EastSheenMatters rarely reports from out of parish but the performance on 14 December of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major in the setting of St. Giles without Cripplegate was so exceptional as to require recognition outside the City of London.

Those of you who attended the Violin and Piano Concert at Christ Church in East Sheen on 21 November 2025 will remember the violin soloist Basil Alter whose performance then was reported at https://childlawobserver10.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4137&action=edit

In this concert he was accompanied by the London Gay Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Christopher Braime, who were celebrating their 30th anniversary. The piece was premiered in Vienna in 1881 and was not then universally popular. A leading critic wrote:‘The violin is no longer played, but torn apart, pounded black and blue…..’. In truth the Concerto was so difficult that Tchaikovsky had difficulty in finding a violinist to perform it. In Basil’s modern and vigorous hands it is captivating; as written in the programme he brings the masterpiece to life with delightful charm and powerful emotion.

Orchestral works by Schumann and Glazunov completed the programme.

The Church was founded in 1394. It stood outside (without) the city walls. St. Giles is the patron saint of handicapped and infirm people. It survived the Great Fire of London but not 1940 bombing.

It is known for its connections with many well known people, including John Speed, probably the most famous mapmaker, and John Milton, best known for Paradise Lost, the greatest epic poem in English, who are both buried in the Church.

The evening also commemorated Adrian Sutton, who died in October, best remembered for composing the scores of War Horse and the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Friends are setting up the Adrian Sutton Foundation to support young musicians to play orchestral and chamber music at a time where ‘music is being systematically stripped out of education’.