Verdi's Requiem
This performance of Verdi's Requiem is sponsored by Borax Europe
Limited, a multinational, science-based company which mines, refines
and distributes boron-containing chemicals (borates) to industries all
over the world: chemicals which are essential to glass and fibreglass,
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wood preservatives.
Borax is based in Guildford’s Business Park, and houses one of the
group’s worldwide technology centres; from here we also manage the
marketing and distribution of our products to customers in Europe,
Africa, the Middle East, India, and South America.
Our company was founded one hundred years ago as the result of an
agreement between an American prospector and two British
entrepreneurs: today Borax comprises 13 companies, on four
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develop its business and has recently opened two new distribution
warehouses in Italy and Malaysia. Together with our headquarters in
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We came to Guildford in 1994 with one of the world’s most advanced
borate-dedicated laboratories: conducting mineral research, process
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We value the many local links - academic, community and cultural -
that we have made and are delighted in our continued association
with the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra. We trust sincerely that
you will enjoy this concert.
Bom
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Borax Europe Limited
|IA Guildford Business Park
Guildford, GU2 8XG
Edwa”r(j:‘ Gardnef
Programmes Notes
GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901)
: Many of Verdi’s twenty six operas are
permanently in the international repertory,
_ and all are of great interest. As his career
developed, from the time of the sensational
early success of Nabucco (Milan, 1842), he
. composed a series of masterpieces which
show
a
continual
development
and
refinement of his technical and expressive
powers. However, the most essential of his
qualities, his direct, noble and intense sense
of drama, remained present throughout his
career, right up to the time of his last operas,
Otello (Milan, 1887) and Falstaff (Milan,
1893), which are generally regarded as his
supreme achievements.
The ability of Verdi to create operatic characters matches the ability
of Shakespeare to do so in his plays. For Verdi, alongside Mozart and
Wagner, is undoubtedly as great an opera composer as the world has
known.
Messa da Requiem
1. Requiem and Kyrie
2. Dies Irae
3. Offertorio
4. Sanctus
5. Agnus Dei
6. Lux aeterna
7. Libera me
Verdi’s Requiem grew out of a project which he initiated in 1868 in
order to commemorate the death of Rossini. His intention was to
involve the foremost Italian composers of the day to collaborate in
composing a setting of the Requiem Mass, by each contributing a
movement.
Verdi himself immediately set to work on the final
movement, the Libera Me.
Although such ties of friendship as existed between Verdi and Rossini
were only slight, Verdi felt the latter’s death represented a major event
for Italians, not least because this was the period immediately before
the creation of an independent and unified Italian state.
‘Rossini’s
reputation,” he wrote, ‘was the most widespread and the most popular
of our time; it was one of the glories of Italy. When the other which is
comparable with it, that of Manzoni, exists no longer, what will remain
for us?’
Despite Verdi’s best efforts, his plan fell through.
By then he had
already completed the Libera Me movement, but during 1869-70 he
left the Requiem project aside, turning his attention instead to Aida,
which he completed in 1871.
His next composition was a string
quartet, which was finished in March 1873.
Two months after this
came the news of Manzoni’s death, which came as a terrible blow to
the composer.
Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873) had been the
leading Italian writer of the century, with an
international reputation.
To his publisher, Giulio
Ricordi, Verdi wrote, ‘I shall not go to Milan
tomorrow; | could not bear to be present at the
funeral.
| shall come later to the grave, alone and
" unseen. | may have a proposal to make to you as to
how his memory should be honoured.’
Verdi determined that his previous Requiem project, including the
existing Libera Me movement, should be the basis for a new work.
But there was an important difference. Now he would compose the
whole score on his own.
The first performance, with Verdi himself conducting, took place in
the church of San Marco in Milan, on 22nd May 1874. This was the
first anniversary of Manzoni’s death.
Requiem and Kyrie
Muted cellos play a slow, descending phrase, which is taken up by
the remaining strings as the chorus enters with a monotone chant. A
beautiful violin phrase introduces the Lux aeterna, and there is a new,
unaccompanied vocal melody for Te decet hymnus. With the Kyrie,
the soloists enter in turn, on an expansive and lyrical theme, before
combining with the chorus in an ensemble of both beauty and fervour.
The closing phase returns to the hushed chant, Christe eleison.
Dies Irae
This is the longest movement, comprising several linked sections. The
imagery of the day of wrath isimmediately generated by the orchestra,
with four shattering G minor chords and a wildly swirling theme. The
chorus responds with terrified cries, while the off the beat strokes of
the bass drum complete the picture of the Last jJudgement.
As the music subsides, four trumpets in the orchestra are combined
with four in the distance, rising to a climax at which the full ensemble
joins for the Tuba mirum. But the impressive volume breaks off
suddenly, and the solo bass enters pianissimo with Mors stupebit,
accompanied by a march rhythm in the strings, emphasised by the
bass drum.
