BAROQUE
TREASURES
The Brandenburg
Sinfonia
Conductor:
Jeremy Backhouse
)
Vivace
—
@
Satu'rday
3“1 March 2018
7-30 pm
vivacechorus.org
g;lllde'g?r"g
You're always part
of the RGS...
5
2 RGS
rgs-guildford.co.uk
“The range of musical opportunities is outstanding”
ISI Inspection
...and the RGSwill
always be a part of you
RLP
Vivace
Chorus
Baroque Treasures
Zadok the Priest
Handel
Ich lasse dich nicht
J S Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No 3
J S Bach
Let God arise
Handel
Let the bright Seraphim
Let their celestial concerts all unite
Handel
Adagio for organ and strings
Albinoni
Magnificat in D
J S Bach
Natasha Page
Soprano
Sarah Gilford
Soprano
Susannah Bedford
Mezzo-soprano
Kieran Carrel
Tenor
Niall Anderson
Bass
The Brandenburg Sinfonia
Conductor: Jeremy Backhouse
BAROQUE TREASURES
In a recent television programme the Queen was shown discussing
four superb, gleaming pearls that hang underneath the arches of the
Imperial State Crown. One is improbably large and melon-shaped,
one like a gorgeous pear-drop with rippling dimples, and two have
swerving, wobbly outlines, rakishly elegant and irregular. Each is
what a seventeenth-century Portuguese jeweller would have called
a barroco, a pearl whose outlines bulge and undulate beyond the
bounds of a perfect spherical structure. Yet barroco pearls are
attractive, and valued, precisely because of this contrast between
formal regularity and their delightfully extravagant shapes that
challenge the conventional rules of ordered beauty. It is from these
delicate but wayward treasures that the Baroque style, dominant in
architecture, painting, sculpture, poetry and music throughout the
seventeenth century and far into the eighteenth, takes its name.
Gilbert Highet argued that the beauty of the Baroque arises from a
‘tension between ardent passion and firm, cool control” The great
Baroque composers represented in this concert illustrate this in
many ways, but three aspects stand out:
- Although disciplined in form and structure, these works achieve
powerfully emotional effects, as the composers exploit the new and
varied instrumental resources available to them in order to arouse,
soothe, excite, challenge and involve the listener.
- Baroque composers explore intense, even extreme emotional
states - a yearning for God's forgiveness, a longing for an intimate
relationship with Jesus, the exultation of victory, profound grief, the
thrill of military or political triumph - and bring these experiences
vividly to life.
- Their works, even when not written for the theatre, are often
sensationally theatrical. A Lutheran congregation, or the assembled
worthies at an
performs
a
English coronation, are drawn
dramatic
role,
maybe
as
Testament narrative, or, as happens in
‘the
in as the chorus
people”
in
an
Old
Bach's Magnificat, taking
turns with the soloists to speak the jubilant words of the Virgin Mary.
The chorus can even meditate eloquently on the anxieties and
longings of the individual Christian heart, while solo performers
dazzle church, opera house or concert room with their highlyschooled and brilliant technique.
Vivace Chorus
3
When George Il was crowned as only
the second
Hanoverian
King
of Great
Britain and Ireland in October 1727, the
Anointing was the most important part
of the
ceremony,
both
spiritually and
politically. The holy oil set him apart,
irreversibly, as God's chosen ruler, just as
Solomon had been set apart by Zadok
and Nathan in the biblical narrative.
But the story, included for centuries in
G F Handel
the
coronation
urgency:
service,
like Solomon,
had
a
George
new
had a
rival for power, his exiled cousin James Stuart, and for more than a
decade a series of risings in Scotland had threatened Hanoverian
rule. Who better than Handel, the master of Baroque theatre, to
compose a magnificent authentication and endorsement of the new
King? Lasting less than six minutes, this Coronation anthem acts out
with brilliant economy both the ancient Bible story of Solomon's
anointing and the ceremony taking place now in the Abbey, in the
great space in the crossing known as the Coronation Theatre.
The long orchestral introduction, combining nobility with an intense
sense of expectation and mystery, is built up from a series of
delicate
rising
arpeggios
in
the
upper strings,
underpinned
by
pulsing rhythms and rich harmonies. The effect is of a dignified
procession towards a moment of thrilling national significance. The
chorus enters with massive force, telling the story of Solomon but
also
asserting
consecrated,
in
in
emphatic
the
phrases that
presence
of Church
King
George
is
being
and
State,
his
power
validated by military drums and trumpets.
A move into triple time suggests that ‘the people” are not only
rejoicing, but dancing for joy, with lively rhythms in the woodwind
and brass to represent the “pipes’ mentioned in the biblical narrative
but not in Handel's text.
4
'
Vivace Chorus
A glorious line for the altos, intensified by orchestral trills, initiates
another rising arpeggio which is then completed and elaborated by
the whole chorus, in their full dramatic character, speaking not only
as
the
people
of
Israel
but
also
as
and
for
the
people
of
Westminster, London and the realms beyond. In brilliant vocal runs
and leaps they urge long life for the new King and praises to God:
Alleluja! Amen!
Zadok the Priest
Zadokrk the priest
and Nathan the prophet
anointed Solomon Ring.
And all the people rejoiced and said:
God save the King!
Long live the King!
May the King live forever!
Amen! Amen! Alleluia!
............................................................
............................................................
............................................................
..........................
BRAVO!
Brucker & Mahler - November 2017
". As a Mahler fanatic, | have at least twenty different recordings of
Mahler's "Resurrection” and the performance was as good, if not better,
than some that I've seen in London."
"“The choir was stupendous! How could | have reached my age without
ever hearing Mahler before? All | can say is WOW!"
