Harvey Stravinsky Bruckner Messages
Symphony of Psalms
Mass in E Minor
Huddersfield Town Hall - Friday 1st April 2011 - 7.30pm The Bruckner organ at St. Florian Abbey in Austria
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Symphony of Psalms S T R AV I N S K Y
Messages HARVEY U K
première
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Mass in E Minor BRUCKNER
MARTYN BRABBINS ORCHESTRA OF OPERA NORTH Chorus Master: JOSEPH CULLEN FRIDAY
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Welcome to the third Subscription concert of this special 175th anniversary season. We are delighted to welcome Conductor Laureate Martyn Brabbins and Orchestra of Opera North for the UK première of Jonathan Harvey's Messages, with Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms and Bruckner E minor Mass.
conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Christine Rice (mezzo), Peter Hoare (tenor) and Christopher Purves (bass) are the soloists in this special concert, taking place on the nearest available date to that of the Society's founding 175 years ago. Tickets are now available from the Kirklees Box Office (01484 223200) - don't miss your chance to share in this historic and memorable occasion.
In the 175 years since Huddersfield Choral Society was founded, it has performed in many of the world's great musical centres. Its special quality is the unique 'Huddersfield Sound' - a thrilling fullbodied and firm blended tone, flexible enough for both the most shattering climaxes and for the softest but focused pianissimos. The anniversary season is marked in a number of ways in addition to the regular Subscribers' and Public concerts, with an updated history of the Society entitled And the Glory already being published. The volume is available for sale tonight along with recordings and other commemorative items marking this significant anniversary.
A Society with a long and distinguished history, the Choral is also keen to encourage the young singers of the future. This season our Junior Choirs also celebrate the milestone of their 25th anniversary, and an exciting range of concerts and other events have been taking place through the season for our young people. In addition, a series of free workshops offered by the Society in partnership with Kirklees Council and the Mrs Sunderland Music Festival have seen some 1600 children and young people from Kirklees discovering and enjoying singing together. A choral conducting workshop, in conjunction with the Music Department at the University of Huddersfield, saw chorusmaster Joseph Cullen inspiring eight conductors.
Messiah is perhaps one of the works most closely associated with the Society, and this anniversary year has seen a number of performances throughout the UK. The final performance of the season will be in London at the Barbican on Good Friday (April 22nd 2011). Joseph Cullen will conduct the City of London Sinfonia, with Elizabeth Watts (soprano), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (alto), Mark Le Brocq (tenor) and Christopher Purves (bass). Tickets are available from the Barbican (020 7638 8891) - or see the advertisement in this programme for our special Supporters' package.
Plans for the 176th season include Beethoven Missa Solemnis with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, to be performed both in Huddersfield and Liverpool; Mahler's 8th Symphony (Symphony of a Thousand) - again with Petrenko and the RLPO, in Liverpool; and a French programme of Fauré Pavane (choral arrangement), Gounod St Cecilia Mass and Duruflé Requiem conducted by Bramwell Tovey. Details of all these concerts and other activities can be found at www.huddersfieldchoral.com. With a history spanning three centuries, the Choral is also firmly in the 21st at www.facebook.com/huddersfieldchoral and on twitter (@HuddsChoral).
During the season the Society has also performed Messiah in The Sage Gateshead, in only the second sell-out concert for that hall on a very snowy day in December. In addition we joined the Stratford-upon-Avon Choral Society - also celebrating their 175th anniversary during 2011 - in the first choral performance at the newly-refurbished Royal Shakespeare Theatre in January. This season's Huddersfield performances conducted by Jane Glover were recorded by Signum Classics for a new release - available for sale tonight (SIGCD246).
There will be two twenty minute intervals in tonight’s concert. Please ensure that your mobile ‘phone is
The anniversary season will conclude on 18th June 2011 with a performance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius with the Hallé 175th
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Composer Notes
(Stravinsky, Harvey, Bruckner)
IGOR FEDOROVICH STRAVINSKY was born at Oranienbaum on the Gulf of Finland opposite Kronstadt on 5 June 1882 or 17 June. He yielded to his father's wish for him to study law, but later blossomed as a composer under the guidance of Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the famous Russian Five. Stravinsky met Rimsky-Korsakov's son, and his interest in composition grew as he spent more time composing on his own. Up till then, he had taken private lessons in harmony, and he intended to enter the Russian Conservatory. It was in this mood that he brought his works before Rimsky-Korsakov, head of the Conservatory. Sensing the talent in the young man, Rimsky-Korsakov invited Stravinsky to take private lessons from himself. Stravinsky was delighted and readily accepted.
and celebrities. He even allowed Walt Disney to use The Rite of Spring in the music-synchronized animated movie Fantasia. Stravinsky did not think Disney's feat particularly impressive, though. With several other works, including The Symphony in Three Movements, Ebony Concerto, The Rake's Progress and Mass under his belt, Stravinsky basked in the attention paid to him and was able to embark on several conducting tours with his newfound friend Robert Craft. Craft, a gifted conductor, became close friends with Stravinsky. In time, he became Stravinsky's sounding board for new ideas and compositions. Stravinsky became interested in the music of Schoenberg's student Anton Webern. He began composing his own serial music, culminating in his final composition, the Requiem Canticles. Stravinsky passed away April 6, 1971 and he was buried in Venice on the island of San Michele, near his friend Sergei Diaghilev.
Rimsky-Korsakov had arranged for his students to perform their works. Stravinsky chose to exhibit Fireworks. His music sparked the interest of Sergei Diaghilev, who knew that Stravinsky would be the ideal composer to write ballet music for his Russian Ballet. Diaghilev commissioned his three famous works The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring. With the outbreak of war, Stravinsky and his family moved to Switzerland, but after the end of the war, he found that he was too isolated from the main centres of musical activity in Europe. He made France his home in 1920.
Born in Warwickshire in 1939, JONATHAN HARVEY was a chorister at St Michael's College, Tenbury and later a major music scholar at St John's College, Cambridge. He gained doctorates from the universities of Glasgow and Cambridge and (on the advice of Benjamin Britten) also studied privately with Erwin Stein and Hans Keller. He was a Harkness Fellow at Princeton (1969-70). Harvey has also composed for most genres: orchestra as well as works for solo instruments. He has written many widely-performed unaccompanied works for choir - as well as the large-scale cantata for the BBC Proms Millennium, Mothers shall not Cry (2000). His church opera Passion and Resurrection (l981) was the subject of a BBC television film, and has received seventeen subsequent performances. His opera Inquest of Love, commissioned by ENO, was premièred under the baton of Mark Elder in 1993 and repeated at Theatre de la Monnaie, Brussels in 1994. His third opera, Wagner Dream, commissioned by Nederlandse Oper and realized at IRCAM was premiered to great acclaim in 2007. 2008 saw the premiere of Messages (for the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Berlin Philharmoniker) and Speakings (cocommission with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, IRCAM and Radio France); Harvey is now in constant demand from a host of international organisations, attracting commissions far into the future, and his music is extensively played and toured by the major ensembles of our time. His music has been showcased at most centres and festivals for contemporary music. Some 150-200 performances are given or broadcast each year and about 100 recordings of his music are issued on CD. He has honorary doctorates from the universities of Southampton, Sussex, Bristol, Birmingham and Huddersfield, is a Member of Academia Europaea, and in 1993 was awarded the prestigious Britten Award for composition.
