ANNA ARTHUR & ASSOCIATES
SOLICITORS
EVERY SUCCESS FOR THIS EVENING
FIERI FACIAS HOUSE, HIGH STREET
RIPLEY, SURREY GU23 6AF
TEL: 01483 222499 — FAX: 01483 222766
Vivace
Chorus _=
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Contemporary Choral Classics Cycle, Year 4:
ClassicalCountdown’
Britten:
Te Deum in C
Fauré:
Cantique de Jean Racine
Elgar:
Lux aeterna
Barber:
Adagio for Strings
Mahler:
Adagietto from Symphony No. 5
Jenkins:
Requiem
Brandenburg Sinfonia
conductor
Jeremy Backhouse
Vivace Chorus
PRE-CONCERT TALK
'Old Wine in New Bottles'
This will start at 6.30pm in the Chapter House of the Cathedral. The
speaker will be Martin Hall. Martin received his musical training at the
Royal Academy of Music and New College, Oxford. His musical career
has included the positions of Director of Music at Truro Cathedral School
and chorus master to Richard Hickox. Martin is active as a continuo
player and has recently been involved in setting up a new orchestra — the
Kensington Sinfonia. Among his musical passions is that for 20th century
English music.
Please note: Members of the audience who wish to attend the talk and
do not already have reserved seating can reserve their concert seats
beforehand in the appropriate unreserved areas of the Cathedral. The
talk should finish at 7.10pm, allowing time to order refreshments etc.
This concert marks the completion of the choir's 60th season of singing;
we hope that you enjoy it and we look forward to our next 60 years of
music-making in Guildford!
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Vivace Chorus
Benjamin Britten 1913 — 1976
Britten was born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and began composing as a child.
He studied with the composer Frank Bridge before attending the Royal
College of Music in 1930, where he then continued his studies with
Arthur Benjamin, Harold Samuel and John Ireland.
Britten was in the United States at the outset of World War Two and
stayed there for 3 years, returning to Britain in 1942, where as a
conscientious objector, he was excused military service. He began work
on the piece that would establish him beyond question as the preeminent British composer of his generation — his second opera, Peter
Grimes, premiered on 7 June 1945. The following year saw the first
performance of The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra: Variations
and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell — a cornerstone of the orchestral
repertoire. Britten subsequently produced a prolific range of works in
every genre, from large-scale symphonic scores to songs and choral
works. His importance in post-War British cultural life was enhanced by
his founding of the English Opera Group in 1946 and the Aldeburgh
Festival 2 years later. Britten's career as a composer was matched by his
outstanding ability as a performer: he was both a refined pianist and a
spontaneous and fluent conductor.
His last opera was Death in Venice (1971-73); by the time of its first
performance, he was already seriously ill and had recently undergone
open-heart surgery, from which he never fully recovered. He died at the
age of 63, a few months after being appointed a life peer — the first
composer ever to receive this honour.
Te Deum in C
This exuberant work is most often heard in a liturgical setting with organ
accompaniment, but to open tonight's concert, Vivace Chorus gives it a
rare but welcome outing in the version for choir, harp and strings. The
piece was written in the summer of 1934 for Maurice Vinden and the
Choir of St Mark's, North Audley Street, London. It was published and
first performed in 1935, and orchestrated in January 1936.
We praise Thee O God, We acknowledge Thee to be the Lord:;
All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting.
To Thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the powers therein;
To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Holy Lord, God of Sabaoth,
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Thy glory.
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5
The glorious company of the Apostles praise Thee,
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise Thee,
The noble army of martyrs praise Thee,
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge Thee:
The Father of an infinite majesty,
Thine honourable, true, and only Son, also the Holy Ghost, the comforter.
Thou art the King of glory, O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man,
Thou didst not abhor the virgin's womb.
When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou shalt come to be our judge.
We therefore pray Thee help Thy servants, whom
Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting.
O Lord save Thy people and bless Thine heritage.
Govern them and lift them up forever.
Day by day we magnify Thee, and we worship
Thy name, ever world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let Thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in Thee.
O Lord, in Thee have | trusted, let me never be confounded.
Gabriel Fauré (1845 — 1924)
Born in southern France, Gabriel Fauré studied at the Ecole
Niedermeyer, a school in Paris centred on the study of Church music,
with several of the great composers, including Camille Saint-Saéns. His
position as Head of the Paris Conservatoire meant that Fauré was
regarded as being among the foremost musical educators of his time.
