Pavlos Carvalho and "my beautiful therapeutic Bach" – Chichester concert

After offering ensemble concerts with Plastikes Karekles and Ensemble Reza, it will just be Pavlos, his cello and Bach on Friday, June 30 at 1pm at St Paul’s Church, Chichester. Tickets: £10, students/children £5. Pavlos will perform the 1st Suite, G major, the simple, innocent genesis of all the suites, and then the more inward-looking and reflective 2nd Suite in G minor.

As Pavlos says: “Bach speaks to the soul and intellect at once, to the religious and secular, the young and old. He speaks to all. You could talk about Bach for hours and hours and still not say everything you want to say. It is the relationship that you have with Bach and the way that that relationship evolves and grows as you go through life. We could talk about his music and listen to his music for years and never ever get tired.”

And the timing of concert is important too. It comes just as Pavlos concludes his nationwide Rebetiko Carnival, a festival bringing concerts to Brighton, Cuckfield, Chichester, London, Oxford and Southampton, offering a platform to some the greatest musicians, young and old, from Greece, who are specialists in Rebetiko.

“It is just going to be so busy and so much happening and so many projects and then at the end of it all this last concert is with my beautiful therapeutic Bach. I don't know if the concert is for me but just playing it is the thought that calms me down. That’s why I chose the 1st and the 2nd. All the suites are remarkable but if I was going to go for the 5th or the 6th I would have to spend a lot more time with the music than I am able to. I chose the first and the second because they're the ones that you learn as a child and whatever condition you are in, they are always the ones that calm. It is like putting your head down on this beautiful nice soft cushion.

“It is the fact that you can connect with it at so many different levels. A Bach concert is one moment where for an hour and a half you're alone with your cello and this whole orchestra on your cello and you are sharing it. You're in this bubble with this wonderful music.”

A huge part of the attraction too is the fact that the concert is in Chichester: “I always love Chichester concerts. People are encouraged to speak when they're performing but I prefer not to. I just want to play the music but whenever I go to Chichester there is something in the vibe in the audience that entices conversation.

"I always end up saying things that I never intended to say. And I never plan what I'm going to say. You just pick up on the feelings in the audience and the way they respond and in Chichester I just always feel that the audiences are so incredibly responsive.”

Also coming up on Saturday, July 1, 7.30pm is a Tribute to our Friend Chris in Aid of Sage House, courtesy of Bognor Regis Music Club, taking place at Chichester Baptist Church.

Chris Coote organised concerts for local charities, raising thousands from donations over many years. Chris was also chairman of the Bognor Regis Music Club. The club now comes together to celebrate the life of their friend Chris, who died in 2020, and to raise money for Sage House. Free entry with a retiring collection.