‘Exciting, edge-of-your-seat stuff.... the majesty of the singing, the
richness of the harmonies and true fortissimos combining to make this
a memorable evening
Vivace Chorus
5
The motet Ich lasse dich nicht has been
attributed to Johann Christoph Bach but
also to J S Bach himself. A chorale by
Johann Sebastian was later added to it,
and together they form a moving spiritual
sequence
that
relationship
between
dramatizes
believer and
Jesus.
an
the
individual
Powerful emotions
are expressed in sensuous melody and
m
:
JS Bach
all the more intensified, by the masterly
harmony, contained and controlled, but
discipline of Bach's musical architecture.
The piece is based on a verse in the Book of Genesis. Jacob has
encountered a mysterious stranger and wrestled with him till daybreak, neither of them able to overthrow the other or willing to let
him
go. The stranger asks to
be
released,
but Jacob
refuses,
determined to bargain: | will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.
His opponent tells Jacob that from now on he must be called Israel,
and gives him his blessing. The enigmatic incident has traditionally
been interpreted as an encounter between Jacob and God himself
in human form, and as the origin of the combative and intensely
personal relationship between the Lord and the wayward Children
of Israel.
The motet develops this relationship in Christian terms: in yearning
phrases coloured by rich harmonies, the chorus pleads gently but
insistently for Jesus's blessing, the repetitive antiphonal structure
increasing a sense of longing as they “wrestle” for the love of mein
Jesu. Then the pace quickens, and above an urgent fugal passage
that continues to plead, the sopranos sing the noble phrases of a
chorale melody, confident that a fatherly God will not abandon his
child. The following four-part harmonisation of the chorale melody
completes the drama: once, long ago, Jacob met God in person and
had to wrestle for his blessing; now Jesus, fulfilling the promise of
the Old Testament, has revealed that those who are steadfast in
faith will meet him, face to face, in peace.
6
Vivace Chorus
Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn
Ich lasse dich nicht,
| will not let you go,
du segnest mich denn,
until you bless me,
Mein Jesu ich lasse dich nicht,
My Jesus, | will not let you go,
du segnest mich denn!
until you bless me!
Weil du mein Gott und Vater bist,
Since You
Father,
dein Kind wirst du verlassen nicht,
You will not forsake your child,
du vaterliches Herz.
o paternal heart!
Ich bin ein armer Erdenkloss,
| am a poor lump of earth,
auf Erden weiss ich keinen Trost.
on earth | know no comfort.
are
my
God
and
Ich dank dir, Christe
Ich dank dir, Christe, Gottes Sohn,
dass du mich solchs erkennen lan
| thank you Christ, O God's own
Son,
for
making
me
to
know
your
grace
durch dein géttliches Wort,
through your divine true word;
verleih mir auch Bestandigkeit
bestow on me a steadfast heart,
zu meiner Seelen Seligkeit.
and to
bliss.
Lob, Ehr und Preis sei dir gesagt
All praise and glory be to you
far alle dein' erzeigt Wohltat,
for all your loving charity,
und bitt demditiglich,
and this | humbly pray;
lass
mich
Angesicht
nicht
von
verstossen werden ewiglich.
Vivace Chorus
dein'm
my soul your
heav'nly
let me not be cast out from you
for now and all eternity.
Handel: Chandos Anthem No 11: Let God arise
Chorus, Orchestra,
Let God Arise is one of the earliest of the great series of church
anthems that Handel wrote in 1717-18 for James Brydges, soon to be
made Duke of Chandos. ‘Princely Chandos" was a very English
version of the eighteenth-century patron: son of a provincial baron,
he acquired a vast fortune as Paymaster General to Queen Anne's
forces and used it to create a magnificent estate at Cannons, north
of London,
Baroque
rebuild
style,
the
and
parish
set
church
up
a
in
a
glorious
permanent
continental
establishment
of
instrumental virtuosi “such as no private person, nay, such as no
prince or potentate on the earth, could at that time pretend to!
Handel,
no
liveried
retainer
composer-in-residence,
fresh
but
from
employed
his
as
triumphs
responded enthusiastically to the opportunity, and
an
in
honoured
London,
his complex,
large-scale and dramatic interpretation of Psalm 68's war-like text,
an uncompromising hymn of thanksgiving for God's crushing defeat
of his enemies, seems also to reflect something of the Duke's
masterful character and the ever-growing self-confidence of the
composer himself.
The refined and elegant sinfonia leads to an exciting allegro that sets
up expectations of dramatic conflict. The chorus then enters with
heart-lifting phrases urging God to rise and scatter his enemies, and
ferocious
runs
of semi-quavers
represent the
shattered
forces
fleeing in terror (God's enemies must run for their lives, as one
modern translation of the Bible puts it) Rapidly descending scales,
abrupt pauses and a repeated series of brutal “trampling” chords
vividly represent the cruelty of the battlefield.
The tenor aria that follows shows Handel's skill in “painting” the
meaning of a text, with God's enemies puffed contemptuously away
like smoke in the wind, and a sinuous figure in the lower strings as
opposition melts like wax before a fire. The righteous, meanwhile,
can
rejoice in the bounding,
dance-like
rhythms and delicately
extended phrases of the soprano's beautiful aria. The chorus 'O sing
unto God' has, in contrast, a kind of ecstatic solemnity, intensified by
the
lively triplet
rhythms which
propel it forward
to the
long,
eloquent phrases of 'Praised be the Lord' This noble and dignified
Vivace Chorus
9
passage is Handel at his most magnificent, combining a profound
interiority and tenderness with the grandest of public gestures, and
leads straight into the last of the “battlefield” verses of the anthem
(in fact a verse borrowed from Psalm 76). As the voices pursue each
other in a thrilling chase, the chariots of God's enemies are heard
stumbling and tumbling in final defeat. The work is crowned by a
jubilant chorus of Allelujas, finely proportioned to the scale of the
anthem but yielding nothing to its famous cousin in Messiah in its
glorious confidence and splendour.
Let God arise
1. Orchestra - Symphony
2. Chorus
Let God arise, and let His enemies be scatter'd:
Let them also that hate Him, flee before Him.