With the death of Diaghilev the Russian Ballet was disbanded and Stravinsky lost one of his last links to his native land. He had not seen Russia since 1914, and instead had emerged as the leading musical figure in France. After all, Diaghilev's troupe was based in Paris, and many of Stravinsky's works had received their premières in Paris. However, he was only to receive only one commission for a work to be performed in France, namely Persephone. Greater interest was shown by the Americans and the Germans. Even critical writings were more favorable in these countries than in France. Stravinsky played the solo part of his Capriccio on its first performance at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, with Ansermet conducting. It proved to be a success, and his services were highly sought. Over the next five years, he performed it in many of Europe's important cities. It was during this period that he was commissioned by his old friend Koussevitzky, who was now the permanent conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to supply a symphonic work to commemorate their fiftieth concert season in 1930. This was the Symphony of Psalms. Stravinsky found France's influence on his music was beginning to decline. After taking on French citizenship in June 1934, he applied to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, which was met with a humiliating denial. Feeling that his music was underappreciated in France, and with more commissions arriving from America, he decided to move to America. Amid this occurred the deaths of his mother, his wife, and his daughter Mika. He married his mistress Vera de Bosset and they arrived in America in September 1939.
In 2007 he was awarded the Giga-Hertz Prize for a lifetime's work in electronic music.
Stravinsky regained his composure in America, feeling that his music was once again being appreciated and being able to associate with intellectuals 175th
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ANTON BRUCKNER was born in Ansfelden on September 4, 1824. His father was a village schoolmaster, as was his grandfather. It was a meagerly paid but respected position in the rural environment. Music belonged to the school curriculum, and Bruckner's father was his first music teacher. Bruckner learned to play the organ as a child. He entered school when he was six, and proved to be a hard-working student, and was promoted to upper class early. While studying, Bruckner also helped his father in teaching the other children. After Bruckner received his confirmation in 1833, Bruckner's father decided to send him to another school in Hörsching. The schoolmaster, Johann Baptist Weiß, was a music enthusiast and respected organist. Here, Bruckner completed his school education and learned to play the organ to a very high standard.
"nonsensical". He later accepted a post at the Vienna University in 1875, where he tried to make music theory a part of the curriculum. Overall, he was unhappy in Vienna, which was musically dominated by the critic Eduard Hanslick. At the time there was a feud between advocates of the music of Wagner and Brahms; by aligning himself with Wagner, Bruckner made an unintentional enemy out of Hanslick. However, he was not without supporters; Deutsche Zeitung's music critic Theodor Helm, and famous conductors such as Arthur Nikisch and Franz Schalk constantly tried to bring his music to the public, and for this purpose proposed 'improvements' for making Bruckner's music more acceptable to the public. While Bruckner allowed these changes, he also made sure in his will to bequeath his original scores to the Vienna National Library, confident of their musical validity. Another proof of Bruckner's confidence in his artistic ability is that he often started work on a new symphony just a few days after finishing the previous one.
His father died in 1837, when Anton was 13 years old. The teacher's position and house were given to a successor, and Bruckner was sent to the Augustinian monastery in St. Florian to become a choirboy. In addition to choir practice, his education included violin and organ lessions. Bruckner was in awe of the monastery's great organ, which was built during the late baroque era and improved in 1837, and he sometimes played it during church services. Later, the organ was to be called the "Bruckner Organ". Despite his musical giftedness, Bruckner's mother decided that her son's future profession remained as a teacher, and in 1840 Bruckner was sent to a teacher’s seminar in Linz. After completing the seminar with an excellent grade, he was sent as a teacher's assistant to a school in Windhaag. Prelate Michael Arneth noticed Bruckner's intolerable situation in Windhaag and awarded him a teacher's assistant position in St. Florian, sending him to Krohnstorf an der Enns for two years.
In addition to his symphonies, Bruckner wrote masses, motets and other sacred choral works, and a few chamber works, including a string quintet. Numerous anecdotes abound as to Bruckner's dogged pursuit of his chosen craft and his humble acceptance of the fame that eventually came his way. Once, after a rehearsal of his Fourth Symphony, the well-meaning Bruckner tipped the conductor Hans Richter: "When the symphony was over," Richter related, "Bruckner came to me, his face beaming with enthusiasm and joy. I felt him press a coin into my hand. 'Take this' he said, 'and drink a glass of beer to my health.'" Richter, of course, accepted the coin, a Maria Theresa thaler, and wore it on his watch-chain ever after. Bruckner was a renowned organist in his day, impressing audiences in France in 1869, and England in 1871, giving six recitals on a new Henry Willis organ at Royal Albert Hall in London and five more at the Crystal Palace. Though he wrote no major works for the organ, his improvisation sessions sometimes yielded ideas for the Symphonies. Indeed, the orchestration in his symphonies often involves abrupt switches and call-andresponse between multiple groups of instruments, much like switching manuals on an organ.
In 1848 he was appointed an organist in St. Florian and in 1851 this was made a regular position. In St Florian, most of the repertoire consisted of the music of Michael Haydn, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Franz Joseph Aumann. In 1855, he took up a counterpoint course with Simon Sechter. He later studied with Otto Kitzler, who introduced him to the music of Richard Wagner, which Bruckner studied extensively from 1863 onwards. Bruckner continued his studies to the age of 40. Broad fame and acceptance did not come until he was over 60. A devout Catholic, Bruckner was out of step with his contemporaries. In 1861 he had already made the acquaintance of Franz Liszt who, like Bruckner, had a strong Catholic religious faith and who first and foremost was a harmonic innovator, initiating the new German school together with Wagner. Soon after Bruckner had ended his studies under Sechter and Kitzler, he wrote his first mature work, the Mass in D Minor.
