J’AIME MAY/JUNE 2023

alphabetically from A to H. In German,
Bb is referred to as B and B natural is H,
so that way we got to use more letters!
“It’s a much more sedate, slowed down
piece, and quite melancholy in parts
because he actually had quite a sad life.
He’s very famous now, but at the time
he wasn’t particularly renowned for his
work. And he definitely wasn’t a rich man
towards the end.”
Erasmus Darwin and Lichfield’s Bower
Queen tradition come into play for the
third movement, which, says Joanne,
has a more Latin vibe to encapsulate a festival
atmosphere.
“It’s in 5/4 time, so five beats to a bar, which is
slightly unusual but gives it that carnival vibe,” says
Joanne.
“The middle section represents Erasmus Darwin,
and the four aspects of his life as a physician, a
philosopher, a scientist and a linguist too. I chose
different people in the orchestra who do those jobs
and they’ve all got solo parts to play. Although we
don’t actually have a doctor, we’ve got two dentists so
one of them fills that role! We’ve got a vicar as our
viola player, who performs the philosopher role, a
physics teacher as the scientist, and our second violin
is a linguist.
“I wrote the solos with the particular members in
mind, meaning we’ve got some unusual solos - you
don’t often get a bassoon solo!”
The Three Spires Suite finishes with a rondo - or
recurring melody - which pays tribute to the last
person in England who was burned at the stake for
heresy. In 1611, Edward Wightman faced trial for
heresy in Lichfield Cathedral in front of hundreds of
members of the public. He was sentenced to death
JOANNE TOOK INSPIRATION
FROM LICHFIELD’S RICH HISTORY
by burning at the stake on approval of King James I.
“When I was looking into the history, I discovered
that when Wightman was actually tied to the stake
and the bonfire was set under him, he actually
recanted,” says Joanne. “Then he refused to sign the
retraction and was eventually executed.
“So the middle section represents those flames
flickering at first, then dying down, then building up
to a big bonfire.”
The final movement also represents Cannock Chase
as the King’s hunting ground, so themes of hunting,
and the momentum of a chase recur within the
piece.
From humble beginnings in 1957 as a small chamber
orchestra, Lichfield Sinfonia has grown both in
size and talent, tackling full symphonic works with
around 50 players. Members range from teenagers to
players in their eighties, all brought together by their
love of classical music.
The orchestra has performed in several local venues,
schools, churches and the old Civic Hall, but has
made its home now in Lichfield Guildhall. However,
performing their locally-inspired piece in Lichfield
Cathedral, the setting for the first, darkly dramatic
movement, makes the concert that much more
special for the orchestra.
“This is the first time we will have played it in
the Cathedral, so it’s going to be so exciting,”
says Joanne.
“It’s kind of a dying art now, playing full
symphonic music, so it’s great that we’re able
to keep that going as a full sized symphony
orchestra. It will be a really special concert for
us all.”
Lichfield Sinfonia’s spring concert featuring
The Three Spires Suite takes place at Lichfield
Cathedral on May 20 at 7.30pm. For more
details visit www.lichfieldsinfonia.
co.uk and book tickets online at www.
ticketsource.co.uk/lichfieldsinfonia
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