The Liber scriptus is a passionate solo for the mezzo soprano,
occasionally contrasted with quiet interjections of Dies Irae from the
chorus, and later from the orchestra too. This heralds the fierce return
of the intensities of the opening music, which in turn subsides as the
mezzo begins the trio, Quid sum miser, with the soprano and tenor,
plus an obbligato bassoon. This delicate trio leads into the contrast of
Rex tremendae, which begins imposingly with the chorus basses,
moving through to Salva me for soloists and chorus. Here the pleading
vocal line ranks among Verdi’s finest inspirations.
A gentle duet, Recordare, Jesu pie, is sung by the two female soloists,
followed by the tenor’s Ingemisco tanquam reus. At the words Inter
oves, a solo oboe alternates with the vocal line, creating a certain
tension and moving towards a climax, a proud cry on a sustained high
B flat: Statuens in parte dextra.
The bass solo, Confutatis maledictis, inspired one of Verdi’s most noble
tunes, but its progress is halted by the return of the Dies Irae music,
which this time receives a full recapitulation. The sequence ends with
the Lacrymosa, which is introduced by the mezzo and the other
soloists, while the chorus add a tearful figure of rising semitones.
Offertorio
The Offertorio is scored for the four soloists and orchestra. It begins
with a warmly lyrical theme, but at Quam olim Abrahae the music
becomes altogether more vigorous.
This makes the tenor’s Hostias
seem the more beautiful in its hushed lyricism.
A reprise of Quam
olim Abrahae is followed by the return of the initial cello theme, now
sung as a vocal unison. There is a brief, but highly effective, orchestral
postlude.
Sanctus
The Sanctus contains the most directly brilliant music in the work.
Trumpet fanfares introduce the movement, which is constructed as a
double fugue. The choral writing is light and animated, the orchestral
parts virtuoso, the rhythmic vitality immensely impressive in its
splendour.
Agnus Dei
A peaceful Andante tune is sung by the female soloists in
unaccompanied octaves, then repeated by the chorus.
The soloists
repeat the tune, now in the minor key, and the chorus develops the
material further. When the tune returns for a third time, there is the
addition of a flowing contrapuntal line played by three flutes.
Lux aeterna
Verdi uses only three of the soloists in this movement: mezzo, tenor
and bass. The mezzo has an opening recitative arioso, which is
answered by the dark chords which underlie the bass in the setting of
Requiem aeternam. This conflict between images of light and darkness
is eventually resolved by the appearance of a radiant lyrical theme,
which dominates the remainder of the movement.
Libera me
The final movement reworks the material Verdi originally composed
in connection with the ‘Requiem for Rossini’ project. The opening,
which was conceived at that time, is immensely impressive: an urgent
unaccompanied recitative for the soprano, followed by the hushed
fear of the chorus. The soprano’s agitated Tremens, factus suddenly
brings a restatement of the Dies Irae music, which in turn leads to the
return of the soprano and chorus, unaccompanied. The soprano’s
skill is taxed to the limit, as she moves up to a high B flat marked
pppp, before returning to an even more urgent delivery of the Libera
me. The chorus bursts in with a dramatic fugue, the soprano soaring
above, and the music moves to a magnificent climax. This dies away,
until at the end only the awe struck whisper of the prayer remains.
At that time . . .
In October 1874 Pope Pius IX called on all Catholics not to participate
in politics. However, the pace of the Risorgimento had resulted in the
achievement of a unified Italy and the separate Papal States were no
more; only the Vatican remained.
Elsewhere that year, General Charles Gordon succeeded Sir Samuel
Baker as Governor General of Sudan, and the 70 year old Benjamin
Disraeli became British Prime Minister for the second time. The rules
for a new game were patented by Major Walter Wingfield, who stated
his belief that ‘lawn tennis will establish itself as a firm favourite’.
© Terry Barfoot
REQUIEM
No. 1
REQUIEM
Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Rest and peace eternal give them, Lord
our God; and light for evermore shine
down upon them.
Oh God, a hymn becomes Thee in Sion,
and vows shall be rendered to Thee in
Jerusalem: hear this my supplication, for
all flesh shall come to Thee.
Rest and peace eternal grant them, Lord
Our God; and light for evermore shine
down upon them.
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison.
Requiem aeternam dona eis
Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion, et tibi
redetur votum in Jerusalem:
exaudi orationem meam, ad te
omnis caro veniet.
Requiem aeternam dona eis,
No. 2
Dies irae, dies illa,
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
Teste David cum Sybilla.
Quantus tremor est futurus
Quando judex est venturus,
Cuncta stricte discussurus!
DIES IRAE
Day of anger, Day of terror,
All shall crumble into ashes,
This was David’s revelation.
What a trembling shall possess them
When the Judge shall come to judgment,
Searching all the souls before Him!
TUBA MIRUM
Tuba mirum spargens sonum,
Per sepulchra regionum,
Coget omnes ante thronum.
Mors stupebit et natura,
Cum resurget creatura,
Judicanti responsura.
Trumpets sounding loud as thunder
Call the buried dead from slumber,
To the throne of God Almighty.
Death shall marvel, Earth shall wonder
When departed generations
Rise again to answer judgment.
LIBER SCRIPTUS
Liber scriptus proferetur,
In quo totum continetur,
Unde mundus judicetur.
