Britten: Discovering the Background to the War Requiem Friday 8 November • 7.30pm Stephen Johnson James Gilchrist tenor Adrian Partington piano A pre-concert talk by acclaimed music journalist and presenter of Discovering Music (BBC Radio 3), Stephen Johnson. Everything you ever wanted to know about Britten and his War Requiem, presented in Stephen’s famous unpretentious style and with infectious, learned passion. We guarantee you’ll hang on his every word. Followed with a recital by internationallyrenowned tenor, James Gilchrist, accompanied by the equally marvellous Adrian Partington on piano.
£15
Photo: operaomnia.co.uk
Stephen Johnson
James Gilchrist
Photo: Ana Alvarez Prada
Photo: Brian Tarr
Alwyn Mellor
Stephan Loges
1 Box Office: 01242 691190
Britten’s War Requiem
Saturday 7 December • 7pm
Thursday 26 December • 3pm
Gloucester Cathedral Saturday 16 November • 7pm Colston Hall, Bristol Saturday 23 November • 7pm
Samantha Hay soprano Harriet Goodwin mezzo soprano Tristan Stocks tenor Dominic Sedgwick bass with The Corelli Orchestra
Gloucester Choral Society Anthony Gowing organist
Alwyn Mellor soprano James Gilchrist tenor Stephan Loges bass baritone with The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Gloucester Choral Society Adrian Partington conductor
Gloucester Choral Society Bristol Choral Society Adrian Partington conductor Once again we join Bristol Choral Society in a major collaboration, as part of a festival to celebrate the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth. The 1962 premiere of this work at the re-dedication of Coventry Cathedral, itself badly damaged during the Second World War, was one of the major musical events of the second half of the twentieth century. It has not lost any of its impact or relevance in the following fifty years. Wilfred Owen’s harrowing war poetry, juxtaposed with the text from the Latin Requiem Mass, serves as a grim reminder that 2013 marks 99 years since the start of the First World War. We offer the performances as our memorial to a great British composer and to the victims of war everywhere.
Messiah has become a Christmas tradition, especially for us. It remains the most popular oratorio in the choral repertoire, a masterpiece of invention and depth. The drama unfolds in three acts; Act one is nimble, rousing and calls for impeccable control. Act two features the famously spectacular Halleluiah Chorus (cue thunderous applause), and the whole brilliant edifice closes with Act three, a gloriously over-the-top composition for orchestra and choir, full of shifting tempos, counterpoint and fugues. Exquisite.
Adrian Partington conductor Boxing Day wouldn’t be complete without this firm festive favourite. Join us for our famous mix of traditional carols and seasonal choral pieces. Admission is free but each year we support a local charity. This year we will be collecting for Cotswold Care, a Gloucestershire charity providing specialist hospice care.
Free
£25, £20, £15, £10, £7.50
Samantha Hay
Harriet Goodwin
Tristan Stocks
Dominic Sedgwick
£30, £25, £17.50, £12, £7.50
Handel is the greatest composer that ever lived Beethoven
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Saturday 3 May • 7pm A tribute to those who fought and those who kept the home fires burning 1914 - 1918
Saturday 22 March • 7pm Hye-Youn Lee soprano Andrew Goodwin tenor tbc mezzo soprano tbc bass Emma Johnson clarinet with Regency Sinfonia Adrian Partington conductor A feast of spine-tingling, sumptuous Mozart to usher in the Spring.
Te Deum – immerse yourself in this extraordinary appeal to the soul. A piece of pure choral joy; full of Mozart’s characteristic verve and melodic brilliance. The Clarinet Concerto – written at the end of his remarkable life and redolent with musical lyricism. World-renowned clarinettist Emma Johnson brings vitality and eloquence to this delicious concerto. Sensitive to every nuance of phrasing, her clarinet will sing and we guarantee you’ll be enchanted.
£30, £25, £17.50, £12, £7.50
Photo: Tim Kavanagh
His celebratory and awe-inspiring Great Mass in C Minor, composed at the tender age of 22, is full of light and shade, arabesques and ornament – centred around the formidable drama of the Kyrie.
Hye-Youn Lee
Emma Johnson
For the centenary of WWI, we celebrate the tenacity of the human spirit with the words of Gloucestershire war poets Ivor Gurney and FW Harvey, the soaring eloquence of Vaughan Williams’ Lark Ascending, and the solemnity of For The Fallen from Elgar’s majestic Spirit of England. In true wartime spirit we encourage you to join us in singing the classics that kept Great Britain going. Together we’ll discover It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, we’ll Keep the Home Fires Burning and we’ll shed a tear because Roses are Shining in Picardy. ‘I have done five of the most delightful and beautiful songs you ever cast your beaming eyes on. They are all Elizabethan - the words - and blister my kidneys, bisurate my magnesia if the music is not as English, as joyful, as tender as any lyric of all that noble host...’