His music is characterised by unusual harmonies and modulations: with
its unique blend of vigour and restraint, sensuality and purity, it served to
inspire a new generation of French composers. Fauré was a prolific
composer but is famous for only a handful of pieces; religious works
such as the Requiem and the Cantique de Jean Racine, and popular
pieces such as the Pavane and Dolly Suite are perennial favourites. He
also wrote chamber music, songs such as Clair de lune and Apres un
réve, several song cycles and an opera, Penelope.
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Vivace Chorus
Cantique de Jean Racine, Op.11
Fauré was just 20 years old when, in 1865, he wrote this miniature
masterpiece — a setting of text by the French dramatist Jean Racine
(1639 — 1699). At the Ecole Niedermeyer, Fauré learnt the art of modal
harmony, primarily with the aim of accompanying plainsong. But up-to-
date chromatic harmony was also being taught, and while the Requiem
shows the influence of the school in respect of handling the church
modes, the Cantique is an exercise in more conventional harmony. It
was first performed in 1866 in a version for choir and organ.
As with the Requiem, Fauré revisited the Cantique early in the 20th
century, when he expanded the orchestration for the second time; this
fuller version was performed in 1906 at the Société des Concerts du
Conservatoire.
Verbe égal au Trés-Haute,
Word equal to the Most High,
notre unique espérance,
our only hope,
Jour éternel de la terre
Eternal day of the earth
et des cieux,
and heavens,
De la paisible nuit
We break the silence
nous rompons le silence:
of the peaceful night
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux!
Divine Saviour, look down upon us.
Répands sur nous le feu
de ta gréce puissante;
Imbue us with the fire
of thy great mercy;
Que tout I'enfer fuie
All hell flees
au son de ta voix;
at the sound of your voice.
Dissipe le sommeil d'une &me languissante,
Dispel the sleep of a languishing soul
That brings forgetfulness of your laws!
Qui la conduit a I'oubli de tes lois!
O Christ, sois favorable
a ce peuple fidele
Pour te bénir maintenant rassemblé;
Recois les chants qu'il offre
O Christ show your favour
to your faithful people
a ta gloire immortelle;
Et de tes dons qu'il
to your immortal glory,
And to your gifts, so that they
retourne comblé!
may return fulfilled.
Now gathered here to worship you.
Receive the which they offer
Edward Elgar (1857 — 1934)
Elgar was arguably the leading English composer of his generation and a
significant figure among late Romantic European musicians. Born in
Worcester in 1857, the son of a piano-tuner and owner of a music shop,
Vivace Chorus
4
he earned his earlier living as an organist, violinist and teacher in his own
part of the country. In 1889, Elgar moved to London to be closer to the
centre of British musical life, and started composing in earnest. However,
success only came later, after his return to Great Malvern, where he
could earn a living by teaching.
During the 1890s Elgar gradually built up a reputation as a composer,
chiefly of works for the great choral festivals of the Midlands, and he
obtained a long-standing publisher in Novello and Company. His first
major orchestral work, the Enigma Variations, Op. 36, was premiered in
London in 1899 under the baton of the eminent German conductor
Hans Richter. It was received with general acclaim, establishing Elgar as
the pre-eminent British composer of his generation.
From the beginning of the century until the outbreak of war in 1914, Elgar
produced the major compositions on which his reputation became firmly
established. His pre-eminence in national musical life was acccorded
formal recognition, including a knighthood (1904), the Order of Merit
(1911), Master of the King's Musick (1924) and a baronetcy (1931).
The ninth and best known of the Enigma Variations, Nimrod, was a
tribute to Elgar's great friend and publisher A.E.Jaeger [Jaeger is
German for hunter and King Nimrod was described in The Bible as “the
Mighty Hunter”.] Tonight's concert includes a rarely heard choral setting
to the text Lux aeterna (a section of the Latin Requiem Mass) and one
which retains all the nobility and grandeur of the original variation.
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
cum sanctis tuis in aeternam,
May eternal light shine upon them, Lord,
with Thy saints for ever,
quia pius es.
for Thou art merciful.
Requiem eternam dona eis, Domine,
~Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
and may perpetual light shine on them.
