World leading musician helps raise church funds with Warwick concert

The world renowned cellist Raphael Wallfisch returns to St Mary's Church in Warwick this weekend.
Raphael WallfischRaphael Wallfisch
Raphael Wallfisch

He will perform the six Suites for Solo Cello by Johann Sebastian Bach on Saturday, October 28. The fundraising event is a concert to benefit St Mary’s Church and the necessary renovation of the tower, and the charity of Leamington Music, with its concert series and education programme.The Wallfisch family is a musical phenomenon. Raphael’s father Peter played the piano and his mother, Anita Lasker, the cello. His wife Elizabeth is very well known as a baroque violinist and their three children are Benjamin, who is a composer and conductor, Simon, a cellist and baritone who has twice sung in the festival in Leamington and Joanna, who is a jazz singer.Raphael Wallfisch has been a regular visitor to Warwick and Leamington for more than 25 years. In that time, besides solo recitals, he has appeared with first his father Peter and then John York in duo recitals, with his own piano trio and with the Lindsay String Quartet playing the Schubert Quintet.Richard Phillips, of Leamington Music, said: “Raphael Wallfisch gave a fundraising recital of all the Bach suites in 2004, which attracted a large and enthusiastic audience. The advance bookings for this one point to a similar level of support which will be of great benefit to St Mary’s as well as Leamington Music.”Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello date from the 1720s and are considered to be among the most important works for the cello and a pinnacle in Western art music. All six suites have preludes and then dance movements, mostly gigues, sarabandes, allemandes, courantes and minuets.The event will consist of two concerts, the first starting at 5pm. There will be a supper interval between 6.15pm and 7.30pm and then the second concert will go on to about 9pm, after which there will be a wine bar open and an opportunity for the audience to meet Raphael Wallfisch.Call 01926 334418, see www.royalspacentreandtownhall.co.uk, visit St Mary’s Church, the Visitor Information Centre in Warwick or the Pump Room in Leamington to book.

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