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. University of Surrey
UNIVERSITY OF SURREY
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
and
CHOIR
with
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
Department of Music
School of Performing Arts
MARGARET HUMPHREY CLARK (soprano) studied at the Guildhall School of Music
and Drama with Winifred Radford and subsequently in Paris with Pierre Bernac.
She
has a varied career of oratorio, opera and recital work, performing in most of the major
London concert halls and appearing in various operatic roles, especially Mozart. She is
increasingly in demand as a singing teacher and coach, at Surrey University, Eton
College, and Dublin: RTE chorus and Christ Church Cathedral.
training as a teacher of Alexander Technique.
She is now completing
MICHAEL JEFFERIES (flute) studied for a year at the Trinity College Junior Department
with Ann Cherry before coming to Surrey University, where he is in his final year on the
BMus course, studying flute with Kenneth Bell.
The GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR was founded in 1947 by the Borough of
Guildford and has worked with Vernon Handley, Sir Charles Groves and Sir David
Willcocks (the current President).
It is well known in the South East for its
performances of the standard repertoire and also for 20th-century English works, with
recordings of works by Finzi and Patrick Hadley. Jeremy Backhouse took over the
conductorship in January 1995. The choir's officers are Dr John Trigg (Chairman),
Noreen Ayton (Membership:01932 221918) and Susan Ranft (Friends: 01306 888870).
UNIVERSITY OF SURREY MUSIC DEPARTMENT, founded in 1970, has always
maintained a special interest in the practical side of its activities, with its Symphony
Orchestra and University Choir giving annual performances in this Cathedral under their
staff conductors, Nicholas Conran and Sebastian Forbes. For larger works, the choir
has often been augmented by other choirs, most often that of Roehampton Institute.
Tonight's orchestral
Robertson.
leaders are both studying violin at the University with Paul
Orchestral managers: Katharine Wilton and Stephanie Winfield; Concerts
Administrator: Pauline Johnson.
JEREMY BACKHOUSE (conductor) was Head Chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and
then studied Music at Liverpool University. He has worked as Music Editor for the
RNIB, and for EMI as Literary Editor and then Consultant Editor, and combines record
producing with freelance conducting. Amongst the many orchestras and choirs he
conducts is the Vasari Singers, with whom he won the Sainsbury's Choir of the Year
Competition
recordings.
in 1988 and has undertaken numerous concerts, broadcasts, and
Particularly high acclaim followed his CDs of the Vaughan Williams Mass,
and the Howells Requiem and Frank Martin Mass.
SEBASTIAN FORBES (conductor) studied at the Royal Academy of Music and then at
Cambridge University. He was a BBC producer (1964-67) before becoming a university
lecturer — first at Bangor and from 1972 at Surrey, where he has been Professor of
Music since 1981 and also Director of Music since 1991. Among recent compositions
are String Quartet No 4, heard twice on Radio 3 last year, Sonata-Rondo for piano,
which was played again last night at Roehampton Institute and was the subject of a
conference paper he gave there this morning, and Reflections for organ, premiered by
Margaret Phillips in Oxford last August.
SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 1999
at 7.30 pm
GUILDFORD CATHEDRAL
by kind permission of the Dean & Chapter
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
UNIVERSITY OF SURREY CHOIR
UNIVERSITY OF SURREY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
leaders Daniel Eades & Anne Hullett
MARGARET HUMPHREY CLARK soprano
MICHAEL JEFFERIES flute
conductors
JEREMY BACKHOUSE (part I)
SEBASTIAN FORBES (partIl)
Four Sea Interludes
De profundis
PHILIP MOORE
short
interval
Poem, for flute & orchestra
Gloria
Orchestral Managers
Katherine Wilton, Stephanie Winfield
Front of House
Liam Carey, Michelle Gibson, Rhodri Flower,
Assistants
Alison Sherlock, Grant Godden
Duty Tonmeister
Matthew Derbyshire
Assistants
Gerard Harrison, Daniel Eades
Four Sea Interludes, Op 33a
(Peter Grimes, 1945)
Benjamin BRITTEN
(1913-76)
Dawn: Lento e tranquillo
Sunday Morning: Allegro spiritoso
Moonlight: Andante comodo e rubato
Storm: Presto con fuoco
Peter Grimes, Britten's first great opera and his most epoch-making one, is
structured as a Prologue and three Acts, each with two scenes.