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981)
Born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Barber was one of the outstanding
products of the Curtis Institute of Philadelphia, where he studied voice,
piano, and composition. Later, he studied conducting with Fritz Reiner.
Barber's music was championed by a remarkable range of renowned
artists, musicians and conductors, including Martha Graham, Vladimir
Horowitz, John Browning and Arturo Toscanini. He won a number of
awards, including the Prix de Rome in 1935. One year later, in 1936, he
published his String Quartet in B minor, the slow movement of which
almost immediately won separate fame as the Adagio for Strings. It was
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published in that form in 1938 and has since become one of the most
recognisable and beloved compositions both in concerts and in films
such as Platoon, The Elephant Man and Lorenzo's Oil.
On a technical level, its wonderfully effective layout shows fine
understanding of the string medium. The skill with which its gently
winding main theme passes from one voice to another, preserving for the
whole texture a superbly eloquent forward momentum, proclaims the
restraint of true mastery. This is an emotionally charged piece of searing,
intense beauty, and is often used as an American national anthem at
sombre occasions.
Gustav Mahler (1860 — 1911)
Mahler was born in Kalischt, Bohemia, which at that time was part of the
crumbling Austro-Hungarian empire. He studied the piano, harmony and
composition at the Vienna Conservatoire from 1875 to 1878. However,
he was not a virtuoso pianist and his student and youthful works were
already too forward-looking for him to win the conservatively judged
composition contests of the time. As a result, Mahler was forced into a
conducting career, the early part of which was spent at a series of
regional opera houses. He rose to prominence after his appointment in
1897 as Musical Director of the Vienna Opera, and became one of the
most important and influential conductors of the period.
As Mabhler was forced to spend most of the year conducting, he was,
throughout his career, a summer composer from his country retreat.
Mahler thus limited his composing to only two genres — the symphony
and lieder. Since childhood, Mahler had had a fear of and preoccupation
with death, intensified in 1907 by the diagnosis of the heart condition
which led to his early death 4 years later.
Mahler's Symphony No. 5 was composed in 1901-3, around the time of
his marriage to Alma Schindler, and was premiered in Cologne in
October 1904. The Adagietto is the fourth movement; it is a wonderful
lyrical passage and has become famous in its own right, being especially
associated with the opening and closing scenes of the Visconti film
Death in Venice, which is based on the 1912 novella by the German
author Thomas Mann. The central character of von Aschenbach may
have been based in part on Mahler — Mann claimed to have based
Aschenbach's physical appearance, but not his character, on Mabhler,
who could be also be seen as an appropriate composer for the film
because of his preoccupation with death.
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9
Karl Jenkins 1944 —
Karl Jenkins was born in the small Welsh coastal village of Penclawdd
on the Gower Peninsula West of Swansea. His father, a school teacher,
was also an organist and choirmaster of the local Tabernacle Chapel and
it was he who began teaching his son the piano when Karl was 6 years
old. During these formative years, apart from being introduced to the
classical world by his father via recordings and the occasional concert,
he was also, as part of chapel life, exposed to the unique sound of Welsh
hymn singing, echoes of which are to be heard in future compositions.
On entering Gowerton Grammar School aged 11, Karl began to play the
oboe and within the next few years progressed through the Glamorgan
Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, Cardiff.
During his school and university years he became increasingly interested
in jazz (playing saxophone) which was to have a significant bearing on
his compositional style in later years.
Following his studies he won awards as a jazz oboist and took up the
saxophone, working with, amongst others, Ronnie Scott. He co-founded
Nucleus in 1972, winning first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival, before
joining the progressive rock band Soft Machine. When, in 1995, he
started writing for the concert hall, he was writing what he calls
"polystylist" work — for example, the finale of his second string quartet
races through pastiches of Hollywood music and hoe-down — but says:
"l think my style now is more amalgamated, more cohesive." That said,
"I'm still drawing from different elements, different cultures.”
Karl Jenkins holds a D.Mus [Doctor of Music] degree from the University
of Wales, and has been made both a Fellow and an Associate of the
Royal Academy of Music. He was awarded an OBE for Services to
British Music in the 2005 New Years Honours List.
One of the highlights of the Vivace calendar in recent years was our
performance of one of his most popular works, The Armed Man: A Mass
For Peace. This, the first of our on-going series of Contemporary Choral
Classics, was a hugely popular and successful concert. Now we are
staging his Requiem.