Judex ergo cum sedebit,
Quidquid latet apparebit,
Nil inultum remanebit,
Dies irae, dies illa,
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
Teste David cum Sybilla.
Open lies the book before them,
Where all records have been written,
When creation comes to trial,
Then the Lord shall sit in judgment.
What was hidden is uncovered,
Naught forgotten, naught unpunished.
Day of anger, Day of terror,
All shall crumble into ashes,
This was David’s revelation.
QUID SUM MISER
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus,
Quem patronum rogaturus,
Cum vix justus sit securus!
What shall | plead in my anguish?
Who will help me, give me counsel,
When the just are not acquitted?
REX TREMENDAE
Rex tremendae majestatis
Qui salvandos salvas gratis,
Salva me, fons pietatis.
Recordare, Jesu pie,
Quod sum causa tuae viae,
Ne me perdas ilia die.
Quaerens me, sedisti lassus,
Redemisti crucem passus,
Tantus labor non sit cassus.
Juste judex ultionis,
Donum fac remissionis
Ante diem rationis.
King omnipotent and mighty,
King of dreadful power and glory,
Thou dost save the true repentant,
Save Thou me, Oh fount of mercy!
RECORDARE
Ah, remember, gentle Jesus,
"Twas for my sake Thou didst suffer.
On that day do not forsake me.
Seeking me Thou wast afflicted,
To redeem me by Thy Passion;
Let such labour not be useless.
Just and upright Judge Almighty,
Grant me grace for my atonement
Ere the day | stand before Thee.
INGEMISCO
Ingemisco tanquam reus,
Culpa rubet vultus meus,
Supplicanti parce, Deus.
Qui Mariam absolvisti,
Et latronem exaudisti,
Mihi quoque spem dedisti.
Preces meae non sunt dignae,
Sed tu bonus fac benigne,
Ne perenni cremer igne.
Inter oves locum praesta,
Et ab hoedis me sequestra,
Statuens in parte dextra.
I lament for | am guilty:
And | blush for my wrong-doing:
| implore Thee, Saviour spare me.
Thou hast dried the tears of Mary,
And the robber won Thy pity,
So shall I, too, hope for pardon.
My petitions are unworthy,
Yet have mercy, do not send me
To the fire flaming for ever.
In Thy sheepfold let me enter,
Do not herd me with the guilty,
Set me there upon Thy right hand.
CONFUTATIS
Confutatis maledictis,
Flammis acribus addictis,
Voca me cum benedictis.
Oro supplex et acclinis,
Cor contritum quasi cinis,
Gere curam mei finis.
Dies irae, dies ilia,
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
Teste David cum Sybilla.
When the curséd all are banished,
Doomed to that devouring furnace,
Summon me among the blessed.
On my knees | fall before Thee,
Sorrow turns my heart to ashes,
Grant me grace at my departing.
Day of anger, Day of terror,
All shall crumble into ashes,
This was David’s revelation.
LACRYMOSA
Lacrymosa dies illa,
Qua resurget ex favilia,
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce Deus.
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem!
Amen.
Day of bitter lamentation
When man rises up from ashes,
Doomed to judgment, lost and guilty,
Then, Lord, pity this Thy servant.
Blessed Jesus, Christ Our Lord,
Saviour, grant them rest and peace.
Amen.
No. 3
OFFERTORIO
Domine Jesu Christe, rex gloriae, libera
animas omnium fidelium defunctorum
de poenis inferni et de profundo lacu.
Libera eas de ore leonis, ne absorbeat
eas tartarus, ne cadant in obscurum: sed
signifer sanctus Michael repraesentet
eas in lucem sanctam, quam olim
Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.
Lord of Lords, Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, King of Kings and King of
Glory, free the souls of all the faithful
departed from Hell and its torments, and
from the soundless chasm.
Oh Lord, deliver them from the mouth of
the lion, that they may not be swallowed
up by Hell and perish in its darkness: but
may Michael raise his holy sign and lead
them onward into Thy clear light of
heaven, which Thou didst promise of old
to Abraham and his seed to the last
generation.
Hostias et preces tibi, Domine, laudis
offerimus.
Tu suscipe pro animabus illis, quarum
hodie memoriam facimus, fac eas,
Domine, de morte transire ad vitam,
quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini
ejus.
Libera animas omnium fidelium
defunctorum de poenis inferni et de
profundo lacu, de morte transire ad
Sacrifice and prayers, Oh Lord, we offer
Thee. Hear our prayers, Oh Lord, mingled
with songs of praise.
Do Thou receive them for those souls
departed, whom we this day here
commemorate; grant them, Oh Lord, to
pass from death into life everlasting, which
Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and
his seed to the last generation.
Oh Lord, deliver the souls of all the faithful
departed from Hell and the dark pit, to
pass out of death into life everlasting.
vitam.
No. 4
Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth,
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis
Benedictus, qui venit in nomine
Domini.
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis!
SANCTUS
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth,
Earth and heaven are full of echoes to Thy
glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of
the Lord of Lords.
Earth and heaven are full of echoes
praising Thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
No. 5 AGNUS DEI
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
dona eis requiem sempiternam
Lamb of God, Thou that bearest the
world’s wrong-doing, grant them, grant
Thy servants rest for evermore.