3. Aria - Tenor
Like as the smoke vanisheth, so shalt thou drive them away;
Like as wax melteth at the fire, so let the ungodly perish at the
presence of God.
4. Aria - Soprano
Let the righteous be glad, and rejoice before God;
Let them also be merry and joyful.
5. Chorus
O sing unto God, and sing praises unto His name.
6. Chorus
Praised be the Lord!
7. Chorus
At Thy rebuke, O God,
both the chariot and the horse are fall'n.
8. Chorus
Blessed be God, Alleluja.
10
Vivace Chorus
Handel: Aria and Final Chorus from Samson
Let the bright Seraphim; Let their celestial concerts all unite
Handel wrote his oratorio Samson
in 1741-2,
immediately after
completing Messiah, and revised it after the Dublin premiere of the
great oratorio. Performed in concert form because of a ban on the
acting of biblical stories, Samson was put on in the appropriate
setting of the Covent Garden Theatre, with several singers who had
earlier appeared in Handel's Italian operas.
Essentially theatrical from its beginnings, it derives its text from
Milton's play Samson Agonistes rather than directly from the Bible,
and so emphasises the emotional and spiritual struggles of the
blinded hero of Israel who, entrapped by Delilah and shorn of his
strength, pulls down the Temple of Dagon on himself and the
Philistines when his renewed faith has restored his powers, and dies
a hero of God.
The original conception was that the oratorio should end, like
Milton's play, on a sober note of resignation to God's will and with a
quiet prayer for Samson's soul: ‘Rest eternal, sweet repose’ But
Handel,
experienced
man
of
the
Baroque
opera,
added
a
sensationally theatrical finale, using lines adapted from Milton's
much earlier poem At a Solemn Music (familiar from Parry’'s noble
setting).
An 'lsraelitish Woman' steps suddenly forward, commanding the
angels to lift their trumpets, strike their harps, and celebrate the
glory of God. Her spirited ltalianate aria in D major, the ‘key of
triumph”, has a florid first section, with brilliant semiquaver runs and
leaps, the voice and trumpet obbligato seeming to challenge each
other wittily to displays of technical virtuosity.
A more lyrical mood
follows in the middle section, appropriate to the Cherubic host with
their golden-stringed harps, then the da capo repeat gives the
singer opportunities for jubilant embellishment of the vocal line. The
music rushes straight on into the choral finale: a story that began
with Samson blind and on the edge of despair, ‘all dark amidst the
blaze of noon’ ends with the chorus ecstatically singing God's
praises in '‘endless morn of light'.
Vivace Chorus
11
Let the bright Seraphim
Soprano, Orchestra,
Let the bright Seraphim in burning row
Their loud uplifted Angel trumpets blow.
Let the Cherubic host, in tuneful choirs,
Touch their immortal harps with golden wires.
Let the bright Seraphim in burning row
their loud uplifted Angel trumpets blow.
Let their celestial concerts all unite
Chorus, Orchestra,
Let their celestial concerts all unite,
Ever to sound his praise in endless morn of light.
Interval
(20 minutes)
12
Vivace Chorus
Instantly recognisable from its use in
many film scores (more than twenty in
one
estimate))
and
familiar
in
arrangements for anything from a large
modern orchestra to a rock band, this
famous work is derived from a short
musical fragment associated with the
State Library in Dresden, and attributed
to the Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni,
a contemporary of Vivaldi and Corelli.
The musicologist Remo Giazotto took
the fragment, a simple walking bass line
that moves slowly down the scale at a
gentle,
relaxed
but
persistent
pace
(adagio means literally 'in a relaxed manner’), and added to it
melodic and harmonic ideas with a rich emotional appeal for the
listener, evoking waves of feeling that rise only to fall again.
The melancholy and beguiling character of the piece has ensured
its popularity as “mood music". Many scholars are sceptical about its
origins, and Giazotto did at one point say that he had composed it
himself in its entirety, but its sensuous languor and tender directness
give it a good claim to represent an important aspect of the
Baroque.
Flash photography, audio and video recording are not permitted
without the prior written consent of the Vivace Chorus. Please
also kindly switch off all mobile phones and alarms on digital
watches. Thank you.
Vivace Chorus
J S Bach: Magnificat in D Major : BWV 243
Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto, Tenor, Bass, Chorus, Orchestra
Bach's Magnificat is a setting of the Virgin Mary's joyful song of
praise and thanksgiving to God for choosing her to be the mother of
Jesus, and so fulfilling his promise to the People of Israel. It was first
performed at the festive Christmas Vespers service in Leipzig in
1723, only seven months after Bach's appointment as cantor of the
Thomaskirche in this prosperous, dynamic cultural and commercial
centre.
His
contract
with
the
authorities
gave
him
wide
responsibilities for organising musical life in the city, both in the
churches and for civic ceremonial,
but it also laid down some
important religious and moral rules for his sacred compositions: he
must, “in order to preserve the good order in the churches, so
arrange the music that it shall not last too long, and shall be of such
a nature as not to make an operatic impression, but rather incite the
listeners to devotion
Bach triumphantly satisfies these requirements, carrying out his civic
and religious duty without compromising his artistic freedom - in
fact it is arguably these constraints that give the Magnificat its
overwhelming energy and authority, and in this respect it is a superb
example of the Baroque spirit. The great score has all the splendour,
vitality, psychological penetration and emotional thrust that a great
master of musical drama such as Bach could bring to the biblical
text, but its exploration of Mary's ecstatic song also has a profoundly
devotional purpose and effect.
Using substantial forces of a five-part chorus, five soloists and an
enhanced instrumental ensemble, Bach encourages each ‘listener”,
through the power of his art, to understand more clearly and delight
more fully in Mary's experience, and as a result to meditate more
intensely on his or her own relationship with God.
When Bach revised the work in the 1730s he transposed it from E
flat major into the exultant key of D major and removed four inserted
movements specific to Christmas, so that the text now focused on
Mary's
words
alone.