It has apparently not occurred to any previous composer to integrate
Japanese death poems (jisei) with the Requiem musical form. Yet this is
just what Jenkins has done, with much success. In a stirring, melodic,
and at times energetic work, Jenkins presents five death
haiku (a
concise form of Japanese poetry) in rich musical settings, interspersed
with traditional Latin movements.
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Vivace Chorus
The Latin text is sung predominantly by male voices; the haiku are sung,
in Japanese, by the women. This voicing makes it easy to identify the
haiku during the piece, and also emphasizes what may be considered to
be a contemplative feminine quality in the poems themselves.
The haiku, attributed to Gozan, Isshd, Hokusai, Kaga-no-Chiyo and
Banzan, are delicate, epigrammatic texts which provide a peaceful
commentary on the liturgical words. The result is a deeply moving
expression of spirituality, whose musical 'tying together' of different
cultures provides a link that is highly appropriate to the modern world.
The composer says "A Requiem is a Mass for the souls of the dead. In
general | have set the usual Latin text but as is my wont, have drawn on
cultures outside the European, setting five Japanese haiku poems
dealing with death. These evocative, concise poems of but seventeen
syllables (divided 5-7-5 over three lines), are usually to do with nature,
have a single idea and often equate life with nature’s water cycle or
cherry blossom."
"I have combined the Western and Eastern texts in two of the haiku
movements, Having Seen the Moon and Farewell, which incorporate the
Benedictus and the Agnus Dei, respectively. Both Latin texts are intoned
by male voices in a monastic style as a counterpoint to the Japanese text
sung by females."
“The work is dedicated to my late father, a musician, and an inspiration.”
Requiem
OLCe.NDW~Ih=AO
Introit
Dies Irae
The Snow of Yesterday
Rex Tremendae
Confutatis
From Deep in My Heart
Lacrimosa
Now as a Spirit
Pie Jesu
Having Seen the Moon
Lux Aeterna
Farewell
In Paradisum
Vivace Chorus
11
1. Introit
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
And may perpetual light shine on them.
Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,
Et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.
Thou, Lord, art praised in Sion,
And a vow shall be paid to Thee in
Exaudi orationem meam, ad te
Jerusalem.
Hear my prayer, to Thee
Omnis caro veniet.
Kyrie eleison.
All flesh shall come.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Christe eleison.
2. Dies Irae
Dies irae, dies illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla.
Day of wrath, that day
Will dissolve the earth in ashes
As David and the Sibyl bear witness.
Teste David cum Sybilla.
Quantus tremor est futurus
Quando Judex est venturus
Cuncta stricte discussurus.
What dread there will be
When the Judge shall come
To weigh all things strictly.
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
Per sepulcra regionum
A trumpet, spreading a wondrous sound
Through the graves of every land,
Will drive all before the throne.
Coget omnes ante thronum.
Mors stupebit et natura
Cum resurget creatura
Death and Nature will be astonished
When all creation rises again
Judicanti responsura.
To answer to the Judge.
Liber scriptus proferetur
A book of writing will be brought forth
In quo totum continetur
Containing everything for which
Unde mundus judicetur.
The world shall be judged.
Judex ergo cum sedebit
Therefore when the Judge takes his seat
Whatever is hidden will appear.
Quidquid latet apparebit
Nil inultum remanebit.
Nothing will remain unavenged.
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus
What then shall | say, wretch that | am,
What advocate entreat to speak for me,
When even the righteous are hardly
Quem patronem rogaturus
Cum vix justus sit securus?
secure?
3. The Snow of Yesterday (Gozan)
Hana to mishi
Yuki wa kinouzo
Moto no mizu.
12
The snow of yesterday
That fell like cherry blossoms
Is water once again.
Vivace Chorus
4. Rex Tremendae
Rex tremendae majestatis,
Qui salvandos salvas gratis,
Salva me, fons pietatis.
King of aweful majesty
Who freely savest the redeemed
Save me, fount of pity.
5. Confutatis
Confutatis maledictis,
Flammis acribus addictis, voca me
When the wicked are confounded and
Cum benedictis.
With the blessed.
Oro supplex et acclinis,
Cor contritum quasi cinis,
Gere curam mei finis.
| pray in supplication on my knees,
My heart contrite as ashes.
Consigned to bitter flames, call me
Take care of my end.