These seven
sections are linked by six interludes, from which the composer selected and
adapted these four for independent orchestral performance.
Far from merely depicting the sea in its varied states, these pieces provide a
natural, timeless contrast to the bitter squabbling of Grimes the fisherman with
the
Borough community,
and yet also an additional commentary upon it.
Interludes have a life of their own, tempting one writer
(Christopher Palmer) to suggest that 'The sea is arguably the major protagonist
Furthermore,
the
in Grimes".
Certainly the power of the sea, as experienced in Suffolk, was well
known to the composer, who was born in Lowestoft and was from the time of
Peter Grimes onwards resident in Aldeburgh — the 'bleak little place' (E M
Forster), which 'huddles round a flint-towered church and sprawls down to the
North Sea — and what a wallop the sea makes as it pounds the shingle!".
Within each piece are two or three themes, each precisely imagined and
colourfully orchestrated.
Musical discourse proceeds through alternation,
juxtaposition and accumulation, rather than development in the traditional sense,
stirring the imagination most vividly.
The first three Interludes all drift away at
the end, whilst the last (placed second in the opera) brings the set to a powerful
conclusion.
The
opera Peter Grimes was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Music
Foundation in the US, the same body that later commissioned Poulenc's Gloria.
De Profundis (1984)
Philip MOORE
(1943-
)
soprano solo: Margaret Humphrey Clark
Philip Moore will be remembered with affection by many in Guildford for his time
as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Guildford Cathedral, a post which he
held from 1974 until 1983, when he moved to his present appointment at York
Minster.
De profundis was commissioned by the Guildford Singers to celebrate their 40th
anniversary and was first performed by them in 1985.
As a composer, Moore
here shows an affinity with the English school, perhaps closer to Howells and
Walton than to Britten. Themes are carefully wrought and developed, and the
structure is closely moulded around his texts, which are chosen from the Psalms
(130, 69, 77, 46, and 4) and the Book of Isaiah.
follows:
= He writes of the work as
| was given a completely free hand over the choice of texts, and as a
result | cast around for several months trying to find something
suitable.
The light dawned when | recalled, as if by chance, a Lenten address
given several years previously by the then Dean of Guildford, Tony
Bridge. | remembered how he had drawn attention to the way that
the Psalmist, when in times of doubt, faithlessness and distress,
uses images of the sea: "Out of the deep have | called unto thee, O
Lord", and "Save me O God:
my soul".
for the waters are come in even unto
De profundis is partly an exploration of those ideas, but,
perhaps more importantly, it is an exploration of the nature of faith.
For some people, | suspect only a small minority, faith is a once and
for all act of acceptance. For many people, however, it is a state of
mind and heart that is constantly changing. At times it is strong, but
perhaps more often than not it is pathetically weak. No sooner do we
reach a state of apparent faith than it is tested almost to the limits of
endurance.
Throughout, there is a constant re-iteration of the first verse of Psalm
130 ("Out of the deep ... "); it is never far away, even in the tranquil
sections.
See insert, for the text.
Poem, for flute & orchestra (1918)
Charles T GRIFFES
(1884-1920)
solo flute: Michael Jefferies
Charles T Griffes was potentially one of the greatest composers to emerge from
the United States, but an intensive period of stylistic exploration was cut short by
his untimely death at the age of 35.
The focus of his studies in Germany shifted from piano towards composition,
giving rise to a large body of songs in the German Lieder tradition. Later, he
searched more widely, and his last works for the stage and for orchestra reflect
his preoccupations with French Impressionism and the Orient, enriched by his
activity as an artist and his interest in the theatre. By contrast, his last piano
works, Sonata and Three Preludes, are more abstract, more uncompromisingly
progressive.
