| NEXT CONCERT VOICES AND BRASS Saturday, July 10, 2010 7.30pm with BLUESTONE BRASS Music by Rutter, Parry, Chilcot, Bruckner, Gabrieli Catherine Hare (flute) Philip Howells (marimba) |  |
Programme
John Rutter Gloria
Bob Chilcott Jubilate
Parry I Was Glad
Bruckner Ecce sacerdos magnus, who scored this piece for 3 trombones and organ
Gabrieli O Magnum Mysterium - Gabrieli's double choir scoring will be specially re-arranged for this performance by music director Alexander Mason, who has scored the second choir part for the brass ensemble.
John Rutter's fabulous Gloria is rises to a huge crescendo from sections of the utmost subtlety. The choir is accompanied by 4 trumpets, 2 tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timps and percussion, organ - a jaw-dropping sound which must be experienced!
Jubilate, by Bob Chilcott, a member of the Kings Singers as well as composer contains some finger-snapping syncopation, and a text which drives home a spiritual message.
I Was Glad was written in 1902 by Sir Hubert Parry, and also used as an anthem at the coronation of British monarchs. The text of the anthem consists of verses from Psalm 122.
Most of the content of the psalm is a prayer for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem, and its use in the coronation service clearly draws a parallel between Jerusalem and the United Kingdom, as William Blake had in his poem Jerusalem.
Parry's version was written for the coronation of King Edward VII and revised in 1911 for that of King George V, when the familiar introduction was added. This setting employs antiphonal choir effects and brass fanfares.
Between 1884-87 Anton Bruckner was absorbed in his immense Eighth Symphony, and had little time to compose much else, but the few works which were created at that time were filled with imagination and verve, and Ecce Sacerdos Magnus is the most arresting of these pieces. From its very opening, impassioned in utterance and almost barbaric in its opulence, it is a vital, almost militant, assertion of Faith.
Giavanni Gabrieli (1554-1612) was organist and choirmaster at St Mark's Basilica from 1585-1612, and composed many church motets in the 'cori spezzati' style. The complexity of the basilica allowed him to place musical ensembles in different positions which provided the challenge of composing works that integrated these interwoven parts, and in this unique performance, arranged by Alexander Mason, Cathedral organist and choir master, the choir is similarly interwoven with all the elements of the brass ensemble - an interpretation ideally suited to the acoustics and resonance of St Davids Cathedral.
Tickets: Seats £10 in the nave, and £7 in side aisles
Available: Order now by telephone 01834 842291 Your tickets will be posted
Among the pieces she will be playing in Voices with Brass in St Davids Cathedral
is 'In Ireland', composed by Hamilton Harty.
Flautist Catherine Hare joins The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain this year, and will be playing in the BBC Proms season at the Royal Albert Hall.
Catherine's career has seamlessly progressed from her time at Greenhill School, Tenby. The Saundersfoot musician was principal flute of both The National Youth Orchestra and National Wind Orchestra of Wales at the age of 15, and prior to this was selected and played with the The National Children’s Orchestra. She is presently a pupil at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester.
Percussionist Philip Howells
CONCERT REVIEWS
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Christmas Music All Saints Llanelli Sat Dec 12
The Dyfed Choir's Christmas Concert is a well known musical event in West Wales, which in 2009, was performed in All Saints Church, Llanelli. This huge church dates from 1874, was enlarged in 1888, and is an excellent venue for concerts.The programme involved musicians from two local schools, Ysgol y Castell Kidwelly, and Lakefield Primary in Llanelli.
The Choir performed two main works - the Messe de Minuit by Charpentier, and Vaughan Williams 'Fantasia on Christmas Carols', with soloists from the choir. In addition the Choir sang a selection of carols including William Matthias's A Babe is Born, Suo Gan, and John Rutter's arrangement of Sans Day Carol. Together with popular congregational carols, the Dyfed Choir's Music for Christmas in Llanelli provided a musical launching pad of cheer for the season, an evening of warmth and good will.
Rachmaninov Vespers St Davids Cathedral Sat Oct 17 2009
Musicians from Russia have certainly been wowing Welsh audiences. This month the Marinsky Orchestra and Choir produced an outstanding performance of Verdi's Requiem in the Millenium Centre, with Bryn Terfel singing the bass part, and last Saturday Pembrokeshire was not to be outshone, as the Russian ensemble Voskresenije, together with the Dyfed Choir did a blinding performance of Sergei Rachmaninov's Vespers in St Davids Cathedral.