6. From Deep in My Heart (Issho)
Kokoro kara
Yuki utsukushi ya
Nishi no kumo.
From deep in my heart
How beauitiful are
The snow clouds in the west.
7. Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa dies illa,
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus.
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem.
Amen.
Tearful that day
When from the dust shall rise
Sinful man to be judged.
Therefore spare him, God.
Blessed Lord Jesus,
Grant them rest.
Amen.
8. Now as a Spirit (Hokusai)
Hitodama de
Yukuki sanjiya
Natsu no hara.
Now as a spirit,
| shall roam
The summer fields.
9. Pie Jesu
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem sempiternam.
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Blessed Lord Jesus,
Grant them everlasting rest.
13
10. Having Seen the Moon (Kaga-no-Chiyo)
Tsuki mo mite
Having seen the moon,
Ware wa konoyowo
Even | take leave of this life
Kashiku kana.
With a blessing.
Benedictus
Blessed is he
Qui venit in nomine Domini.
Who cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Hosanna in the highest.
11. Lux Aeterna
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
May eternal light shine upon them, Lord:
Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
With Thy saints for ever,
Quia pius es.
For Thou art merciful.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
Grant them eternal rest, Lord,
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
And may perpetual light shine on them.
12. Farewell (Banzan)
Mame de iyo
Farewell
Miwa nara washino
| pass, as all things do,
Kusa no tsuyu.
Like dew on the grass.
Agnus Dei
O Lamb of God,
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
That takest away the sins of the world,
Dona eis requiem.
Grant them rest.
13. In Paradisum
In paradisum deducant te Angeli;
May angels lead you into Paradise;
In tuo adventu suscipiant te
May the martyrs receive you
martyres, Et perducant te
At your coming and lead you
In civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.
To the holy city of Jerusalem.
Chorus angelorum te suscipiat,
May a choir of angels receive you,
Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere
And with Lazarus, who once was poor,
Aeternam habeas requiem.
May you have eternal rest.
Some of the printed music for this evening's concert has been hired
from Surrey County Council Performing Arts Library, Yorkshire
Libraries and Information — Wakefield Joint Music and Drama
Collection, Hire Library at Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd and
Oxford University Press Music Hire Library.
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Vivace Chorus
Jeremy Backhouse
Photography by Sim Canetty-Clarke
Jeremy Backhouse began his musical career in Canterbury Cathedral,
where he was Head Chorister, and later studied music at Liverpool
University. He spent 5years as Music Editor at the Royal National
Institute for the Blind, where he was responsible for the transcription of
print music into Braille. In 1986 he joined EMI Records as a Literary
Editor and from April 1990 he combined work as a Consultant Editor for
EMI Classics with a career as a freelance conductor. In November 2004,
Jeremy joined Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers and now works for
them in a freelance capacity.
In
January
1995,
Jeremy was appointed Chorus Master and
subsequently Music Director of the Guildford Philharmonic Choir (now
Vivace Chorus). Major works performed in Guildford Cathedral include
Mahler's Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 8, Prokofiev's Alexander
Nevsky, Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man
and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 (Lobgesang).
Jeremy is also the conductor of the Vasari Singers, widely acknowledged
as one of the finest chamber choirs in the country, performing choral
music from the Renaissance right up to contemporary commissions. In
2005, the choir and Jeremy celebrated their 25th anniversary together.
Jeremy has also worked with a number of the country's leading choirs,
including the Philharmonia Chorus, the London Choral Society and the
Brighton Festival Chorus. For 6 years, to the end of 2004, Jeremy was
the Music Director of the Wooburn Singers, only the third conductor in
the distinguished history of the choir, following Sir Richard Hickox (who
founded the choir in 1967) and most recently, Stephen Jackson.
Vivace Chorus
15
ch d
b
Artistic Director — Robert Porter
ialNlaIEN|e urg
Associate Music Director — Sarah Tenant-Flowers
W sinfonia
The Brandenburg Sinfonia is one of the most dynamically versatile
musical organisations in the country. It is renowned for its special quality
of sound and poised vivacity in performance. The orchestra performs
regularly in the majority of the major venues across the country, and in
London
at the
Barbican,
Royal
Albert
Hall,
Queen
Elizabeth
Hall,
Fairfield Halls and St John's, Smith Square. The Brandenburg Sinfonia is
also in great demand abroad and has visited France, USA, Bermuda, the
Channel Islands, Barbados, Russia, Germany, Japan and Hong Kong. In
1999 the orchestra established major concert series at both St Martin-inthe-Fields and Crystal Palace Bowil.