The French influence is evident in Poem, which, although no specific nonmusical inspiration is revealed, suggests a number of moods associated with
lyrical poetry and painting. It is a one-movement rhapsody, alternating its main
Andantino theme with two more energetic episodes, the first featuring some
agitato and appassionato writing, the second leading to an Allegro scherzando.
First performed in 1919 by the New York Symphony Orchestra, it is scored for
solo flute accompanied by a small orchestra of two horns, harp, percussion and
strings.
Gloria (1959)
Francis POULENC
soprano solo: Margaret Humphrey Clark
(1899-1963)
First, they asked me for a symphony. | told them | was not made
for symphonies. Then they asked me for a concerto — an organ
concerto.
| told them | had already written one and | didn't want to
write another. Finally they said, 'All right, then do what you like!'
When | wrote this piece, | had in mind those frescoes by Gozzoli
where the angels stick out their tongues. And also some serious
Benedictine monks | had once seen revelling in a game of
football.
Such remarks by the composer after the event may suggest that symphonic
thought would be an excessive burden, and that we are to accept our age as
a
secular one. Yet the Gloria does possess symphonic qualities (consider
his
characteristic four-note chord, G major plus its major 7th, so prominent at each
end of the work, giving rise to B minor, the key for the sublime "Domine Deus"),
and his sacred music is borne of a most devout and deeply-thinking man.
composing sacred music, he even affirmed,
On
I think, in fact, that I've put the best and the most genuine part of
myself into it
... Forgive my modesty, but | have a feeling that in
that sphere I've produced something new ...
As with the best music of his favourite composer, Mozart, fluency was not always
easy but the effort proved worthwhile. Following a rehearsal of this work
for its
premiére in January 1961, he wrote to Pierre Bernac,
The Gloria is without doubt the best thing | have done. The orchestration
is
marvellous
(the ending, among other things, is
There is not a single note to be changed in the
choral writing ... | must confess that | have surprised myself.
It
astonishing).
has given me the confidence that / badly needed.
If Poulenc's music suggests Stravinsky in its ritualism, Orff in its primitivism, or
Ravel in its artlessness, and the "Les Six" school in its humour, the flavour of
pure Poulenc always emerges triumphantly, and one cannot but adore the result.
As Stravinsky had written to him a decade earlier, " .. you know what loyal and
tender feelings | have always had for your bewitching muse'.
See insert, for the text.
Programme Notes © Sebastian Forbes, 1999
University of Surrey
Chamber Orchestra
GUILDFORD
PHILHARMONIC
CHOIR
Sunday 21 February at 7.45 pm
President: Sir David Willcocks, CBE,MC
Studio One
Performing Arts Building, University Campus
BRUCKNER
Mass in E minor
Albinoni
Haydn
Shostakovich
Poulenc
MAHLER
Symphony No 2 "Resurrection"
JEREMY BACKHOUSE
Soloists
Tickets:
£13 and £10 (concessions, students)
from
Further information
01483 564076
international
MUSIC
FESTIVAL
pemnd
11104
.1
Suzanne Wheatley, oboe
Andrew M Ingersoll, piano
Tickets: £6, £3 (students and unwaged)
UniS
a&? l Music Department, School of Performing Arts
g “‘.
‘GUILDFORD 99
Piano Concerto No 2
Les Biches
Conductors Antony Esland, Oliver Parker,
James Kelloway, Paul Sanders
13 March 1999 at 7.30 pm
Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Civic 01483 444555
Oboe Concerto
Symphony No 104
Guildford, GU2 5XH Box Office: 01483 259317
Tonight’s Concert Staging
has been purchased by
THE ASSOCIATION OF SURREY CHOIRS
with the most generous help of
3 to 27 March 1999
Don't Miss Guildford's Fifth
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- in fact, something for everyone!