By
turns
ecstatic,
meditative,
joyful
and
reflective, the twelve short movements explore the text in a variety
14
Vivace Chorus
of "voices" - chorus, solo, duet, trio - but come together as one
great arc of dramatic expression, encouraging the devout Protestant
Christian to examine his or her own spiritual state, stimulated and
supported by the divine energy of Bach's music.
Mary's words are passed swiftly from one group of performers to
another, giving a wonderful sense of the range and variety of her
thoughts and feelings. The orchestral introduction and opening
chorus,
Magnificat,
pulse
with
vitality,
catching
her
youthful
enthusiasm and delight, while at the same time the trumpet part
suggests her sense of power and triumph. The following soprano
aria, Et exultavit, is calmer, as her spirit dances joyfully in triple time,
supported by delicately buoyant figures in the strings. In the third
movement,
Quia respexit,
a different singer explores a different
aspect of Mary's feelings, joining the oboe d'amore in what has been
called "a contemplative duet”, pondering on God's tender regard for
her humility. The touching melodies suggest deep thoughtfulness
without tipping over into sadness, and at Ecce enim, '‘Behold, from
henceforth
all
generations
shall
call
me
blessed,
her
gently
descending phrases lead to a dramatic surprise, as the chorus
enters
in
an
energetic
fugato
passage,
Omnes
generationes,
representing the teeming generations to come.
The
bass
aria,
Quia fecit mihi magna,
has
a
firm,
four-square
character, suited to Mary's confident knowledge that God himself
has given her an important role in his plan, and there follows a
beautiful, yearning duet for alto and tenor, Et misericordia, declaring
God's mercy: the triple time and strings/flute accompaniment hint
at the pastoral mode and the ancient idea of God as the loving
shepherd of his people. Another dramatic change of mood bursts in
with Fecit potentiam , 'He has shown strength with His arm’, a return
to the key and scoring of the opening movement, rapid figures
representing God's scattering of the proud, and the word dispersit
(he has scattered) thrown around from one voice to another as the
end
of
the
verse
approaches.
The
trumpet
again
has
an
appropriately prominent role. The following tenor solo. Deposuit
potentes, dramatizes the fall of the powerful in vigorous downward
figures, with equally energetic upward runs as the humble and
Vivace Chorus
15
Based in Guildford - Active Everywhere
...supporting
Ty
the
&
arts....helping
community...
01483 302000
guildford@rhw.co.uk
www.rhw.co.uk
e
w
{n@/‘fgwlly
Lexcel |
i
i}?fllualiq
l
-
|
Tom's Trust
Please help London's disadvantaged
children and young people by supporting
The Tom ap Rhys Pi'ycé Memorial Trust
tomaprhyspryce.com
The Trust would like to thank Vivace Chorus for their support
justgiving.com/tomaprhys
PLEASE
easyfundraising.org.uk
DONATE
giveasyoulive.com
bl
Tuesday 20th March 2018 @ 7.30 pm
St Bride's Church
Fleet Street
London
Top London chamber choir Vasari Singers perform an evening of
Lenten music under the direction of Jeremy Backhouse. The
fantastic
programme
will
include
two
versions
Crucifixus,
the Tallis
Lamentations,
and
both
the
Lotti
the Allegri
of
and
MacMiillan Misereres as well as Duruflé and Poulenc motets.
Tickets £16
www.vasarimfl.brownpapertickets.com
0800 411 8881
meek
are
raised.
In
the
next
verse,
Esurientes,
gentle
flutes
accompany the alto soloist in evoking God's care for the hungry,
with witty pauses at the end for both singer and instrumentalists as
the rich are taken by surprise and sent away empty.
In
the
moving
trio Suscepit Israel the three solo
upper voices
meditate on God's loving support for his servant Israel - literally, in
the Latin, his '‘boy’ or his 'son’, but referring to the People of Israel as
a whole, throughout their biblical history. Meanwhile, beneath the
voices, the oboes slowly play an ancient plainchant melody, the
tonus peregrinus or 'wandering chant’, traditionally associated with
the Magnificat but also with Psalm 114, which describes Israel's
escape from Egypt and long wandering journey to the Promised
Land. The movement leads into a superbly traditional fugue, Sicut
locutus est, resolutely announcing God's fulfilment of his promise of
salvation, and the Gloria, launched gloriously indeed by long rising
phrases that echo each other with magnificent effect, ends the great
work as it began, with the brilliant flourishes of the whole chorus
and orchestra, crowned by triumphant trumpets.
Magnificat in D
1. Magnificat. Chorus
Magnificat anima mea Dominum.
My soul magnifies the Lord.
2. Et exultavit. Soprano 2
Et exsultavit spiritus meus,
And my spirit rejoices in God my
in Deo salutari meo.
Saviour.
3. Quia respexit. Soprano 1
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae
For He has regarded the lowliness of
suae.
His handmaiden.
Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent.
Behold, from henceforth, | will be
called blessed.
18
Vivace Chorus
4. Omnes generationes: Chorus
Omnes generationes
By all generations
5. Quia fecit mihi magna: Bass
Quia fecit mihi magna,
For the Mighty One has done
qui potens est, et sanctum nomen
great things for me, and holy is His
eius.
name.
6. Et misericordia: Alto, Tenor
Et misericordia a progenie in
His mercy is for those who fear Him
progenies timentibus eum.
from generation to generation.
7. Fecit potentiam: Chorus
Fecit potentiam in bracchio suo,
dispersit superbos mente cordis suli.
He has shown strength with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the
thoughts of their hearts.
8. Deposuit potentes: Tenor
Deposuit potentes de sede et
He has brought down the powerful
exaltavit humiles.
from their thrones and lifted up the
lowly.
9. Esurientes: Alto
Esurientes implevit bonis,
He has filled the hungry with good
things,
et divites dimisit inanes.