A large number of artists of international standing have worked with the
orchestra including Emmanuel Hurwitz, Lesley Garrett, John Georgiadis,
John Wallace,
ranges from
Michael Thompson and
Bach to
Gordon
Lloyd Webber and
Hunt.
Its repertoire
its members give around
100 performances of orchestral, chamber, choral and operatic music
during the year. The orchestras for a number of touring companies are
formed from members of the Brandenburg Sinfonia including First Act
Opera, London City Opera, Opera Holland Park, London Opera Players
and Central Festival Opera.
Violin 1
Mihkel Kerem
Viola
Stephen Shakeshaft
Bass
Flute
Tim Amherst
Gareth Davies
Hannah Smith
Graeme McKean
Laura Campbell
Martin Gwilym-Jones
Lucy Theo
Jan Zahourek
Horn
Iva Fleishansova
Eljon Vesijiu
Honorah Farrell
Henrietta Ridgeon
Harp
Adam Walters
Susie Walker
Gabriella Nikula
Skaila Kanga
Caroline Frenkel
Cello
Timpani
Tom Klidzia
Patrick Jones
Gillian McDonagh
Violin 2
Dominic O'Dell
Katy Wright
Percussion
Martin Smith
Sarah Wolstenholme
William Rudge
Sally Woods
Tommy Foster
Janne Metsapelto
Caroline Bishop
Tony Maloney
James Widden
Phillip Granell
Felicity Broome-
Skelton
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Vivace Chorus
Vivace Chorus
Vivace
Chorus came into being in May 2005, when to reflect its
independent status, the former Guildford Philharmonic Choir 'rebranded’
itself. The choir was founded in 1947 and therefore celebrates the
completion of its 60th season of singing tonight.
Vivace Chorus enjoys a challenging and varied concert repertoire,
performing works spanning the last five centuries — some well-known,
but also many rarities deserving to be heard by a wider audience. By
way of recent demonstration: the 2004/05 season finished with Karl
Jenkins’ The Armed Man (2000) as the first in our Contemporary Choral
Classics Cycle (CCCC), an innovative series of works from the late 20th
and 21st century. The 2005/6 season began with Mendelssohn’s epic
choral Symphony No. 2 (Lobgesang) — a work rarely heard in the UK. By
contrast, our next concert was devoted to the 'Pillars of the Baroque' —
Bach and Handel. The second CCCC concert included the haunting
Evening Hymns of Humphrey Clucas.
Our first concert of the 2006/7 season included three delightful choral
works by Hugo Wolf, virtually unknown repertoire in the UK. The Music
Makers, which followed, was quintessentially English — Elgar, Parry and
Vaughan Williams. But the highlight of the year was undoubtedly our
CCCC concert and first-ever foray into the world of jazz. Here we sang
and swung to the music of Bob Chilcott, John Rutter and especially to
Will Todd's Mass in Blue, accompanied by the composer, complete with
his jazz trio, jazz band and his outstanding soloist wife, the soprano
Bethany Halliday. The audience loved it too — we had a standing ovation!
We now regularly sing in a 'Last Night of the Proms' charity concert to a
packed Fairfield Halls, Croydon. With our good friends the Brandenburg
Sinfonia, we also sing at least once a year in the inspiring venue of
St Martin-in-the-Fields, performing works such as Mozart's Requiem.
To start this season (and to test our nerves) our programme by French
composers was sung with organ or unaccompanied; this was followed by
our Viennese Masters concert, which included more a cappella singing
among well-known favourites with orchestral accompaniment.
If you are interested in singing with us, please contact Jane Brooks,
membership@vivacechorus.org.
Rehearsals are held on
Monday
evenings throughout term time in central Guildford and prospective
members are most welcome to attend rehearsals on an informal basis
before committing to an audition. For more information, see our website
at www.vivacechorus.org.