The St Davids concert had a certain edge, as the conductor and director for the occasion, Jurij Maruk, speaks very limited english. Moreover, Rachmaninov's music is highly fluid, with dramatic changes of tempo and dynamic volume in the space of a few notes, all which requires the chorus to follow the conductor's every inflection.
The packed Cathedral audience were 'warmed up' in the first half with solos from each of the eight singing guests, all who live, perform and study in St Petersburg. Each accompanied by piano, gave really outstanding performances. For some in the audience the prize went to Andrey Drosha, the tenor, others preferred the contralto Jana Volkonskaya, while Anatoly Artimanov the basso profundo was always the winner in many eyes.
They were then to hear the results of adding the powerful Dyfed Choir singers to the scene. The fifteen part Vespers is performed unaccompanied, and conductor Jurij confined his tonal direction to a quick ping of a tuning fork on the hand and a discreet hum for each part. Rachmaninov revels in pushing the bass note to subterranean depths, and the Dyfed bassers, reinforced by Artimanov, produced a rumble of extraordinary proportions.
Crucial to the success of the evening was the Russian interpreter Luda Lewis from Templeton, who linked conductor with choir in both two rehearsals.
Next St Davids performance is Bach's St John Passion on March 27, 2010.
| Russian interpreter Luda, Voskresenije conductor Jurij and Anne George, who masterminded the concert, discuss details prior to the outstanding performance |  |
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Past programmes
2009
October 17 Concert with Voskresenije from St Petersburg St Davids Cathedral Rachmaninov Vespers
July 11 Summer Concert St Davids Cathedral
Handel 'Chandos Anthems'
Haydn 'Nelson Mass'
June 27 Grand Midsummer Music Gala The Torch Theatre, Milford Haven
Opera Chorusus with Teifi Chamber Orchestra and young award winning musicians
April 4 Easter Concert - St Peter's Church, Goodwick
Four Centuries of European Easter Music
2008
Dec 13 Christmas Concert St Davids Cathedral 7:30pm Handel MessiahOct 18 40th Anniversary Singfest Blaenconin Chapel/Nantyffin Motel 3:30 pm
| J S BACH St John Passion |  Alexander Mason conducts the Menevia Consort, leader Barry Haskey, with the Dyfed Choir, in the afternoon session |
Bach's St John Passion is a work that builds to the climax of the crucifixion, and the performance on Saturday given by the Dyfed Choir made this a pin-drop moment in St Davids Cathedral. The conductor, Alexander Mason, who is also Master of the Choristers at St Davids, created a solemn and powerful rendering of this major choral work. His choice of soloists, which included the superb tenor John McMunn singing the Evangelist, provided yet another concert under his direction which invites the superlative.
The fifteen strong Menevia Consort, led by Barry Haskey, have been involved with the Dyfed Choir for 25 and more years. There's confidence on both sides, which brings out the best from all musicians. The flute accompaniment to soprano Siona Stockel was just one of a number of moments where the meaning and texture were truly visible.
The Choir invested considerable time and funds in staging this major performance and the results, in terms of the appreciation by the considerable audience present, certainly paid off. These events always require a great deal of management and a modicum of luck. There is not much time for the various participants - director, orchestra, choir and five soloists - to gel, and the contribution of the Cathedral staff themselves, including the Dean, Jonathan Lean, who himself sang with the Choir for many years, is another vital factor.
For more than 40 years, under the direction of some half dozen music directors, the Dyfed Choir has produced some outstanding performances, and this Easter Passion concert can be numbered among them. The Choir meets once a week, in Narberth, come from all parts of West Wales, with the purpose of creating top quality music in about six concerts a year. The next, again in St Davids Cathedral, is on Sat July 10. The Choir will be singing music by Rutter, Parry and Chilcot. Bluestone Brass will perform, as will the award winning young musicians of Pembrokeshire. All information, including details of joining as a chorister or a patron, is on www.dyfedchoir.co.uk
| The Menevia Consort, leader Barry Haskey Siona Stockel soprano Stephen Harvey counter-tenor John McMunn tenor EVANGELIST Dyfed Wyn Evans bass CHRISTUS Philip Tebb bass PILATE Directed by Alexander Mason FRCO |