Bruckner never married; he was attracted to teenage girls, who turned down the proposals of the older man. One such was the daughter of a friend, called Louise; in his grief he is believed to have written the cantata "Entsagen" (Renunciation). His unsuccessful proposals to teenage girls continued into his seventies; one potential relationship that might have been suitable when he was older came to nothing because the girl would not convert to Catholicism. In July 1886, the Emperor decorated him with the Order of Franz Joseph. Bruckner died in Vienna in 1896, of natural causes. He is buried in the crypt of St. Florian monastery church, below his favourite organ.
In 1868, after Sechter had died, Bruckner hesitantly accepted Sechter's post as a teacher of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory, during which time he concentrated most of his energy on writing symphonies. These symphonies, however, were poorly received, at times considered "wild" and
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Programme Notes Introduction Tonight's programme of choral works must be one of the most enterprising in the long history of the Huddersfield Choral Society. Although the trio of works come from different musical traditions, they share some unusual features: they offer no music for solo voices, and if their instrumentation is far from conventional, there are deliberate echoes in each work of much earlier polyphonic music. Bruckner's Mass in E minor was composed for a small wind band and 8 part chorus, and while Stravinsky also used a wind band in his Symphony of Psalms, he added two pianos, a harp, timpani, cellos and basses, but no violins or violas. The chorus remains in 4 parts during all three movements. Jonathan Harvey's Messages is scored for a wide range of percussion, as well as the standard orchestral instruments, with the chorus in 8 parts throughout. This new choral work received its première in Berlin in 2008, and it is fitting that in its 175th Anniversary Season the Huddersfield Choral Society is giving the first UK performance of Messages this evening.
brass call to each other from 'outer space', mirroring the role of several angels who 'announce' with trumpets. Jonathan Harvey Symphony of Psalms - I. Stravinsky The work was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930, but a deeper inspiration is revealed in the dedication to the orchestra: “ This symphony is composed to the glory of God….”, as Stravinsky had only recently rejoined the Russian Orthodox Church. Although his music has a highly distinctive sound, there are echoes, as in Bruckner, of earlier polyphonic music, especially in Stravinsky's fugal counterpoint. The composer chose the words from the Latin version of three Psalms of David, 39, 40 and 150. 1st movement - 'Hear my prayer, O Lord' (Psalm 39) Stravinsky declared that this movement “was composed in a state of religious and musical ebullience”. The chorus enters with a kind of plainsong chant, and the woodwind accompaniment is echoed later in the fugue in Part 2 and in the thematic design of the final movement. At the climax, the plainsong is still strong in the sopranos and tenors.
Messages - J. Harvey Messages was commissioned by the Rundfunkchor Berlin and its Chief Conductor, Simon Halsey(Commissioner I) and Fundacion Patronata de la Semana de Musica Religiosa de Cuenca (Commissioner II).
2nd movement - 'I waited patiently for the Lord' (Psalm 40) There is a double fugue for instruments and voices, with the theme of the instrumental fugue started by the oboes and then taken up by the flutes. The subject of the choral fugue begins with the sopranos at 'Expectans expectavi Dominum'. In the middle there is a short passage for the chorus unaccompanied, and the movement ends quietly with the chorus in unison at 'Et sperabunt in Domino'.
The text of Messages consists entirely of the names of Judaic and Persian angels. The choir can be thought to invoke angels, as in the great Renaissance and Baroque pictures of angel choirs, many of whom not only sing but play Baroque instruments. Equally the choir can be imagined as being angels, bringing their spiritual messages to mankind. There is an echo of late Renaissance/early Baroque instrumental style to be heard in the opening 'continuo' flourish. The nine hierarchies of angels are situated in the seven heavens, the seventh where the throne of God is usually said to reside, according to tradition. The music moves through the seven heavens in order. In the second heaven, St.Paul's comment in the Letter to the Hebrews (1:7) “He maketh the winds his angels” is allowed to suggest a musical closeness to this force of nature, and to the invisible mobility of angelic beings. In the fifth heaven distant
3rd movement - 'O Praise God in his holiness' (Psalm 150) The composer wrote: “Psalm 40 is a prayer that a new canticle may be put into our mouths. The Alleluiah is that canticle.” Unlike in other settings of this psalm, Stravinsky's Alleluiah does not burst forth with a shout of praise, but it is muted and unaccompanied. The composer described the rest of the slowtype introduction, the Laudate Dominum, as “a prayer to the Russian image of the infant Christ with orb and sceptre”. Stravinsky claimed that the allegro was inspired “by a vision of Continued on page 11
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Programme Notes - Continued Elijah's chariot climbing the heavens”. Just as the final hymn of praise reaches its climax it suddenly becomes piano at 'Laudate Eum in cymbalis'. There is a repeat of the Alleluiah which ushers in a quiet ending to the symphony. Tonight's performance is the fourth by Huddersfield Choral Society.
Masses, this one was strongly influenced by Bruckner's study of earlier polyphonic music, in particular, the counterpoint of Palestrina (1525-1594). In fact he used a melody from the Italian composer on which to build an 8 part canon in the Sanctus. In the opening Kyrie the women's voices enter on a subdued homophonic setting of the words, which is then taken up by the men's voices. In other movements, such as the Benedictus, the harmony is more chromatic, with huge vocal jumps in some of the parts. The Gloria ends in a fugue, reminiscent of the earlier classical Masses, while the setting of the words in the Crucifixus section of the Credo focuses exquisitely on their meaning. The work combines Bruckner's radiant harmonic settings with his intense spirituality.
Mass in E Minor - A. Bruckner While two of Bruckner's Masses are symphonic in their use of a full orchestra, soloists and chorus, his Mass in E minor is on a much smaller scale, with no roles for strings or the organ. The composer was commissioned to write a Mass for the consecration of the Votive Chapel in Linz Cathedral, in Upper Austria, where he was the organist. Its first performance, conducted by Bruckner, took place outside the cathedral in September 1869. In all six movements (the Benedictus is separate from the Sanctus), there are no introductory passages for the wind instruments, and only occasional short pieces of transitional accompaniment between the choral sections. Unlike his other
Tonight’s performance is only the second by Huddersfield Choral Society. John Brown
SPONSORSHIP
The Huddersfield Choral Society’s success over recent years has been greatly assisted by the support of our Sponsors and their valued contribution to The Society’s wellbeing. We are fortunate indeed in having a number of faithful Sponsors of many years standing and we are very pleased when new Sponsors are able to join us. Opportunities do exist for further support and a share in the life of The Choral.