Help Thy servants, grant that they may find
rest and peace never-ending.
No. 6 LUX AETERNA
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, cum
sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et
lux perpetua luceat eis.
Light for ever shine down upon them,
Christ the Lord with all Thy blessed
Saints in all ages, since Thou art just and
good.
Light that never fades shine down upon
them with all Thy Saints for evermore,
since Thou art just.
Grant them rest and peace.
No. 7 LIBERA ME
Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna,
in die illa tremenda; quando coeli
movendi sunt et terra. Dum veneris
Lord, deliver me out of everlasting death,
Oh Lord, upon that day of terror, when
the earth and the heavens shall be
shaken. When Thou shalt come and the
whole world know the fire of judgment.
Tremens factus sum ergo et timeo, dum
discussio venerit atque ventura ira.
Trembling, frightened and full of despair
am |, full of terror and great fear, till the
trial shall be at hand, and the wrath to
judicare saeculum per ignem.
come.
Dies irae, dies ilia, dies calamitatis et
miseriae, dies magna et amara valde.
Day of anger, Day of terror, Day of
disaster and of misery, Day most fearful,
hopeless, and exceeding bitter.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et
Rest and peace for ever, grant them rest
and peace eternal, and light for
evermore shine down upon them, Lord
lux perpetua luceat eis.
our God.
Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna,
in die illa tremenda; quando coeli
movendi sunt et terra. Dum veneris
judicare saeculum per ignem.
Lord, deliver me out of everlasting death
upon that day of terror, when the earth
and the heavens shall be shaken, when
Thou shalt come, then shall mankind
know the fire of judgement.
Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna,
in die illa tremenda.
Oh Lord, deliver me from death
everlasting in that dread day of terror.
Libera me, Domine.
Save me, Oh Lord
Edward Gardner - conductor
In the past two seasons, British-born Edward Gardner
has emerged as one of the most talented of the new
generation of conductors.
In 2002, he conducted a
diverse range of projects, including his first concerts
as Assistant Conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in
Manchester, a special compilation of early Mozart
operas with the original-instrument ensemble Bampton
Classical Opera, and three major choral works
(including his first Verdi Requiem) in his final year as Music Director of
the Wokingham Choral Society.
Edward studied at King’s College Cambridge and the Royal Academy of
Music. Since graduating from the Royal Academy in 2000 with a
distinction, his engagements have included the English Touring Opera
(Rake’s Progress and La Traviata), City of Oxford Symphony (Messiah), as
well as assisting on major productions at Glyndebourne Festival Opera,
the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and at the Salzburg Festival. As a keen
advocate of 20th and 21st Century Music, Edward set up the Chimera
Ensemble while still a student at the Royal Academy. The group’s
performances include Twice through the Heart by Turnage and
Schoenberg Pierrot Lunaire and made its St. John’s Smith Square debut in
March 2000 with a programme based around Britten’s two song cycles,
Les llluminations and Nocturne.
In the future, his engagements include a number of interesting
programmes with the Hallé Orchestra, most significantly his debut at
Bridgewater Hall in March 2003, conducting Ravel Le Tombeau de
Couperin, Janacek Diary of One who Disappeared, Debussy Three
Preludes, and Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition. Edward recently
conducted two performances of Eugene Onegin with Glyndebourne
Touring Opera in November 2002, and he has been invited by Gerard
Mortier to conduct a new production on the history of opera for the
Ruhr Festival with nine performances in June-july 2003.
Claire Weston graduated from the Royal Northern College
of Music in 1996. She completed her postgraduate studies
with Caroline Crawshaw and joined English National Opera
as a junior Principal Artist in 1999. She became a full
Company Principal in the 2000/2001 season. During her
time at the RNCM she has won many prestigious prizes
including the Leslie and Dorothy Blond Award for lyric/
dramatic singers and the 1998 Frederic Cox Award.
In 1995 Claire Weston made her BBC debut with the Northern Sinfonia recording
the premiere of Britten’s Three Small Songs. Her roles at the RNCM included
Lady Billows (Albert Herring), a role she had already sung for British Youth Opera,
and Kostelnicka (/enufa). She made her ENO debut as Berta (Barber of Seville),
and has since appeared in the Magic Flute, Ernani, Il Trovatore, Nabucco and La
Traviata, in a staged production of Verdi’s Requiem, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte,
Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, and Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro. Future
commitments include roles in ENO’s new production of The Ring.
Claire Weston sings regularly in concert and recital around the UK, and recent
engagements include the Verdi Requiem with the Philharmonia and Paul Daniel.
Claire Weston is generously sponsored by the Peter Moores Foundation.
Jean Rigby - mezzo-soprano
Jean Rigby studied at the Birmingham School of Music
and subsequently at the Royal Academy of Music with
Patricia Clarke, with whom she still studies.