Vivace Chorus
and sent the rich away empty.
10. Suscepit Israel: Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto
Suscepit Israel puerum suum
He has helped His servant Israel
recordatus misericordie suae.
in remembrance of His mercy.
11. Sicut locutus est. Chorus
Sicut locutus est ad Patres nostros,
According to the promise He made
to our ancestors,
Abraham et semini eius in saecula.
to Abraham and to his descendants
forever.
12. Gloria: Chorus
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto,
Glory to the Father and to the Son
Sicut erat in principio
as it was in the beginning,
et nunc et semper et in saecula
is now and shall be for ever and
saeculorum,
Amen.
and to the Holy Spirit,
ever,
Amen
All programme notes by Jon Long
Printed music for this evening's concert has been obtained from
Surrey Performing Arts Library
Leeds Music and Performing Arts Library
Chester Music Ltd
Concord Music Hire Library
Westminster Music Library
\We are most grateful to these organisations.
Natasha Page - Soprano
Natasha
Page
postgraduate
is
studying
degree
at
Academy of Music with
for
the
her
Royal
Mary Nelson
and lain Ledingham. She is generously
supported by the Academy through the
Jennifer Vyvyan Scholarship.
Natasha was delighted to be accepted
onto the Academy's Preparatory Opera
course for the current year. Recent roles
include
Cleopatra
Uulius
Caesar
-
Handel)
with
Opera,
Mimi
(La
Kings
Boheme - Puccini) in RAO Scenes and
RAM Vocal Faculty Scenes, Susanna (Le
Nozze di Figaro - Mozart) in RAM Vocal Faculty Scenes, Cricket
(Pinocchio
-
Dove)
in
RWCMD
Opera
Scenes
and
Poppea
(L'Incoronazione di Poppea - Monteverdi) in Opera'r Ddraig scenes.
Natasha enjoys a busy schedule of both oratorio and recital work.
Oratorio highlights include Handel's Messiah, Dvorak's Stabat Mater,
Mozart's Requiem and Handel's Ode for St Cecilia's Day.
Natasha made her debut at the Leeds Lieder festival in 2017, as well
as performing with both the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra
and the Maltings Sinfonia. She is absolutely thrilled to perform as a
soloist in the Royal Academy of Music/Kohn
Foundation
Bach
Cantata series.
Vivace Chorus
21
Sarah Gilford - Soprano
Sarah
Gilford
is
a
British
soprano
studying at the Royal Academy of Music
under the tutelage of Lillian Watson and
Jonathan
Papp.
graduated
from
College
Music
BMus
of
(Hons)
Previously
the
Royal
with
Degree
a
she
Northern
First
having
Class
studied
with Deborah Rees.
ey
-
Sarah
is
the
recipient
of
numerous
awards including the Amanda Roocroft
Award,
the
Brownson
Bessie
Song
Cycle
Cronshaw/Frost
Prize and The
Maida Jones Scholarship. Most recently
she was awarded the W. Towyn Roberts Memorial Scholarship at the
National Eisteddfod of Wales.
As a chosen singer for RAM Song Circle and the Josephine Baker
Trust, Sarah performs frequently in oratorios, concerts and recitals
all across the UK. She is also a regular guest soloist for Welsh Male
Voice Choir concerts.
Sarah has worked with Welsh National Youth Opera, RNCM Opera,
Northern
Opera
Group,
Brasil
Academia
de
Opera
Barroca,
Woodhouse Opera and Edinburgh Studio Opera.
Her roles have included Hero in Much Ado About Nothing, Alison in
The Wandering Scholar, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro and a UK
and South American premiere as Cleopatra in Hasse's MarcAntonio e
Cleopatra. Last summer Sarah made her debut performance with
Longborough Festival Opera as Papagena in The Magic Flute.
22
Vivace Chorus
i
Susannah Bedford - Mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano Susannah Bedford is a
Masters student at the Royal Academy
of Music studying with Catherine Wyn-
Rogers and James
Baillieu.
She
is a
graduate scholar BMus (Hons) of the
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and a
multi-instrumentalist,
playing
piano,
cello, and saxophone.
Susannah
has
appeared
as
a
soloist
with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for
Bach's Magnificat conducted by Richard
Egarr, and was a scholar for the 2015-16
season.
She
has
performed
in
masterclasses by Karen Cargill, Anne Howells, and Kathryn Harries.
During
her
undergraduate
studies,
Susannah
performed
in
the
chorus for Puccini's La Rondine and Vaughan Williams' Sir John in
Love, directed by Benjamin Davis. She was part of the chorus for
Nevill Holt Opera's Summer 2017 production of Puccini's
Tosca,
directed by Oliver Mears. Susannah also enjoys Early Music, having
attended Philip Thorby's summer school as a Renaissance Scholar in
2015. She has worked on the character of Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte)
with
British
including
Youth
Flight
Opera,
and
(Dove)
-
has
performed
Stewardess.
in
Hansel
opera
scenes
und
Gretel
(Humperdinck)' - Hansel. Die Zauberflote (Mozart) - Dritte Dame.
Carmen (Bizet) - Mercedes. Giulio Cesare (Handel) - Sesto.
As a member of ensembles, including Timothy Dean's Vocal Consort
and Choir of the Year 2012
Les Sirenes,
Beethoven's Symphony No.g at BBC
performances include
Proms 2012, conducted
by
Daniel Barenboim, and Stravinsky's Les Noces. Most recently she
took up a week long residency led by Patrick Russill at Neresheim
Abbey in Germany.
This season Susannah will be covering the role of Marcellina in
Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Nevill Holt Opera. At the Royal
Academy of Music she performs in the Bach Cantata Series, directed
by lain Ledingham, and in January 2018 Susannah gave a solo recital
of Jonathan Dove's songs.
Vivace Chorus
&3
Kieran Carrel - Tenor
Kieran
Carrel
(born
1996)
studied
in
Cologne, Germany with the renowned
German tenor Christoph Pregardien
before continuing
his studies with
distinguished Scottish tenor Neil Mackie
at the Royal Academy of Music.