The Society is extremely grateful for the support from the following organisations over this season: • UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD • Principal Partner • SYNGENTA • SS COMPONENTS LTD • • HUDDERSFIELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL • • THE GREENBANK GROUP UK • • CHADWICK LAWRENCE • • INCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED • • G2 CONSULTING • COUNTRY CLASSICS • • MR W CURRIE • MR G BUCHAN • -o -
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Tony Booth: Sponsorship Secretary Barn End, Binns Lane Holmfirth HD9 3JU Tel: 01484 682858
We also express our sincere gratitude for the continuing personal sponsorship of Mrs. Catherine Osborne and Mrs. S. A. Brennan. 175th
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Martyn Brabbins British conductor Martyn Brabbins is in his second season as Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic in Antwerp. Artistic Director of the Cheltenham International Festival of Music 2005-2007, he was Associate Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 19942005. After studying composition in London and then conducting with Ilya Musin in Leningrad, his career was launched when he won first prize at the 1988 Leeds Conductors' Competition. Since then Brabbins has regularly conducted all the major UK orchestras and is much sought-after in Europe, Scandinavia, Australia and more recently Japan.
annual Proms visit. He takes the Royal Flemish Philharmonic on an extensive tour of China. Brabbins has always conducted opera alongside symphonic concerts, and last season was particularly busy in this regard. Highlights of 09/10 included a much-feted Wozzeck at the Flemish Opera, and collaborations with Richard Credit: Sasha Gustov Jones (a new work by David Sawer for Birmingham contemporary Music Group) and Simon McBurney of Theatre de Complicite (another world premiere, this time by Raskatov for Netherlands Opera where he is also a regular visitor). He also returned to the Hamburg Opera to conduct Death in Venice. Since his early days conducting Mozart at the Kirov, Brabbins has also conducted for the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera de Lyon, English National Opera and Opera North, and is a regular visitor at the Frankfurt Opera where he returns in Spring 2011 for Pizetti's Murder in the Cathedral.
Known for his Elgar, Britten, and Walton, Brabbins also has a strong affinity for the great 19th century Romantics, and for the Russian and French repertoire. Brabbins is also one of Europe’s leading interpreters of contemporary music. Conductor of choice for the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, from 1999-2004 he was the Philharmonia Orchestra's Music of Today Series Conductor. He has also conducted the Bavarian Radio Symphony in their Musica Viva series 9 times.
Brabbins is much in demand as a recording artist. He has recorded over 30 discs with the BBC Scottish Symphony on Hyperion, and is now recording also with his Antwerp orchestra for this label, whilst maintaining an ongoing relationship also with Chandos Records. He has recorded Birtwistle, David Bedford and Finnissy for NMC; Rachmaninov and Scriabin for Collins Classics and made a notable live recording of Britten's War Requiem for Naxos. His recording of Korngold's Die Kathrin with the BBC Concert Orchestra for CPO won the Opera Award at Cannes.
In 10/11 he returns to the St Petersburg Philharmonic (for Delius' Mass of Life); to the Residentie Orkest, Netherlands Radio Chamber, Lahti Symphony, Klangforum Wien, Nagoya Philharmonic, and conducts in Bern (Debussy and Stravinsky) and DĂźsseldorf (Mahler's Das Klagende Lied). He conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Three Choirs Festival, the BBC Scottish Symphony in a Walton symphony project (also recorded for Hyperion), the BBC Symphony for their Fernyhough weekend at the Barbican Centre, and makes his
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JOSEPH CULLEN Chorus Master
monasteries. Joseph is committed to mentoring young musicians as they emerge onto the professional scene. He has established choral conducting scholarships with both the London Symphony Chorus and the Huddersfield Choral Society and gives masterclasses at the Orkney conductors' course, which is part of the St Magnus Festival, and at the Royal Academy of Music. Joseph Cullen has coached many distinguished singers and gives the next generation a platform with his ensemble, London Chamber Voices. He is also a member of the vocal ensemble, Tenebrae, with whom he tours internationally.
Joseph Cullen has been Chorus Master of the Huddersfield Choral Society since 1999 and his trilogy of CDs conducting the Society is now complete with the recent issue of The Crucifixion (John Stainer) on the Signum label. He conducted the opening concert in the rebuilt Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in January with the Choral Society appearing as a guest chorus. His choral direction has consistently brought glowing critical acclaim and he has been awarded two Grammys for his work as Director of the London Symphony Chorus on the LSO Live and Chandos labels. He has directed the City of London Sinfonia from the keyboard in a series of concerts featuring Bach Cantatas in the City of London Festival and has made his dÊbut with the Northern Sinfonia as director and soloist. Joseph has worked closely with some of the world’s leading conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Mark Elder, Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev, Michael Tilson Thomas, Martyn Brabbins, Gianandrea Noseda, Vasily Petrenko, Yan-Pascal Tortelier, Bernard Haitink, Richard Hickox and, in particular, with Sir Colin Davis. He has appeared as a guest conductor with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Academy of St Martin-in-theFields and the Grant Park Festival Orchestra in Chicago. Joseph maintains a national profile as an organist and a continuo player. He has held musical posts in the RC Cathedrals of Glasgow, Leeds and Westminster and has inaugurated the new organs at the Abbeys of Pluscarden and Ryde and acts as vocal consultant to the monastic choirs of several Benedictine
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Orchestra of Opera North Music Director - Richard Farnes
Violas David Aspin Vivienne Campbell Anne Trygstad Elizabeth Wyly Vince Parsonage Sarah Heartfield Raymond Lester Katie Stables Jim Swainson Ian Fair Josephine Goynes Robert Guy Cellos Sally Pendlebury Anna Mowat Judith Burgin Andrew Fairley* Edward Furse ZoÍ Long Simon Denton Damion Browne Sally Ladds Esther Harriott Basses Paul Miller* Peter Fry Claire Sadler Diana Milner Siân Holland Mhairi Simpson Christina Cooper Flutes Kevin Gowland David Moseley* Fiona Slominska Amina Hussain Piccolo Jennifer George
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Alto Flute Fiona Slominska
Bass Trombone Daniel West
Oboes Richard Hewitt Catherine Lowe Emmet Byrne Lisa Osborne Hazel Cropper
Tuba Ben Thomson Timpani Marney O'Sullivan Percussion Christopher Bradley* Graham Hall Mark Wagstaff Mark Concar Toby Kearney Gareth Ceredig
Cor Anglais Catherine Lowe Clarinets Colin Honour John Robinson Matthew Dunn
Cimbalom Christopher Bradley*
Bassoons David Baker Ben Hudson Anthea Wood
Harps Rhian Evans Maxine Molin Rose
Contra Bassoon Luke Whitehead
Pianos Ian Buckle Darius Battiwalla
Horn Robert Ashworth* John Pratt Andrew Littlemore Max Garrard Alan Tokeley
Celeste Ian Buckle Douglas Scarfe: Helen Wilson: Andrew Fairley*: Victoria Bellis: Christopher Ladds: Jordan Senior Helen Stephens*:
Trumpets Murray Greig Michael Woodhead* David Hooper Tracey Redfern Jim Bulger Piccolo Trumpet Murray Greig Trombones * Robert Burtenshaw*
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Chorus & Orchestra Director Orchestra Manager Library Manager Librarian Stage Manager Orchestra Attendant Music Secretary
* Opera North Company member for 25 years or more
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The Orchestra of Opera North The Orchestra of Opera North holds a unique place amongst British orchestras. Universally praised by audiences and critics alike, the Orchestra is the only ensemble in the country to have a year-round dual role in the opera house and concert hall.