She has a long association with English National Opera,
- where her many roles have included Penelope (The Return
of Ulysses), Jocasta (Oedipus Rex), the title role in Carmen,
Octavian Der Rosenkavalier, the title role in The Rape of
Lucretia, Rosina The Barber of Seville, Helen of Troy (King Priam), Hyppolyta
(A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Amastris (Xerxes) and
Nicklausse (The Tales of Hoffmann).
She is aregular guest at the Glyndebourne Festival, where her roles have included
Irene (Theodora), Genevieve (Pelleas et Melisande), Eduige (Rodelinda) and
Emilia (Otello). For the Royal Opera, Covent Garden she has sung Nicklausse
and Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos). She has sung Isabella (LItaliana in Algeri) for
the Buxton Festival and both Angelina (La Cenerentola) and ldamantes
(Idomeneo) for Garsington Opera. Abroad, she has appeared with the
Netherlands Opera (Stravinsky’s Biblical Fragments), the Flanders Opera (Suzuki),
Seattle Opera (Charlotte) and San Diego Opera (Nicklausse).
Jean Rigby appears with the major orchestras and is a regular soloist at the BBC
Promenade concerts. Recent engagements have included concerts with Sir
Neville Marriner, Trevor Pinnock, Mikhail Pletnev, Matthias Bamert, Robert King,
Richard Hickox, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Charles Mackerras and Leonard Slatkin.
Jean Rigby’s extensive discography ranges from Bach, Vivaldi and Handel to
Britten, Janacek and Birtwistle and includes the title role in the Rape of Lucretia
(with Richard Hickox), Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Mark Wigglesworth
and Berg’s Wozzeck with Paul Daniel.
Recent engagements include Walton’s Troilus and Cressida with the Philharmonia
Orchestra and Hickox, Mahler’s Symphony No 2 with the Royal Philharmonic
and Andrew Litton and Eduige (Rodelinda) at the Chatelet, Paris conducted by
William Christie. She appears with the BBC Proms, Opera North (Troilus and
Cressida), The King’s Consort (Elijah and Juditha Triuphans), Huddersfield Choral
Society and sings Das Lied von der Erde for the Royal Ballet.
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Rhys Meigiomanor
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Born in Wales, Rhys Meirion graduated as a Bachelor of
Education and worked as a head-teacher before beginning
his training as a singer. From 1997 to 1999 he was a member
of the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music and
Drama, and currently studies with David Pollard.
In 1999, Rhys made his Glyndebourne Festival debut as
Edmondo in Manon Lescaut. In 1999, Rhys also joined English National Opera
as a Company Principal, where his roles have included Rodolfo La Boheme,
Alfredo La Traviata, Nemorino L’Elisir d’Amore Nadir The Pearl Fishers, Marcello
in Leoncavallo’s La Boheme, Rinuccio Gianni Schicchi, Italian Singer Der
Rosenkavalier, Froh Das Rheingold, and Zinovy Lady Macbeth of Mtzensk.
Rhys recently made his Australian debut as Rodolfo La Boheme for West
Australian Opera, and also his European debut as Rodolfo for Stadtische Bithnen,
Frankfurt-am-Main. Forthcoming engagements include Duke Rigoletto and Sailor
Tristan und Isolde for ENO and Rodolfo for WNO.
Concert highlights include soloist in Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music at the
opening night of the 2001 BBC Proms televised on BBC 2, Verdi Requiem at the
Royal Albert Hall, London conducted by Humphrey Burton, Desert Island Discs
Anniversary Concert at Royal Festival Hall, Sailor in a concert performance of
Tristan und Isolde with The Hallé Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder and a live
BBC recording of Beethoven’s 9TM Symphony. Rhys has appeared at the Henley
Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Swansea Festival and in concerts in Barbados,
Toronto, Ottawa and Florida.
Rhys’s debut solo album was released on the Sain label.
D’Arcy Bleiker - bass-baritone
D’Arcy Bleiker was born in Yorkshire and studied at the Royal
Northern College of Music. At the RNCM D’Arcy won the
Alexander Young Competition, and has also received
scholarships from the Countess of Munster and Peter Moores
Foundation. In 1998 he won the Bayreuth Bursary Prize from
the Wagner Society.
D’Arcy has been a member of the Glyndebourne Festival
Chorus and in recognition of his outstanding achievement at Glyndebourne
was awarded the coveted John Christie Award in 1999. D’Arcy has performed
the role of Masetto Don Giovanni and Sergeant of the Archers Manon Lescaut
for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and Masetto Don Giovanni and Conte
Almaviva Le Nozze di Figaro for Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Six Pack for the
ENO Contemporary Studio. Other operatic work includes Herod San Giovanni
Batista and Giove Il Pomo D’Oro for Musica nel Chiostro in Batignano, Junius
The Rape of Lucretia in Antwerp and Gent, Don Cassandro La Finta Semplice
for The Classical Opera Company and title role Don Giovanni for Diva Opera.
D’Arcy’s extensive concert repertoire includes a tour of Europe and the United
States of Jephtha with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Rene
Jacobs, Elijah, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and roles in Bernstein’s Candide with
the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Verdi’s Requiem with the London
Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, Israel in Egypt with the RIAS
Kammerchor and Akademie fur Alten Musik in Berlin, Halle, Gottingen and
Hamburg, and Polydorus in L’Enfance du Christ with Kent Nagano at the
Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.