He frequently appears as a soloist in
and recital across Europe.
Kieran has appeared on the operatic
oratorio
stage in
roles such as Kilian in CM.
Weber's Freischutz and Sakristan in
Siegfried Wagner's An allem ist Hutchen
Schuld under Lionel Friend, which was
recently released on DVD with Naxos.
Further roles include Flute in Benjamin Britten'sA Midsummer Night's
Dream and Contino Belfiore in Ryedale Festival's production of
Mozart's La finta giardiniera with the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment.
In December 2016 Kieran had his debut at Wigmore Hall,
accompanied by Graham Johnson. He has since returned to the Hall.
As part of the Schubert Weekend with Thomas Hampson and
Wolfgang Rieger, he has recently sung at the newly opened PierreBoulez-Saal in Berlin.
Kieran is recipient of the Royal Academy's Douglas Samuel & Birdie
Matthews Award and regularly cast as a soloist in the Royal
Academy of Music/Kohn Foundation Bach Cantatas series, where
he has sung under the baton of Philippe Herreweghe. Kieran is
generously supported by the ABRSM.
24
Vivace Chorus
Niall Anderson - Baritone
Originally from Fife, Niall Anderson now
studies at the Royal Academy of Music
under
the
tutelage
of
Glenville
Hargreaves and Jonathan Papp. While
studying a Bachelor of Music degree at
the University of Aberdeen, he enjoyed
the title roles in Purcells Dido and
Aeneas and in Mozart's Le nozze di
Figaro. In his final year at Aberdeen
University, Niall performed the baritone
solo from Paul Mealor's Symphony No.1
Passiontide, =~ conducted
by
the
composer. In September 2018 Niall will
join Royal Academy Opera.
Niall has performed globally most notably singing the role of
Christus in Bach's St Johannes Passion in Wurselen, Germany. On the
oratorio stage, Niall has sung Mozart's and Brahms' Requiem
amongst many others in the genre. Niall has experience performing
in venues such as St Andrew's Cathedral, Cowdray Hall, St John's,
Smith Square and the Royal Albert Hall. Niall is also a member of the
prestigious Royal Academy of Music Song Circle.
Future engagements include Haydn's Nelson Mass, Schubert’'s Mass
in G and Mozart's Requiem. Niall made his Wigmore Hall debut in
November in a recital with Julian Prégardien. Niall will also feature as
a soloist in the Royal Academy of Music/Kohn Foundation Bach
Cantata Series in 2018 led by lain Ledingham.
In
2016,
Niall was awarded
the
Carlaw
Music
Prize from
the
University of Aberdeen and was a finalist in the Ogston Music Prize
in 2015 and 2016. In spring 2017, Niall was very highly commended in
the Elena Gerhardt Lieder Prize at the Royal Academy of Music. Niall
is proudly supported by the Josephine Baker Trust, Dewar Arts
Awards and the Leverhulme Postgraduate Trust.
Vivace Chorus is grateful to The Josephine Baker Trust
for the sponsorship of tonight's soloists.
Vivace Chorus
25
Jeremy is one of Britain's leading choral
conductors. He began his musical career
' in Canterbury Cathedral where he was
Senior
Chorister.
In
1980
he
was
appointed Music Editor at the RNIB,
where
he was
responsible for the
transcription of print music into Braille.
He has worked for both EMI Classics and
later Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers
as a Literary Editor, but now pursues his
career as a freelance conductor.
Jeremy has been the sole conductor of
the internationally-renowned chamber
choir Vasari Singers since its inception in
1980. Since winning the prestigious Sainsbury's Choir of the Year
competition in 1988, the Vasari Singers has performed regularly at
concert venues and cathedrals throughout the UK and abroad.
Jeremy and Vasari have broadcast frequently on BBC Radio and
Classic FM, and have a discography of over 25 CDs on the EMI,
Guild, Signum and Naxos labels; they have recently launched their
own VasariMedia label with a recording of Jonathan Rathbone's
Under the shadow of His wing, which they premiered in 2014. Their
highly-acclaimed recording of Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil was
released in October 2017.
In January 1995, Jeremy was appointed Music Director of the Vivace
Chorus. Alongside the standard classical works, Jeremy has
conducted the Vivace Chorus in some ambitious programmes,
including Howells' Hymnus Paradisi and Szymanowski's Stabat
Mater, Mahler's 2nd Symphony ‘Resurrection’, Prokofiev's Alexander
NevsRy and Ivan the Terrible, Mahler's Symphony No 8, 'Symphony of
a Thousand' and Verdi's Requiem in the Royal Albert Hall with the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
In January 2009, Jeremy took up the post of Music Director of the
Salisbury Community Choir. In 2013 the choir celebrated its 21st
Anniversary with a major concert in Salisbury Cathedral in October,
featuring
the
world
premiere
of a
specially-commissioned
community work by Will Todd, The City Garden, which they
subsequently toured to Lincoln (2014) and Guildford (2015). A
commission for a major new work from Alexander L'Estrange is
planned for November 2018.
26
VivaceChorus
the
n@lenburg Artistic Director: Robert Porter
B sinfonta
Associate Music Director: Sarah Tenant-Flowers
O\
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 a
major concert series at both St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Crystal
Palace Bowl.
A large number of artists of international standing have worked with
the
orchestra
including
Emanuel
Hurwitz,
Lesley
Garrett,
John
Georgiadis, John Wallace, Michael Thompson and Gordon Hunt. Its
repertoire ranges from Bach to Lloyd Webber and its members give
around
100
performances
of
orchestral,
chamber,
choral
and
operatic music during the year.