Paul Daniel and works by Bliss, Delius, Lambert and Vaughan Williams conducted by the Orchestra's founder conductor David Lloyd-Jones. In the operatic field Opera North has made several important recordings, including Walton's Troilus and Cressida conducted by Richard Hickox, which won the prestigious Gramophone Award for best opera recording, Nabucco conducted by David Parry Bart贸k's Duke Bluebeard's Castle and Verdi's Don Carlos, conducted by the Company's current Music Director, Richard Farnes.
The Orchestra plays a significant part in the major concert series of the region, appearing with numerous international guest conductors and soloists. An important relationship with Leeds International Concert Season sees the Orchestra performing regular concerts of major symphonic repertoire, a series of gala concerts, and combining with the region's choral societies. It is also the resident Orchestra for the Leeds Conductors Competition.
Outside the region, the Orchestra has toured abroad both with the whole Company - Opera North was the first foreign company to visit Barcelona's rebuilt Teatro del Liceu; in December 2004 it took part in the Monaco Dance Forum, July 2005 saw its first visit to the prestigious Ravenna Festival, and in August last year the Company visited the Bregenz Festival for the first time - and independently in concert (Contemporary Music Festivals in Vienna and Strasbourg) and in this country has regularly performed in London (Sadler's Wells, the BBC Proms, South Bank and at the Hampton Court Festival).
The Orchestra has developed a groundbreaking collaboration with Kirklees Cultural Services running the concert series in Huddersfield and Dewsbury Town Halls. This work which has also forged new relationships with groups across the Kirklees area including performing ensembles and educational institutions was nominated for the 2006 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards. A strong commitment to educational and community projects is a feature of the work of the musicians, collectively and also in collaboration with Opera North Education. There are a number of fine chamber ensembles within the Orchestra, including Arcturus, The Caf茅 Band, Mirage, Music Serenade and Yorkshire Classic Brass, all of whom give regular concerts throughout the region and further afield. Many of the players are outstanding teachers with several holding professorships at the Royal Northern College of Music and at Universities within the region. The Orchestra has received international recognition for its recordings, with releases on ASV, Chandos, Collins Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Hyperion and Nimbus. A close relationship with Naxos has produced a series of highly acclaimed recordings of William Walton's orchestral music conducted by former Opera North Music Director
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MADE TO MEASURE because you’re unique!
Your cloth or ours
LAURIE HOPKINS MENSWEAR
18/20 Acre Street Lindley Huddersfield www.lhmw.co.uk Tel: 01484 511088
Legacies Including a legacy to The Huddersfield Choral Society in your Will is a practical way to make a lasting contribution to our future. Please help us remain one of the most inspiring and vibrant Choral Societies in Britain for the next generations. The Society is a registered charity, Number 1100851. Enquiries may be directed to the Society’s Treasurer Mr. Adrian J. Lee: -∞72 Benomley Road, Almondbury, Huddersfield, HD5 8LS Telephone: 01484 450321 Email: adrian.lee@huddersfieldchoral.com
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Note There will be two twenty minute intervals during tonight’s concert
Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms 1. (Psalm 38, verses 13 and 14)
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and with Thine ears consider my calling: hold not Thy peace at my tears. For I am a stranger with Thee: and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. O spare me a little that I may recover my strength: before I go hence and be no more seen.
Exaudi orationem meam, Domine, et deprecationem meam. Auribus percipe lacrimas meas. Ne sileas, ne sileas. Quoniam advena ego sum apud te et peregrinus, sicut omnes patres mei. Remitte mihi, prius quam abeam et amplius non ero. 2. (Psalm 39, verses 2, 3 and 4) Expectans expectavi Dominum, et intendit mihi. Et exaudivit preces meas; et exudit me de lacu miseriae, et de luto faecis.
I waited patiently for the Lord: and He inclined unto me, and heard my calling. He brought me also out of the horrible pit, out of the mire and clay: and set my feet upon the rock, and ordered my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth: even a thanksgiving unto our God. Many shall see it and fear: and shall put their trust in the Lord.
Et statuit super petram pedes meos: et direxit gressus meos. Et immisit in os meum canticum novum, carmen Deo nostro. Videbunt multi et timebunt: et sperabunt in Domino. 3. (Psalm 150) Alleluia. Laudate Dominum in sanctis Ejus. Laudate Eum in firmamentos virtutis Ejus. Laudate Dominum.
Alleluja. O praise God in His holiness: praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Laudate Eum in virtutibus Ejus Laudate Eum secundum multitudinem magnitudinis Ejus. Laudate Eum in sono tubae. Laudate Eum in timpano et choro, Laudate Eum in cordis et organo; Laudate Eum in cymbalis bene jubilantionibus. Omnis spiritus laudet Eum.