Engagements in the 2002/03 season include his Covent Garden debut in Ariadne
auf Naxos, title role in Don Giovanni for English Touring Opera, Farfallo in Die
Schweigsame Frau for Garsington Opera and Zebul in Jephtha at the Innsbruck
Festival. Future plans include Masetto for the Stockholm Opera.
The Guildford Philharmonic is at the heart of music-making in the south east, with a huge repertoire
extending from the 17th century to the present day. The main concert season runs from October to
July in a variety of venues including the Guildford Civic, Guildford Cathedral, the Electric Theatre,
Holy Trinity Church, the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Abbot’s Hospital, Wanborough Barn, Castle
Grounds, Shalford Park and the Lido. In addition, the orchestra is invited to give concerts throughout
London and the south of England.
The Guildford Philharmonic’s scope ranges from concerts for children and with children, via chamber
concerts in more intimate venues, to large-scale choral and orchestral works. The repertoire covers
everything from jazz and light music to new music, and the emphasis is to work with young soloists
at the outset of their careers. En Shao was appointed Principal Conductor in 1995, following in the
illustrious footsteps of Crossley Clitheroe, Vernon Handley, Sir Charles Groves and Sir Alexander
Gibson. The orchestra continues its work of attracting new audiences for all types of classical music
and of making concert-going an exciting experience.
Guildford Borough Council has funded and managed the Philharmonic as part of its arts provision
for the Borough since the orchestra’s inception in 1945 (when it was the Guildford Municipal
Orchestra). The Council is grateful to the South East Arts Board, South East Music Trust, and to its
major corporate sponsors BOC Gases, Borax Europe Ltd, The Guildford Nuffield Hospital, and
Stevens & Bolton for financial assistance towards the costs of running the orchestra during the 20022003 season.
The orchestra has recently recorded Stainer’s Crucifixion, orchestrated and conducted by Barry
Rose, in Guildford Cathedral, with the Guildford Camerata and soloists Peter Auty (tenor) and Roderick
Willliams (baritone). It will shortly be released on the Lammas label.
First Violins
David Towse
Violas
Justin Ward
Maurice Brett
Christopher Wellington
John Meek
Paul Buxton
Donald Weekes
Eddie Roberts
Sue Kinnersley
Avril Maclennan
Rachel Hess
Peter Newman
Jane Gomm
Gini Wray
Gillian Brightwell
Phillip Augar
Anthony Short
Second Violins
Martin Gill
Jennifer Buxton
Peter Hembrough
Andrew Bernardi
Ruth Knell
Carl Beddow
Nicholas Levy
Catherine Woehrel
Sarah Voigt
Adrian Charlesworth
Elizabeth Binks
Gillian Austin
Angela Bonetti
Naomi Fairhurst
Karen Demmel
Pat Humphreys
Ellen Jackson
Susan Appel
Sarah Pope
Cellos
Peter Esswood
John Stilwell
Muriel Daniels
Christopher Irby
Christine Clutton
Nicholas Boothroyd
Sharon Beale
Clare Deniz
Basses
Michael Lea
Jack Mccormack
David Jones
Paul Moore
Gaynor James
Helen Rowlands
Flutes
Kate Hill
Sarah De Bats
Jane Koster
Piccolo
Offstage Trumpets
John Ellwood
Alex Cromwell
Andrew Mitchell
Geoffrey Lawrence
Jane Koster
Trombones
Oboes
lan White
Roger Willey
lan Fasham
Vicky Walpole
Janice Knight
Clarinets
Roy Jowitt
Victor Slaymark
Bassoons
David Miles
Tim Mallett
Sarah Burnett
Francesca Carpos
Horns
Kevin Elliott
Jane Hanna
David Clack
Christine Norsworthy
Trumpets
Ray Simmons
Giles Liddiard
Nick Thompson
David Hilton
Cimbasso
Stephen Wick
Timpani
Roger Blair
Percussion
Nigel Shipway
General Manager
Nicola Goold
Music Administrator
Peter Holt
Music Secretary
Maryon Lordan
Music Development
Officer
Clare Lister
The Guildford Philharmonic Choir was founded in 1947 by the Borough of
Guildford to perform major works from the choral repertoire with the Guildford
Philharmonic Orchestra. The Choir is now independent from the Borough of
Guildford but still maintains close links with the Guildford Philharmonic
Orchestra, with joint performances once a year. The Choir grew to prominence
under the batons of such eminent British musicians as Sir Charles Groves, Vernon
Handley and Sir David Willcocks. Jeremy Backhouse, appointed in 1995, holds
the position of conductor at the present time, with Jeremy Filsell as rehearsal
accompanist. Sir David remains in close contact with the Choir as its current
President.
In the past five years the Choir’s repertoire has included Elgar’s The Dream of
Gerontius, Mabhler’s ‘Resurrection’” Symphony No.2 and Bruckner’s Mass in
E minor, Haydn’s Creation, Bach’s St Matthew Passion sung in German, Mozart’s
Mass in C minor, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea
Symphony, Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s ‘Nelson” Mass.
