The Riverbank Trio, an occasional musical group with strong connections to the Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra, provided a sort of informal concert to a full house at the George, Newnham, last Saturday afternoon. The Trio consists of Fiona Crawley, flautist and Orchestra conductor, Liz Pritchard, cello, and Richard Kubiak, keyboard and composer writes Dave Kent.

There were some lively baroque pieces by Bach, Telemann, and the little known English composer John Ramish, who is so little known that no-one knows how to pronounce his name. The trio rescued Ramish from obscurity with his Sonata in B Minor, which was just as lively and interesting as the works of the other two composers of the late 17th and early 18th Century, Georg Telemann and Johann Sebastian Bach, which were performed at the event.

These pieces worked well in the intimate coffee-house atmosphere of the venue, and the crowded audience enjoyed a special and stimulating afternoon of popular classical music at its most inclusive and atmospheric. The Riverbank Trio performed keyboard player Richard Kubiak’s ‘On the Riverbank’, an atmospheric tribute to the River Severn, with memories of river birds and even evocative of the power of the Severn Bore.

Canzone, (from Piano Concerto, 2nd Movement) is a portrait of bittersweet nostalgia. The flute narrative maintains its original elegiac sentiment and transitions through episodes of malaise and uncertainty, concluding in a peaceful resolution.

The performance also included by ‘Café-1930’ by Astor Piazzolta, a cheerful journey to the depths of a sleazy night clubs of that decade.

It was a great afternoon of classical and other music, appreciated by the knowledgeable audience. The George has busy schedules of talks, presentations, exhibitions and music over the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to Charlie Mee’s talk on History of Pop on 17th May, and local singer-songwriter Betsy Beard (a cheerful volunteer at the George Café) with Glastonbury rock performer Jack Bessant will be bringing their inspired music to this great informal music venue on 24th May.