Praise Him in His noble acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him in the sound of the trumpet: praise Him upon the lute and harp. Praise Him upon the strings and pipe. Praise Him upon the well-tuned cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
INTERVAL 20 MINUTES
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Serving Industry, Commerce & the Private Client
13 STATION STREET • HUDDERSFIELD • HD1 1LY TELEPHONE (01484) 519519 E-MAIL: mail@baxlaw.co.uk • FAX (01484) 518085
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Messages - Harvey
ANGELS'S NAMES (First Heaven) KHABIEL GABRIEL SURIA DAHARIEL ASHRULYAI SABRIEL SHOEL SHEVIEL ADNACHIEL SHOKAD JEKUSIEL NAHURIEL ZAHABRIEL TUTRECHIEL PHALEG FANUEL SARAKIEL TUFIEL TUTRUSIAI MUFGAR TASHRIEL ZORTEK DEHEBORYN (Second Heaven) TAGRIEL ZACHARIEL ARFIEL SAHRIEL SAKRIEL ARFIEL SAHRIEL RAGIEL RAPHAEL ISRAFEL (Third Heaven) SHEBURIEL ANAHEL SAVRIEL RETSUTSIEL JABNIEL HARHAZIEL HADRIEL DALQUIEL BEZRIEL RABACYAEL URIEL (Fourth Heaven) PACHDIEL ZAHRUN ZUHAIR
SHARHABIIL SHUMNU BUHAIR BAHRUN SHUMBARNU SARTAR SARWAN PYHAHIL ZAHARI'IL RABIA TARWAN TALIA DENUTH HIIA RAM RUD SRAOSHA SHURBAI MOAKKIBAT ANHAR BAHRAT QINTAR NURAITHA HABSHABA
MICHAEL GAVRIEL URIEL RAPHAEL CHAYO (Seventh Heaven) CASSIEL ISRAEL YAHEL CHUSCHA TEHOM SCHIMUEL ZAWAR CHAMYEL HASEHA SCHADDYL ACHUSATON THRONUS SCHAWAYT UZRIEL ZAPHKIEL RAZIEL ORIFIEL OPHANIEL ZOFIEL CHERUBIEL ZABKIEL SERAFIEL BARKIEL KEMUVEL NATHANAEL KWANYIN ZEBURIAL SHAMSIEL ADONAIOS METATRON HAYAT ITMON VERUAH TSATSEHIYAH BATSRAN MIDRASH YAHSIYA TATRIEL OZAH HADRANIEL ESTES HANIEL ANIEL A-EL a-e
(Fifth Heaven) TECHIEL RAGUEL SANDALPHON GARIEL DRIAL JEREMIEL SHATQIEL MICHAEL BARBIEL NISROC TARSHISH REQUEL GRIAL AMAEL URIEL (Sixth Heaven) ZACHIEL ZEBUL RUMIAL KATZFIEL RABACYEL REMIEL CHAMUEL HANIEL HAMALIEL VERCHIEL HASHMAL
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Choir Members SOPRANO: Louise Alp Margaret Atkinson** Susan Baines Sheila Baker** Jill Bamford Esme Barber Lydia Bayliss Ruth Beattie Charmaine Beaumont** Jill Benn Patricia Berry* Janet Booth Elly Bosworth Elizabeth Boyle Dorothy Bradbury Christine Broadbent Louise Brown Sarah Brown Colleen Brown Derrianne Byrne Mary Cadwaladr Barbara Carroll Joanna Cole Gwyneth Cooper Rosemary Cooper Eleanor Davies Jenny Ellis Sue Ellis Trish Ellis Lindsey Fawcett Linda Fellows Sheila Garside* Katherine Hall Julia Harvey* Margaret Henry** Hilary Hibbin Kate Hyland-Collier Caroline Jones Georgia Katsiroumpa Helen Kettlewell Emma Kilroy Yuki Kondo Fiona Law Elaine Lee* Anne Lockwood
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Liz Marshall Helen Martin Pamela Masih Anjuli Mehta Wendy Moores Cath Murgatroyd Megan Nelson Jean Parker* Carol Randerson* Christine Roberts Katrina Robinson-Brown Jane Sargent* Hannah Saxon Sue Shepherd Thelma Simpson Debbie Skipper Susan Smith Doreen Smurthwaite Nan Steinitz* Catherine Stephenson Ruth Stones* Marilyn Sutcliffe Sarah Wickham Denise Wilkes Ann Wilkes Glynis Wilkinson Susan Wilkinson* Mary Wilson ALTO: Ruth Aldred Helen Ashley-Taylor Anna Bailey Thelma Bateman Ruth Bostock Ann Boswell Barbara Brook* Ken Brown Rowena Burton Sandy Cole** Margaret Collison Jean Collison* Cynthia Daniel** Janet Dransfield* Christine Durham** Winifred Ellis*
Janet Gabanski Julie Hale Gaynor Haliday Richard Hallas Andrea Hindson Pam Hird** Jane Hobson* Sue Hornby Susan Kirby Hilary Laurie Sylvia McGee** Hilary McLean Elizabeth Mortimer Kath Northern* Marjorie Norton* Audrey O'Hara Alison Owen - Morley Jayne Preston** Frances Priestnall Caroline Robinson Jennifer Sanderson Susan Sandford Katie Saunders Vicki Scurrah Eileen Sheller Suzanne Smelt Alexandra Soden Marjorie Swift** Pam Sykes Vera Thompson Anna Thompson Lettice Thomson* Susan Turnbull Sandra Twitchett Alex Vickers Michelle Walker Jean Walters* Rebekah Wheeler Sue Wilman** Jenni Wohlman Glenda Wray TENOR: Michael Benn* Jonathan Brigg Stephen Brook*
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Tom Chilton David Croft** Malcolm Fairless* Chris Fawcett Graham Fearnley* Jeremy Garside Ronald Gee David Gee Malcolm Hinchliffe Roy Hirst Norman Hirst Martin Jenkins Martin Kettlewell Gregory Knaggs Chris Knight Alex Kyle Timothy Lewis** David Lunn Richard Myhill Arthur Quarmby* Philip Ratcliffe Stuart Rudd Gerald Savage* Philip Shergold Ian Smith Alan Stephens Charles R. Sykes David Vickers Harvey Walsh David Ward Michael Widdall Tim Wilkes BASS: Richard Ainley Christopher Arnold** David Atkinson James Beattie Gareth Beaumont** John Brown* David Burgess Peter Chase Mike Corney Jim Cowell Martyn Crossley* James Curran**
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Ian Daniel* Peter Dawson P.J. Dodd Granville Dransfield* Raymond Ellis Daniel Fields John Harman David Hartley*** David Hoddle Dennis Holmes Keith Horner William Kirby Martin Luke Kenton Mann Andrew Marsland John McGahey Barrie Mortimer Robin Owen - Morley Angus Pogson** Geoffrey Priestley David Robinson Howard Sandford John Sandland* Graham Smelt Terry Smurthwaite Paul Spencer Jim Stafford* Alan Stirk Neil Stones Mark Taylor Richard Thompson Lyndon Wilkinson** Barrie Williams Conrad Winterburn**
* Holder of 25 year badge ** Holder of 40 year badge *** Holder of 50 year badge
Anniversary Season
Mass in E Minor - Bruckner Kyrie Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.
Gloria Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.
Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory, O Lord God, Heav’nly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.
Quoniam tu solus sanctus. Tu solus Dominus. Tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris. Amen
For Thou only art holy, Thou only art the Lord, Thou only, O Jesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen
Credo Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium.
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
Et in unum Dominium Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo; Lumen de Lumine; Deum verum de Deo vero; genitum non factum; consubstantialem Patri per quem anima facta sunt.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem, descendit de coelis.
Who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven.
Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto, ex Maria Virgine; et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis; sub Pontio Pilato passus et sepultus est.