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To obtain datails of the excellent work of the Foundation
or to enquire about submitting a grant application,
please contact Grattan Endicon, Secretary to the Trustees,
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P.O.Box 20
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4
i
{iEe
The staging is available-for community projects in the Cathedral
at the discretion of the Association of Surrey Choirs.
For information on hiring, please contact
Bill Evershed,
Administrator, Guildford Cathedral,
Stag Hill, Guildford GU2 SUP
Telephone 01483 565287
GUILDFORD CATHEDRAL CONCERT
SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 1999
SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE
AND TEXTS
We regretfully announce that Margaret Humphrey Clark is indisposed, but
we are most grateful to Helen Reeves for taking over at very short notice.
HELEN flEEVES (soprano) studied at the University of York and at the
Royal College of Music in London. Her performance experience centres on
York, including the York Early Music Festival, and London, where she is a
member of St Bride's Choir.
She has broadcast and recorded as a soloist
and with various choral groups including Corona Coloniensis.
Recent solos
include ltalian Cantatas and duets by Handel, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas,
and Haydn's Nelson Mass.
PTO for texts of the works by Philip Moore and Poulenc
Philip Moore: De profundis
Choks:
-
Adasite.
dalas
Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice.
Save me, O God. For the waters are come in, even unto my soul:
I stick fast in the deep mire where no ground is;
I am come into deep waters so that the floods run over me.
Hear me, O God, in the multitude of thy mercy,
Even in the truth of thy salvation,
Take me out of the mire that I sink not.
O let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
Choir:_All
bher
aut
The waters saw thee, O God,
The waters saw thee and were afraid; the depths also were troubled.
The clouds poured out water, the air thundered and thine arrows went
abroad,
And the voice of thy thunder was heard round about;
The lightnings shone upon the ground, the earth was moved and shook
withal;
Thy way is in the sea and thy paths in the great waters.
Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice.
O let thine ears consider well the voice of my complaint;
If though Lord wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss; O Lord who may
abide it?
But now, thus saith the Lord that hath created thee, O Jacob,
And he that formed thee, O Israel: fear not,
For I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine:
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee;
When thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned,
Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee:
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy one of Israel, thy Saviour.
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.
Trust ye in the Lord for ever, for with the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.
Choir: Tempo 1 — Allegro
Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice.
God is our hope and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved
And though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea:
Though the waters thereof rage and swell
And though the mountains shake at the tempest of the same.
The rivers of the flood thereof shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the most highest.
God is in the midst of Ler, therefore shall she not be removed:
God shall help her and that right early.
The heathen make much ado and the kingdoms are moved,
But God hath shewed his voice and the earth shall melt away.
The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge.
S
{
Choir:
And
.
Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice.
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness;
Thou hast set me at libeny when I was in trouble;
Have mercy upon me and hearken unto my prayer. Save me, O God.
Soprano:
Meno mosso
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
Choir
I will lay me down in peace and take my rest,
For it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety.
Poulenc: Gloria
1 Orchestra: Maestoso —
Choir: Un peu plus
allant
Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
(Glory be to God on high.
And in earth peace towards men of good will.)
2
Laudamus te.
Benedicimus te.
Adoramus te.
Glorificamus te.
agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.
(We praise Thee.
We bless Thee.
We worship Thee.
We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory.)
Gratias
We glorify Thee.
3
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens.
(O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.)
4
Domine Fili unigenite Jesu Christe.
(O Lord, the only-begotten Son Jesu Christ.)
5
.0
Domine Deus, Filius Patris, Rex coelestis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, misere
nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.
(O Lord God, Son of the Father, Heavenly king.
Thou that takest away
the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away the
sins of the world, receive our prayer.)
6 Choir: Maestoso — Allegretto, rés allant —
S
¢
Choir:
Ext
sl
vl
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus.
Tu solus Dominus.
Tu solus altissiumus, Jesu Christe.
Spirity, in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
Cum Sancto
(Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us.
For Thou only art holy.
art most High.
Amen.)
Thou only art the Lord.
Thou only, O Jesu Christ
With' the Holy Ghost, in the glory of God the Father.