Violin 1
Mihkel Kerem
Hilary-Jane Parker
Enrico Alvares
Anna Harpham
Violin 2
Elizabeth van Ments
Cello
Bassoon
Ben Rogerson
Paul Boyes
Harriet Wiltshire
Bass
Andrew Davis
Trgmpet
Neil Brough
Rebecc.a Crawshaw
Jo Harris
Flute
lan Mullin
Timpani
Anne Allen
Tommy Foster
Matthew Quenby
Oboe
Organ
Mariam Ruetschi
Lydia Criffiths
Rupert Gough
John Dickinson
Edward Webb
Viola
Rachel Broadbent
Vivace Chorus
27
About Vivace Chorus|
Jeremy Backhouse
Music Director
Francis Pott
Accompanist
Vivace Chorus is a flourishing, ambitious and adventurous choir
based in Guildford, Surrey, which aims to have fun making and
sharing great choral music.
The choir has come a long way since it began in 1946 as the
Guildford Philharmonic Choir, and now has an enviable reputation for
performing first-class concerts across a wide range of musical
repertoire. Particular successes include a sell-out performance in
May 2011 of Mahler's Symphony No. 8, the 'Symphony of a Thousand,
at
the
Royal
Albert
Hall,
a
highly
acclaimed
performance
in
November 2012 of Britten's War Requiem and another Royal Albert
Hall success in May 2014 when we performed the Verdi Requiem. In
2017
we
celebrated
our
70th
birthday
with
the
Philharmonia
Orchestra in the Royal Festival Hall.
Since 1995, Vivace has thrived under the exceptional leadership of
this evening's conductor, Jeremy Backhouse. Jeremy's passion for
choral works and his sheer enthusiasm for music-making are
evident at every rehearsal and performance. He is supported by
28
Vivace Chorus
Francis Pott, who is not just a very
fine rehearsal accompanist, but is
also an academic and composer
of international repute and an
accomplished concert pianist.
In addition to our own concerts in
Guildford
sing
and
in various
London,
we also
charity concerts
and, with our regular orchestra,
the
Brandenburg
Sinfonia,
take
3
part in the Brandenburg Choral Festival each year in St Martln inthe-Fields. We also like to take our music-making overseas and
have toured to France, Italy, Germany and Austria. After a ‘home tour’
in the Cotswolds last summer, we are now preparing for a tour of the
Baltic States in June 2018.
We're a friendly and sociable choir that enjoys singing traditional
choral classics alongside the challenge of contemporary and newlycommissioned music. We are always happy to welcome new
members, so if you would like to try us out, do come along to any of
our regular rehearsals on Monday evenings at 7.15 in the Millmead
Centre, Millmead, Guildford.
Just
contact
our
membership
secretary
Jane
Brooks
at
membership@vivacechorus.org and for more information, visit our
website, vivacechorus.org, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @VivaceChorus.
Vivace Chorus Singers
FIRST SOPRANO
FIRST ALTO
Valerie Garrow
Pam Alexander
Jackie Bearman
Margaret Grisewood Phil Beastall
Amelia Atkinson
Monika Boothby
Liz Hampshire
David Brassington
Jane Brooks
Pauline Higgins
Richard Broughton
Beth Jones
Michael Dudley
FJane Barnes
Helen Beevers
Joanna Bolam
Amanda Burn
Kate Emerson
Mary Broughton
Valentina Faedi
Sarah Burrowes
Elaine Harris
Mary King
Kay McManus
Catherine Middleton
Val Morcom
FIRST BASS
Brian John
Jon Long
Malcolm Munt
Rebecca Kerby
Sheila Hodson
Suzie Maine
Jean Leston
Susan Norton
Liz Martin
Sheila Rowell
Robin Onslow
Lois McCabe
Prue Smith
Allan Rose
Margaret Parry
Penny McLaren
Rosey Storey
David Ross
Sarah Smithies
Pamela Murrell
Jacqueline Norman
Chris Newbery
Chris Peters
Robin Privett
Christine Medlow
Pamela Usher
Philip Stanford
Joan Thomas
Rosalind Milton
Anne Whitley
Kieron Walsh
Hilary Vaill
Mary Moon
June Windle
Lilly Nicholson
Elisabeth Yates
Anna Veronese
Peter Andrews
SECOND SOPRANO
Gill Perkins
Jacqueline Alderton
Linda Ross
Anna Arthur
Lesley Scordellis
Suzanne Cahalane
Catherine Shacklady
Ginny Heffernan
Carol Sheppard
Isobel Humphreys
Marjory Stewart
Nick Manning
Harriet Lavis
Jo Stokes
Martin Price
Krystyna Marsden
Nicola Telcik
Chris Robinson
Isabel Mealor
Hilary Trigg
John Trigg
Sonia Morris
Margaret Wllis
Michelle Mumford
Maggie Woolcock
Alex Nash
Alison Newbery
SECOND ALTO
Alison Palmer
Geraldine Allen
Kate Peters
Barbara Tansey
Valerie Thompson
Christine Wilks
Frances Worpe
Evelyn Beastall
Sylvia Chantler
Mary Clayton
Elizabeth Evans
SECOND BASS
FIRST TENOR
Bob Bromham
Bob Cowell
Owen Gibbons
Rosie Jeffery
Norman Carpenter
Geoffrey Forster
James Garrow
Stuart Gooch
Nick Gough
Mark Lewis
Neil Martin
Roger Penny
Richard Wood
SECOND TENOR
Ewan Bramhall
Tony Chantler
Simon Dillon
Geoff Johns
Stephen Linton
Peter Norman
Jon Scott
Sheena Ewen
VivaceChorus
Vivace Chorus Patrons
The Vivace Chorus is extremely grateful to all patrons
for their support.