Lucy Hall soprano David Stout bass Alan Barker narrator Hannah Roper violinist Eluned Pierce harp with Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra Adrian Partington conductor
Lucy Hall
Hannah Roper
David Stout
Alan Barker
Ivor Gurney Sponsored by Zyex
£25, £20, £15, £10, £7.50 They went with songs to the battle, They were so young… Andrew Goodwin
3 Box Office: 01242 691190
Emma Johnson has realised what lies at the heart of music making when it is at its best: she does not just perform but uses the music to communicate something wonderful.
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Booking Information Booking tickets for any of our concerts is easy. You can even choose your seat!
Directed by Adrian Partington 9.30am (registration) 10am start The Chapter House, Gloucester Cathedral £10: includes music hire on the day and refreshments
These informal sessions are a great way to spend your Saturday. If you’re a keen singer (you don’t have to be a member of GCS) come along, warm up those vocal cords and join in.
Sat 5 October Sat 25 January Sat 21 June
Duruflé: Requiem Elgar: The Kingdom Beethoven: Mass in C
We’ve been asked to sing at a variety of events over the past year – and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. We’d like to do some more. If you are organising an event, be it a corporate dinner, a wedding, a funeral or even a special birthday or anniversary, and you’d like something a little bit different – then we may be exactly what you’re looking for. Contact us for availability and costs on hirethechoir@gloucesterchoral.com
Find full details about the music for each session in advance on the website. Pay on the day (under 25s FREE)
Each year our Patrons and Friends offer invaluable support and we’d like to invite you to join them. Without you we couldn’t work with such wonderful soloists and musicians; so thank you to all our Patrons & Friends for a truly brilliant new season. Patrons To become a GCS Patron costs just £100 per year or £250 for Corporate Patrons Friends To become a GCS Friend costs £25 per year or £40 for a couple. In return for your support we offer plenty of tempting benefits, including discounts and priority booking. To find out more see the website or contact us on: patronsandfriends@gloucesterchoral.com
Choral singing is great for building confidence and skill. As a Young Singer, you’ll enjoy free tuition and guidance from singing teacher, Russell Burton. You’ll also have the chance to compete for both the Ken Fox Prize and the Frances Henson Cup.
Berlioz: Grande Messe des Morts Thurs 25 Sept 2014 Royal Festival Hall, London Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen Being part of GCS has given me some of the most lasting and worthwhile friendships I have known. 5 Box Office: 01242 691190
Sat 22 Nov 2014 Gloucester Cathedral Conductor: Adrian Partington Both concerts with the Philharmonia Orchestra
If you are aged between 14 and 18 contact Sally Scanlon on 01242 576471, or email youngsingers@gloucesterchoral.com We’d love to hear from you.
Keep in touch
Join the mailing list via our website: www.gloucesterchoral.com GCS is a registered charity (No: 900118)
How to Book: at the Everyman By phone: 01242 691190 In person: at the Everyman Theatre, Regent Street, Cheltenham. Online: at www.gloucesterchoral.com By post: send a cheque payable to ‘Everyman Theatre’ to Box Office, Everyman Theatre, Regent Street, Cheltenham, Glos GL50 1HQ. Please make sure you note which concerts you are booking for, where you would like to sit and your phone number. Don’t forget to add £1 to your booking for postage.
Box Office Opening Hours 9.30am until 8pm Monday to Saturday
Discounts: Patrons 10% off, Friends 5% off on all tickets in front, mid and rear nave. Group Discount: £3 off full price tickets in mid and rear nave only, for groups of 10 or more. Free seat for group organiser. Subject to availability. Bookings by phone only on 01242 691190.
Concessions: We offer a concession for young people under 16 - in the nave only.
Reservations: We can reserve your tickets for you, without payment, for three working days.
Ticket Collection Tickets can be collected from the Everyman Box Office until noon on the day before a performance, then at the Cathedral from 30mins before the performance.
Refunds/Exchanges: We do not refund tickets (unless a concert is cancelled) so please check carefully when booking. If a concert is sold out we will offer to resell your tickets: however, we can offer no guarantee of sale. There is a fee of £2 per ticket on all resales.
Changes: This brochure is correct at time of printing. GCS reserve the right to make alterations to the programme if the need arises.
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Seating Plan PERFORMANCE AREA
SCREEN
XA
Please note: Ancient buildings sometimes need restoration and seating arrangements in the aisles can change.
Front Nave (rows XA – T) Mid Nave (U – W) Rear Nave (AA – JJ) North Aisle (with screen) restricted view unreserved seating South Aisle restricted view unreserved seating
en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/Gloucester will show you all the car parks in the City
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With thanks to our Associate Sponsor
Cathedral images courtesy of Paul Saunders Marketing Consultants: felicitas 07989 936270 Design: ps graphics 01905 355655