piano. Dating from a few years after the Prokofiev, George Enescu’s Violin Sonata No. 3 was written whilst he was working on his opera Oedipe. The work has the subtitle dans le caractère populaire roumain” (in Romanian Folk Style) though Enescu does not quote any actual folk tunes, instead he evokes them, and the work became one of his most popular works. Written around the same time, Ravel’s Violin Sonata No. 2 was the only violin sonata published during Ravel’s lifetime, his first sonata being published 38 years after his death. Violin Sonata No. 2 is notable for taking its inspiration from American jazz and blues with a slow movement that is marked ‘Blues’. Copland’s Two Pieces also date from Paris in the later 1920s, as Copland wrote them for an all-American programme planned by Nadia Boulanger (with whom he had studied earlier in the decade).
Central London Samaritans is the founding and largest branch of Samaritans, offering free, 24/7 emotional support to anyone struggling to cope. Beyond the helpline, they are active in the community—supporting those experiencing homelessness, people in police custody, ambulance call handlers, and individuals in London’s prisons.
Full details of the Samaritans’ work from their website, tickets for the recital from TicketTailor.