Honorary Life Patrons
Mr John Britten
Dr John Trigg MBE
Life Patrons
Carol Hobbs
Mrs Joy Hunter MBE
John and Jean Leston
Platinum Patrons
Mr & Mrs A Batterbury
Ron & Christine Medlow
Mr & Mrs Peter B P Bevan
Lionel & Mary Moon
Robin & Jill Broadley
Dr Roger Muray
Roger & Sharon Brockway
Peter Norman
Richard & Mary Broughton
John & Margaret Parry
Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson
Robin & Penny Privett
Jean & Norman Carpenter
Gillian Rix
Andrea & Gunter Dombrowe
Jonathan Scott
Rosemary & Michael Dudley
Catherine & Brian Shacklady
Celia & Michael Embleton
Prue & Derek Smith
Susan & Cecil Hinton
Dennis Stewart
Michael Jeffery
Idris & Joan Thomas
Geoffrey Johns & Sheila Rowell
Pam Usher
Jane Kenney
Anthony J T Williams
Dr Stephen Linton
Bill & June Windle
John MclLean OBE & Janet McLean
Maggie Woolcock
If you have enjoyed this concert, why not become one of our patrons? We
have a loyal band of followers whose regular presence at our concerts is
greatly appreciated. With the valued help of our patrons, we are able to
perform a wide range of exciting music, with world-class, professional
musicians in venues such as Guildford Cathedral, G Live, the Royal Albert
Hall and the Royal Festival Hall. For an annual donation, patrons can have
unlimited tickets at a 10% discount. If you are interested, please contact
Mary Moon on 01372 468431 or email: patrons@vivacechorus.org.
Vivace Chorus
31
Vivace Chorus dates for your diary
Beethoven and Stravinsky
Saturday 19th May 7.30pm
Guildford Cathedral
For the final concert of Vivace's 2017-2018 season, we are bringing
one of the world's greatest classical compositions - Beethoven's gth
Symphony with its climactic choral finale - to Guildford Cathedral.
Paired with this is Stravinsky's energetic and exciting Symphony of
Psalms. Join us for what promises to be an exhilarating night!
A Concert for Peace
Saturday 10th November
7.30 pm
G Live, Guildford
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War,
Vivace Chorus is proud to be presenting an evening of music and
words on the theme of War and Peace. With the Guildford Friary
Band, Dame Penelope Keith, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey and the
Royal British Legion, we invite you all to a unique and unforgettable
occasion.
The Mayor of Guildford's Carol Concert
Sunday 16th December 7.00pm
Holy Trinity Church, Guildford
Printed by WORDCRAFT
15 Merrow Woods, Guildford, Surrey GU1 2LJ. Tel: 01483 560735
Vivace Chorus is a Registered Charity No. 1026337
32
Vivace Chorus
Guildford Spring Music Festival 2018
4
&N
.
Jesss Ghl"am
s
Edward Fox
one
O Duo
Tuned percussion and vibrant drumming
& Sarah Walker
2016 BBC Young
In conversation
Musician Concerto
Finalist
\
7.30pm
H%‘K T""":'ty
3.00
- 6.00pm
.
.
¢ |St Catherine’s School,
7.30pm
G
Bramley
Holy Trmlty Church,
I,
iord
Guildford
v
17t
GSMF Jazz Day
P& GUILDFORD
in partnership with
A
George
Abet
Blg Band
$ais ot
:
%Lilrgggt;rge
Atalia Fuller
12pm - 1pm
Young Artists Showcase
Piano Masterclass
Bell Cramer | Amelia Hinton-Carroll
Oli Davis | Theo Golden
GSMF'’s Atrtistic Director will coach gifted
gildford ame are.
10.30am - 1.00pm
Holy Trinity Church, Guildford
s
Holy Trinity Church,
Guildford
The Santiago Quartet
with Julian Rowlands, Bandoneon
Latin American
music and
GSMF Gala Concert
Haydn ‘The Creation’
;
;
live dance
7.30pm
Holy Trinity
{ach,
Jazz Vocal Workshop
il
young pianists from the
7.30pm
Holy Trinity Church, Guildford
=
with Lucy Parham
With Pete Churchill
§
Afternoon workshop &
Evening performance
All welcome!
2.00pm - 5.00pm
Holy Trinity Church,
Guildford
Jazz Evening
The Pete Churchill
Quartet
plus the
Jazz Workshop Choir
7.30pm
Holy Trinity Church,
Guildford
Full details and tickets from
www.gsmf.org.uk
Tourist Information Centre
01483 444 334
ay 2
Surrey Mozart Players
- The High Scorers
ABRSM
Concert
Performances by outstanding ABRSM
exam candidates
7.30pm
St Mary’s Church, Guildford
4
)
John L|||’ Piano &
John Suchet, Host
An Evening with Beethoven
To include
Guildford Chamber Choir
A
oloists from
Royal
of
College
Conductor: Kenneth Woods
__ 7.30pm
Music
:
Holy Trinity Church, Guildford
Elegle Rachmanmoff
A Heart In Exile
Lucy Parham, piano
Henry Goodman, narrator
Lucy Parham'’s latest
performances of
Composer Portrait chronicles
the Moonlight,
Rachmaninoff's exile from Russia
and longing for his homeland
Appassionata &
Pathetique Sonatas
7.30pm
Holy Trinity Church, Guildford
2.30pm - 5pm
Holy Trinity Church,
Guildford
¥ ¢1] ) (441 FOR PEACE
“Don’t miss thesetwo
important Vivace
concerts: Guildford
remembers the end
A
of World War1- a
selection of music and
poetry with Penelope
Keith and the Fnar
Guildford Band.”
y
v ¢
STRphAonvyfi?\
Ssym
of Psalms fonia
Brandenburg sin use
. 1(:2f1ductor jeremy Backho
|
) 4',‘
‘
gVivace [MhN
\
Chorus— i
|
.
Choru#‘
_—
o
v'gacgj?g;;fi
In ald °”he
7
e
i
Guildford Cathedral
Stag Hill
Guildford GU2 7UP
Area:Front Nave
Row:_G
Seatd
yvivace Chorus: Baroque Treasures
03 March 2018 19:30
Transaction: 496241 Ticket: 66257
£26.00
Adult