In October, at the beginning of the 2002-03 season, we welcomed members of
the Freiburg Bachchor to join with us in a performance of Dvorak’s rarely heard
Requiem. The concert opened with Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor,
the soloist being the talented young Guildford-born Chloé Hanslip. Subsequently,
a party from the Guildford Philharmonic Choir travelled to Germany to sing the
Dvorak Requiem in Freiburg in November.
Following tonight’s performance of Verdi’s Requiem, our major venture of the
season is on 17" May 2003, once again at Guildford Cathedral. This will be a
unique chance to hear Mahler’s massive Symphony No. 8 in E flat, (“Veni Creator
Spiritus”), popularly known as ‘Symphony of a Thousand’. The Choir will be
combining with members of the Lewisham Choral Society, the South West Essex
Choir, a youth choir, eight soloists and the Forest Philharmonic Orchestra. Jeremy
Backhouse will conduct.
The Choir is always looking for new members, especially sopranos and tenors;
prospective members are welcome to come along to rehearsals on a Monday
evening in central Guildford, on an informal basis, before committing to an
audition. If you would like any further information about the Choir or its
forthcoming programmes, please phone Noreen Ayton, our Membership
Secretary,
on
01932
221918.
The
Choir’s
website
s
www.guildfordphilharmonicchoir.org.uk. Printed details of the Choir’s current
season and tickets for performances can also be obtained from the Tourist
Information Office, Tunsgate, Guildford, 01483 444334. Tickets can also be
obtained from Gill Sharpe on 01306 882456.
Judy Smith
Mary Moon
Bass
Maggie Smith
Brenda Moore
Dan Adderley
Kathy Stickland
Daniela Topolarova
Christine Wilks
Jean Munro
Peter Andrews
Penny Muray
Roger Barrett
Jacqueline Norman
Alan Batterbury
Penny Overton
John Britten
Miranda Champion
Alto
Anne Philps
Norman Carpenter
Elaine Chapman
Marian Adderley
Philip Davies
Sara Dann
Lesley Scordellis
Marion Arbuckle
Sally Bailey
Iris Ball
Catherine Shacklady
Gillian Sharpe
Michael Dudley
Rima Skold
Geoffrey Forster
Penny Baxter
Prue Smith
James Garrow
Soprano
Jacqueline Alderton
Joanna Andrews
Noreen Ayton
Helen Beevers
Mary Broughton
Rachel Edmondson
Josephine Field
Mandy Freeman
Christine Hagge
Angela Hall
Angela Hand
Calli Hayes
Philippa Heggs
Tracy Huggins
Jane Kenney
Judith Lewy
Krystyna Marsden
Lois McCabe
Hilary Minor
Susan Norton
Robin Onslow
Alison Palmer
Margaret Parry
Kate Peters
Rosalind Plowright
Alison Rawlinson
Kate Rayner
Jill Scott
Ann Sheppard
Maureen Shortland
Terence Ellis
Evelyn Beastall
Rosey Storey
Iris Bennett
Jane Sweaney
Vaidotas Gerikas
Michael Golden
Jane Brooks
Suleen Syn
Nick Gough
Mary Clayton
Hilary Trigg
Peter Herbert
Anna Cowell
Tessa Wilkinson
Laurie James
Margaret Dentskevich
Maralyn Wong
Andrea Dombrowe
Michael Jeffery
Stephen Jepson
Carolyn Edis
Tenor
Celia Embleton
David Baxter
Maxwell New
Valerie Garrow
Chris Newbery
Neil Martin
Ingrid Hardiman
Adam Boniface
Bob Bromham
Susan Hinton
Douglas Cook
Roger Penny
Carol Hobbs
Tony Cousins
Chris Peters
Sheila Hodson
Bob Cowell
Nigel Pollock
Yvonne Hungerford
Valerie Leggatt
Leslie Harfield
Paul Heggs
Philip Stanford
Mairi McCuish
lan Landsborough
Michael Taylor
Kay McManus
Nick Manning
Kieron Walsh
julia McNeill
Charles Martin
Christine Medlow
Chris Robinson
Rosalind Milton
John Trigg
John Parry
David Ross
Wokingham Choral Society was founded in 1951 and has grown in both size
and reputation over the last 50 years. With a mixed membership of about
140 singers, they specialise in major choral works both mainstream and less
well known, performed with outstanding professional orchestras and superb
soloists.
This season they have a sparkling new Musical Director, Aidan Oliver, who
took over the baton from tonight’s conductor Edward Gardner on his recent
appointment to the Hallé Orchestra. They follow in the footsteps of
Wokingham’s previous young conductors who have gone on to glittering
careers: Graeme Jenkins, now Director of Music at Dallas Opera, Paul Daniel,
Director of Music at English National Opera and Stephen Layton whose choral
recordings have been gaining huge critical acclaim.
The society’s next concert will be a Baroque Extravaganza at Eton College
on Sunday 30th March, followed by a Shakespearean Evening on Saturday
14th June at Saint Paul’s Church, Wokingham. Tickets can be obtained from
Sue Bryant 0118 934 0283.