Vivace Chorus
i
Vivace Chorus
FIRST SOPRANOS
FIRST ALTOS
Joanna Andrews
Helen Beevers
Penny Baxter
Monika Boothby
FIRST TENORS
Bob Cowell
Tim Hardyment
Mary Broughton
Miranda Champion
Jane Brooks
Liz Durning
Nick Manning
Elaine Chapman
Rachel Edmondson
Mo Kfouri
Hilary Minor
Susan Norton
Robin Onslow
Margaret Parry
Celia Embleton
Kate Emerson
Sue Fletcher
Ingrid Hardiman
Kay McManus
Christine Medlow
Rosalind Milton
Mary Moon
Penny Muray
Marjory Rollo
Lesley Scordellis
Catherine Shacklady
Hilary Trigg
Pamela Woodroffe
John Trigg
SECOND ALTOS
Valerie Adam
Marion Arbuckle
Deborah Bayliss
Evelyn Beastall
Sylvia Chantler
Mary Clayton
Andrea Dombrowe
Carolyn Edis
Philip Stanford
Barry Sterndale-Bennett
Margaret Perkins *
Emma Roberts
Judy Smith
Carol Terry
Nikki Vale
SECOND SOPRANOS
Jacqueline Alderton
Anna Arthur
Barbara Barklem
Mandy Freeman
Jane Kenney
Judith Lewy
Krystyna Marsden
Elizabeth Massey
Lois McCabe
Alison Newbery
Alison Palmer
Kate Peters
Rosalind Plowright
Susannah Priede
Vivien Rieden
Isobel Rooth
Ann Sheppard
Yvette Smith
Kathy Stickland
Paula Sutton
Christine Wilks
Frances Worpe
*
18
Valerie Edwards
Valerie Garrow
Barbara Hilder
Susan Hinton
Carol Hobbs
Yvonne Hungerford
Brenda Moore
Jacqueline Norman
Beryl Northam
Prue Smith
Rosey Storey
Claire Townsend
June Windle
Elisabeth Yates
lan Landsborough
SECOND TENORS
John Bawden
Bob Bromham
Tony Chantler
Stephen Linton
Chris Robinson
FIRST BASSES
John Britten
Chris Newbery
Chris Peters
Robin Privett
David Ross
Kieron Walsh
SECOND BASSES
Peter Andrews
Roger Barrett
Alan Batterbury
Norman Carpenter
Geoffrey Forster
James Garrow
Michael Jeffery
Neil Martin
Maxwell New
Roger Penny
Chris Short
Michael Taylor
soloist in Britten's Te Deum in C
Vivace Chorus
Choir Functionaries
Jeremy Backhouse
Music Director
Jeremy Filsell
Accompanist
The Committee
John Trigg MBE
Chairman
email: chairman@vivacechorus.org
Bob Cowell
Hon. Treasurer
email: treasurer@vivacechorus.org
Isobel Rooth
Hon. Secretary
email: secretary@vivacechorus.org
Jane Brooks
Membership Secretary
email: membership@vivacechorus.org
Jackie Alderton
Ladies’ uniforms
Mailings Coordinator
Tel. 01932 343625
email: mailing@vivacechorus.org
Rosey Storey
Hilary Trigg
Minutes Secretary
Publicity
email: publicity@vivacechorus.org
Michael Taylor
Ticket Sales
Tel. 07958 519741
email: tickets@vivacechorus.org
Noreen Ayton
Methodist Church liaison
James Garrow
Fund-raising/Social events
Miranda Champion
Other responsibilities
Christine Medlow
Helen Beevers
Music Librarian
Patrons Liaison
email: patrons@vivacechorus.org
Chris Peters
Website coordinator
Chris Alderton
Front of House
Brenda Moore
Programme notes, soloists’ liaison & advertising
Vivace Chorus
Patrons and Friends of
Vivace Chorus
Vivace Chorus is extremely grateful to all Patrons and Friends
for their financial support.