And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, of the Virgin Mary; and was made man. He was crucified also for us; He suffered under Pontius Pilate, died and was buried. Continued on page 25
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Mass in E Minor - Bruckner
continued
Et resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas; et ascendit in coelum; sedet ad dexteram Patris; et iterum venturus est cum gloria judicare vivos et mortuos; cujus regni non erit finis.
And the third day he rose again according to the scriptures; and ascended into heaven; and sitteth at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead; of whose Kingdom there shall be no end.
Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem; qui ex Patre Filioque procedit, qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur, qui locutus est per Prophetas.
And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life; who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipp’d and glorified, who spake by the Prophets.
Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam.
And I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum, et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen
Sanctus Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Benedictus Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Agnus Dei Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
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O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, grant us Thy peace.
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Future Concerts Good Friday 22 April 2011 Barbican, London Handel - MESSIAH Conductor Joseph Cullen
See page 31 for travel and ticket information Saturday 18 June 2011
175th Anniversary Celebration Concert Huddersfield Town Hall
THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS - Elgar Conductor Martyn Brabbins
Tickets now available via Kirklees Box Office Tel:01484 223200 Saturday 1 October 2011 Liverpool Anglican Cathedral Mahler - SYMPHONY No 8 Conductor Vasily Petrenko
Friday 9 December 2011 Huddersfield Town Hall CHRISTMAS CONCERT Tuesday 20 December 2011 Huddersfield Town Hall Handel - MESSIAH Northern Sinfonia Grant Llewellyn
Friday 4 November 2011 - Subscribers' Concert Huddersfield Town Hall Beethoven - MISSA SOLEMNIS Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Vasily Petrenko - conductor
Wednesday 21 December 2011 - Subscribers' Concert Huddersfield Town Hall Handel - MESSIAH Northern Sinfonia Grant Llewellyn
Saturday 5 November 2011 Philharmonic Hall Liverpool Beethoven - MISSA SOLEMNIS Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Vasily Petrenko - conductor
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With the compliments of
The Wilkinson Building Co., (Leeds) Ltd. Apsley House Leeds Concourse House Telephone: 0113 284 26 31 175th
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Recordings
New Release MESSIAH: £15.00 AND THE GLORY
A History in Commemoration of the 175th anniversary of Huddersfield Choral Society The book is on sale tonight or can be obtained from: THE CRUCIFIXION: £12.00
David Lockwood Telephone 01484 666827 E-mail: David.lockwood@huddersfieldchoral.com
THE HYMNS ALBUM: £12.00
Recordings are on sale tonight or can be obtained from:
David Lockwood (Telephone 01484 666827) E-mail: David.lockwood@huddersfieldchoral.com 175th
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£15 plus £3.50 p&p 29
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Recommended Recordings conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. All three performances are very recommendable, with a fine contribution from the LSO Chorus. With a particularly well done closing section of the Laudate dominum and an excellent Abbey Road recording in which everything is very naturally and musically balanced, this may still be found in shops with a good stock (not that there are many of those left now!) At budget price on Sony's 'Essential Classics' series (obviously not that essential then!) this is worth a search. The good news is that a very recommendable version by the superb Monteverdi Choir and the LSO under John Eliot Gardiner, first issued by Deutsche Grammophon in 2002, has just been re-issued on Brilliant Classics at mid-price. Apart from a particularly fine performance of Symphony of Psalms, superbly sung and played with some of the most sweetly and subtly done Alleluia's around, this highly recommended disc comes with my 'discover something new and really fascinating' suggestion. The name Nadia Boulanger is famous throughout the musical world and, particularly in the 1920's and 1930's, pupils came to her from all over the globe; among them were Lennox Berkeley, Aaron Copland, Jean Francaix, Walter Piston, Igor Markevitch and Nadia's younger sister Lily, who was a remarkable talent, being the first woman to win the Prix de Rome at the age of 19. She suffered from delicate health throughout her short life but by the time of her death in 1918 she had written a substantial quantity of work, the quality of which is arresting. Among her better known compositions are her three psalm settings which provide an appropriate coupling to Gardiner's recording of the Stravinsky. The opening of Psalm 24, composed in 1916 just 2 years before her death at the age of 24, may come as a shock in its elemental power and boldness after the quiet close of the Stravinsky. The longest of the four works is her Psalm 130 De profundis, dedicated to the memory of her father. It is a remarkable work, powerful and sombre which in its 27 minutes moves from the depths towards hope. If you want the Stravinsky do give this a try; it is well within the French, mainstream of the time.
Bruckner: Mass in E Minor
Until the last few years Bruckner's choral works had been primarily represented by the much liked Deutsche Grammophon recordings by the Chorus and Orchestra of Bavarian Radio conducted by that great Bruckner interpreter Eugen Jochum which were made between 1963 and 1972 and transferred to CD as a 4 disc set. These have now been re-issued in DGs Originals series as two 2 CD sets, each set costing the price of one full-price disc. One is devoted to the Motets and Te Deum and the other, that concerns us here, contains the 3 Masses. Jochum was a devout Catholic and these performances are deeply devotional and prayerful with broad speeds which create a feeling of vast spaciousness. I find a few of the tempi in the E Minor Mass, such as the Et incarnatus est, verge on the indulgent, but the overall effect is of great seriousness and sincerity. The recordings have transferred very well to CD and the sound is warm but with plenty of detail. The one major drawback to the set is that with the 3 Masses on two CDs one has the inconvenience of changing discs after the Credo of the E Minor Mass, as it is split between the two discs. There have been a number of recordings over the last 20 years with varying degrees of success, but one of the more recent has rather blown away the competition. Over the last 15 years Stephen Layton's choir Polyphony has been garnering great critical acclaim and their Hyperion recording of the E Minor Mass and 7 of Bruckner's Motets achieved superlative reviews. The choral tone is wonderfully blended and sumptuous yet superbly focused and clean so that the texture in the 8-part polyphony remains clear even in the Octagon Tower of Ely Cathedral, where the recording is given an appropriate sense of space without losing clarity. The 7 Motets contain some of the real spiritual gems of the choral repertoire and I cannot imagine more beautiful performances. The disc opens with two of the motets, Ave Maria and Locus iste before the Mass and after hearing them again and again I still find myself thinking ... wow! In short, that rare thing; a recording that is richly rewarding and infinitely satisfying.