Soprano
Alto
Caroline Bailey
Hilary Blake
Angela Borland
Tenor
Jos Bowyer
Peter Ambrose
Greg Callaghan
Brian Carroll
Martyn Clark
Viv Canning
Liz Davies
Eric Cox
Christine Couper
Jenny Eaglen
Rosemary Dempster
Sue Alghita
Audrey Brown
Sue Budge
Fiona Butler
Margaret El Kheir
Kristen Gallagher
Inger Grindley
Ann Haycocks
Mary Henschel
Claire Hiscock
Rachel Holland
Hazel Hunter
Carole Hurst
Yvonne Hutchinson
Karin Iding
Ann lles
Jeanne Mclintosh
Sheila Milne
Ann Paterson
Lesley Platt
Marion Provall
Amy Robins
Barbara Robins
Marilyn Rogers
Ellen Singleton-Wood
Irene Simons
Angela Smith
Linda Topp
Sue Tuck
Sally Virgo
Ellen Wallis
Liz Ward
Joy Dennis
John Douglas
Ros Dunmore
Marjorie Fletcher
Hazel Flower
Anne Frank
Caroline Fulton
Astrid Jennings
Rob Edwards
Victor Forsyth
Rob Grindley
John T Redpath
Gordon Siveter
Noel Turner
David Ward
Ed Wilson
Anne Lane
Diane Lawton
Rachel Masters
Judy McLennan
Jane Mellor
Judith Mills
Libby Newman
Joanna O’Neill
Claire Pusey
Sharon Renew
Margaret Rowntree
Paula Seddon
Jill Smith
Janet Sole
Anne Stenborn
Alison Sutton
Valerie Tidball
Jill Womak
Olwen Wood
Marilyn Wright
Bass
Andrew Bateman
Rod Bromley
John Budd
John Cobb
Hugh Dempster
Richard Emery
Nigel Hampton-Chubb
Michael King
Brian Lambe
Nigel Mellor
Ernest Paterson
Fred Preston
Peter Rowntree
Gerald Townsend
John Wallis
Bill Watson
Simon Wood
Proud to support
The Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra
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BOC wishes you an enjoyable event
BOC is delighted to be supporting the Guildford Philharmonic —as we
have done for |5 years.
Like music and its live performance,
we hope that we add to the quality
of life in the communities we serve.
From steel making, welding, refining and chemical processing,
semiconductor manufacture, vacuum pumps and technology,
environmental protection and waste management, food processing and
distribution, drinks dispensing and balloon-filling, glass production and a
host of medical applications, BOC is present in so much around us.
We provide products for almost every hospital department: from
nitrous oxide for anaesthetics, to post-operative therapeutic gases, to
the helium used to cool the magnets of MRI machines.
Environmentally, BOC leads the field in gas-based eco-innovation. From
simple oxygen and ozone systems to advanced oxidation processes,
BOC provides biological treatments to reduce air pollution, cleanse
wastewater and effluent, purify water and recycle waste.
Guildford remains the focal point of a strong and successful BOC.
Long may it prosper as a centre of musical excellence!
Local enquiries:
BOC, The Priestley Centre, |10 Priestley Road,
The Surrey Research Park, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XY.
Tel: (01483) 579857. Fax: (01483) 50521 1.
Forthcoming Concerts
Fantastic Creatures
Tuesday 27 February 2.30pm
Guildford Civic
Alasdair Malloy presenter
Julian Bigg conductor
John Rutter & Mozart
Saturday 8 March 7.30pm
Mozart Coronation Mass
Guildford Cathedral
Rutter Mass of the Children
Guildford Camerata
(UK premiere)
Farnham Youth Choir
John Rutter conductor
Tallis Scholars
Friday 28 March 7.30pm
Guildford Cathedral
Programme includes Allegri’s Miserere
Peter Phillips conductor
Elgar & Sibelius
Friday 4 April 7.30pm
Guildford Civic
Boris Belkin violin
Frank Shipway conductor
Music for Elizabeth R
Friday 20 June 8.00pm
Abbot’s Hospital, Guildford
Musicians of the Globe
Directed by Philip Pickett
Tickets: 01483 444555
To a sustainable future
Borax discovered one of nature’s most bountiful
borate deposits more than a century ago. Today, we
supply the world with refined minerals that sustain
life and our standard of living.
Borates feed the crops that nourish our society. They
sustain life through medicines that protect us from
disease, and safety devices that protect us from
accidents.
Borates also protect our natural resources, helping to
make glass and fibreglass which conserve energy in
our homes and businesses through energy efficient
lighting and insulation, protecting the wood we use
to build our homes and providing the potential to
create a clean, sustainable hydrogen energy fuel
source for cars.
But our products are only part of our commitment to
the future. We also work to make our practices
sustainable - from how efficiently we mine borates,
to how our operations help sustain the standard of
living in our communities.
In other words, it's more than a pleasure to support
Guildford Philharmonic - it's also part of our
commitment to a sustainable future.
BORA
7T
é EE‘
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Borax Europe Limited
IA Guildford Business Park
Guildford, GU2 8XG
A member of the Rio Tinto Group