Patrons
Dr. J.B.R. Arbuckle
Mr. & Mrs. G. Dombrowe
Dr. Roger Barrett
Golden and Associates
Mrs. E.A. Batterbury
Mrs. Carol Hobbs
Mr. Bill Bellerby MBE
Mr. Laurie James
Mrs. Doreen Bellerby MBE
Mrs. M. van Koetsveld
Mr. & Mrs. Peter Bennett
Mrs. Christine Medlow
Mr. G.S. Blacker
Mr. Ron Medlow
Mrs. J.G. Blacker
Dr. Roger Muray
Mrs. Ingrid Brockdorff
Mr. & Mrs. Maxwell S. New
Mr. & Mrs. R.H.R. Broughton
Mr. & Mrs. John Parry
Mr. H.J.C. Browne
Mrs. Jean Radley
Mrs. Maryel Cowell
Mr. & Mrs. B. Reed
Mrs Jane Crane
Mr. Michael Shortland
Mr. & Mrs. Philip Davies
Dr. & Mrs. M.G.M. Smith
Mr. Michael Dawe
Miss Enid Weston
Mrs. Margaret Dentskevich
Friends
Dega Broadcast Systems
Mrs. Jean Shail
Mrs. K.C. Stickland
As a Patron and in return for donating £25 or more per annum, you will
be kept informed of future concerts and given priority booking at our own
concerts. You may book an unlimited number of reserved seats at the
Cathedral where the concert is sponsored by Vivace Chorus.
New Patrons and Friends are always welcome. If you are interested in
participating, please contact Helen Beevers, Tel. 01252 313963, or
email: patrons@vivacechorus.org
20
Vivace Chorus
The staging for this concert is owned by
the Association of Surrey Choirs. To
hire,
please
contact
Penny
Peters,
Guildford Cathedral Office (tel: 01403
547860). It was purchased with financial
assistance
from
the
Foundation
Sport and Arts, PO Box 20, Liverpool.
e
-
F'“ancglg'laf'ls)';d(‘)’y]‘ 1
oy i
for
Printed by WORDCRAFT
115 Merrow Woods, Guildford, Surrey GU1 2LJ
Tel: 01483 560735
Vivace Chorus
Registered Charity No 1026337
in the name of Guildford Philharmonic Choir
CONCERT BOUQUETS from 'Viennese Masters' (01 March 2008)
"This was a fascinating mix of music - from the
familiar and delightful 'Ave Verum' to the far less
well-known, but powerful Bruckner motets.
Everything was so well-performed. I'm also really
beginning to appreciate the merits, even if not the
difficulties, of unaccompanied singing - but that's
because you always make it look so easy!"
"The choice of last night's programme was excellent
and
the
performances
outstanding
-
a
really
memorable evening. Many thanks."
Vivace Chorus
21
For Complete
Family Eyecare
Extensive range offrames
with many designer names
1 Wolsey Walk, Woking GU21 1XU
Tel: 01483 766800
Richard Broughton
FCOptom DipCLP
Resident Partner
Branches also at:
Camberley, Fleet and Guildford
John Harwood
Music Lovers...
\
You'll find what you want at the
Record Corner
VAST SELECTION OF CDs & DVDs
OPEN 9.00am ~ 5.30pm
Chris Alderton
Decorator
MONDAY - SATURDAY
Classical Music Specialists
#Rock - Jazz - Pop - Folk
*Spoken Word Tapes
Why not let me ‘orchestrate’ your
decorating?
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22
Vivace Chorus
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Chorus
REM
Our new comm
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Chorus
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Classical Countdown
A 60th Anniversary Concert
Britten: Te Deum in C
C
I
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Elgar: Lux aeterna (choral setting of 'Nimrod')
Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine
Mahler: Adagietto from Symphony No.5
Karl Jenkins: Requiem
There will be a pre-concert talk at 6.30pm.
Vivace Chorus
Brandenburg Sinfonia
Conductor Jeremy Backhouse
Guildford Cathedral
Saturday 17th May 2008 at 7.30pm
£20.00 - Reserved (Front Nave)
-
Ticket No. FNR
Car Parking
Space at the Cathedral is very limited. You are advised to come early and use the
Surrey University Car Parks 1 & 2.
Take the Surrey University exit from the roundabout.
the left.
Car Park 1 is about 100m on
Follow the road further round to reach Car Park 2 marked on your left.
After parking, follow the (pedestrian) Campus road opposite CP 1, or the path from
CP 2 past Austin Pearce Building and then follow signs to the Cathedral (400m).
Please note: Parking at the University is not suitable for disabled people.
Interval Drinks
These can be ordered at the West End of the Cathedral before the performance.
Dates for your Diary
Saturday 27th September 2008: 'Last Night of the Proms' concert at the
Fairfield Halls, Croydon.
Saturday 1st November 2008: Verdi Requiem,
Guildford Cathedral, 7.30pm
with the Freiburg Bachchor and the Romsey Choral Society.