A closing word of caution. In preparation for this review I also bought the recent EMI recording of Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and Berlin Radio Choir in the Symphony of Psalms, Symphony in C and Symphony in Three Movements. Although I have seen the odd predictably enthusiastic review I found this disc a disappointment, most notably in the Symphony of Psalms. The choir, prepared by Rattle's old CBSO chorus-master Simon Halsey, is good but discipline is not as tight as the Monteverdi Choir and the basses are ill-focused and lacking in weight. The recording is not as well balanced as on the Tilson Thomas or Gardiner and disturbingly although the composer expressly states at the beginning of the score that 'the three parts of this symphony are to be played without a break' (repeating this instruction at the ends of Parts 1 & 2) there is a disastrous gap of 6 seconds between Parts 2 & 3. Rattle adopts too slow a tempo for the final hauntingly beautiful section of the work, which does not produce the usual elevating conclusion despite wonderful sounds from the BPO woodwind and brass. It meanders to a close and there is no sense of quiet exultation and the 'calm of praise' (Stravinsky). If you would like these three symphonies together on one disc try to find the Tilson Thomas, it wins hands down.
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Unfortunately, two of the recordings of the Symphony of Psalms that I was going to suggest have been deleted; such are the vagaries of the record industry. Actually that is not strictly true of the recording conducted by the composer, as it is available in Sony's 22 CD set of the Complete Stravinsky with all but a few works at the end of his life conducted by him. But even at budget price this is beyond inclusion. If you can find a copy of the 2 CD set (Sony SM2K 46294) it is well worth the search as it contains a fine performance of the Symphony of Psalms with an affecting closing section along with excellent versions of the Symphony in Three Movements, the Symphony in C and the composers early Symphony in E Flat, a very attractive and neglected work dedicated to, and sounding more like, his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov than himself. The set which is well recorded in stereo also includes fascinating examples of the composer talking about himself and rehearsing sections of five of his works. The other recommendation, recently deleted, offer first rate versions of the Symphony of Psalms, Symphony in Three Movements and the Symphony in C by the LSO Mass No 2 in E Minor & 7 Motets including Ave Maria, Locus iste, Christus factus est and Os justi Polyphony Britten Sinfonia Stephen Layton Hyperion CDA 67629
Symphony of Psalms/Symphony in C/Symphony in Three Movements London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra Michael Tilson Thomas Sony SBK 87955 (NB since preparing this note, research has shown that it appears to be available in the USA and also as a download.)
Mass No l D Minor, No 2 in E Minor, No 3 in F Minor Bavarian Radio Chorus & Symphony Orchestra Eugen Jochum DG 447 409-2
Symphony of Psalms c/w Lily Boulanger: Psalms 24, 129 and 130 and Vielle Priere Bouddhique Monteverdi Choir London Symphony Orchestra John Eliot Gardiner Brilliant Classics 9015 Graham D Bennett
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Messiah at the Barbican, Good Friday (22nd April) 2011 Supporters’ Package
Joseph Cullen will conduct Huddersfield Choral Society and the City of London Sinfonia in this special performance of Messiah with Elizabeth Watts (soprano), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo), Mark Le Brocq (tenor) and Christopher Purves (bass). We have put together a package for £55 per person, including coach travel to and from London and your concert ticket (prime stall seats). Details are still to be arranged, but the coach is likely to leave Huddersfield at around 8.30am, arriving in London at 1.00pm. The concert begins at 6.00pm and the coach will leave after the concert ends, around 9.30pm. -o-
We anticipate that this package will be popular, so don’t delay contact Cynthia Pratt on 01484 600352 by Monday 4th April or cynthiaprattis@hotmail.com to book your tickets today! -o-
Concert tickets also available from Barbican Box Office on 020 7638 8891
The Huddersfield Choral Society Rose A beautiful new rose has been bred specifically for us by Mr R. Rawlins of Fixby to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Society. -oIt is a floribunda in a deep mauve with a silver underside. We expect delivery of the first 60 shrubs in October 2011, and these will retail at £10. The second growing of some 60-80 will be available in 2012. From 2013 it will be available on a commercial basis from Rogers of Pickering.
Order forms will be available in April 2011 - but if you wish to reserve yours sooner. Contact: Jenny Lockwood on 01484 666827 email:jenny@lock1941.eclipse.co.uk
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Huddersfield Choral Society Conductor Laureate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARTYN BRABBINS
F R I E N D S
Chorus Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOSEPH CULLEN Deputy Chorus Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DARIUS BATTIWALLA
‘The Friends of the Huddersfield Choral Society’ was established in 1995 and provides a link with The Society, support of The Society’s activities and benefits for its members.
Accompanist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DANIEL GORDON Deputy Accompanist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MALCOLM HINCHLIFFE Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PATRICK GARVEY (Tel 01904 621222)
OFFICIALS AND COMMITTEE
BENEFITS INCLUDE:
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CONRAD WINTERBURN
• Priority booking for Public Concerts at the Town Hall (limited in the case of Public Messiah tickets).
Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JENNY LOCKWOOD General Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JIM COWELL Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ADRIAN LEE Choir Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID BURGESS Subscribers’ Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JULIE HALE Sponsorship Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . .TONY BOOTH Programme Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID LOCKWOOD Recruitment Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . GAYNOR HALIDAY Publicity Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SARAH WICKHAM Joint Librarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HOWARD SANDFORD Joint Librarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SUSAN SANDFORD Associate Members’ Secretary . . . . . . JEAN PARKER Archivist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MALCOLM HINCHLIFFE Chairman 175 Committee . . . . . . . JENNY LOCKWOOD
• Subscriber Friends who are unable to attend the ballot given priority in the subsequent allocation of tickets. • Priority on returned tickets for subscription concerts. • Regular Newsletters covering the life of The Society. • Prize Draws. • Discounted recordings of the Huddersfield Choral Society.
Members’ Representatives Janet Booth David Croft Hilary McLean Barrie Mortimer Jane Sargent Vicki Scurrah Mark A Taylor Sue Turnbull
The cost of membership of The Friends is £18 joint membership, £12 single membership. Further details and an application form can be obtained from:
Subscribers’ Representatives Helen Marshall Cynthia Pratt
Cynthia Pratt Chapel House, Slant Gate, Highburton, Huddersfield HD8 0QN Telephone: 01484 600352 E-mail cynthiaprattis@hotmail.com
Honorary Life Members Mr. R. Barraclough DL Mr. H. Clough Mr. D. Hartley Mr. J. D. Haywood DL Mr. K. Rothery Mr. G. Slater
HUDDERSFIELD CHORAL SOCIETY PO Box B30, 35 Westgate, Huddersfield HD1 1PA Telephone: 01484 536968 www.huddersfieldchoral.com
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CELEBRATING 175 YEARS
These items are on sale tonight or can be obtained from: David Lockwood Telephone 01484 666827 E-mail: David.lockwood@huddersfieldchoral.com
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2010 - 2011 Season
The grave of Stravinski, San Michele Cemetery
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