Guildford Borough Council
Concerts 1976/77
Guildford Borough Council Concerts
1976/77
Jane Manning
CIVIC HALL — GUILDFORD
most outstanding singers in the contemporary
SATURDAY 7 MAY 1977
at 7.45 p.m.
from the Composers Guild of Great Britain
Jane Manning has been hailed as one of the
music world. Since receiving a Special Award
in December 1973 for her services to new
music, she has enjoyed increasing success and
international recognition.
Guildford
Philharmonic
Orchestra
Leader:
John Ludlow
Jane Manning has appeared with many of the
world’s leading symphony orchestras,
including the Israel Philharmonic, Spanish
' National, London Philharmonic, New
Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic and
Scottish National. In the summer of 1975 she
appeared in no less than five Henry Wood
Promenade Concerts. She has made over
200 BBC broadcasts, ranging from light
music to Invitation Concerts, and nine
records, mainly for Decca and Argo.
Her interests are by no means confined to
contemporary music. She recently made her
operatic debut in the title role of the eight-
eenth century opera ‘Rosina’ at the York
Festival. She gives recitals all over the
country and has several complete programmes
for solo voice and tape, including Milton
PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
JANE MANNING
HELEN ATTFIELD
NIGEL ROGERS
MALCOLM KING
VERNON HANDLEY
Babbitt’s major work ‘Philomel’ and pieces
written for her by British composers such as
Richard Rodney Bennett and David Rowland.
She performed with Nigel Rogers Taverner’s
‘Cain and Abel’ in the 1976 York Festival —
conducted by Vernon Handley. She appeared
in a performance of Elgar’s The Apostles with
the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra and
Choir, conducted by Vernon Handley in 1972.
Helen Attfield
Helen Attfield was born in Leicestershire and
studied at the Royal Academy of Music
where she gained many awards. In 1970 she
was a prizewinner at the s’Hertogenbosch
International Vocal Concours in Holland,
runner up in the N.F.M.S. award and won the
Royal Amateur Orchestral Society Bronze
Medal.
Miss Attfield has sung with Welsh National
Opera, English Opera Group and now
performs regularly with the English National
Opera.
In addition to appearances at the Royal
Festival Hall with the New Philharmonia
This concert is promoted by Guildford Borough
Orchestra, Queen Elizabeth Hall with the
Council with financial support from the South
Handel Opera Society and City of London
East Arts Association.
Choir and at such festivals as Aldeburgh,
Cheltenham, Bath and Fishguard, Helen
Attfield has sung with many Societies
throughout the country. She is becoming
wellknown for her interpretations, particularly of Handel, Elgar and Verdi.
Philharmonic Choir
The Philharmonic Choir is the larger of the
two choirs under the conductorship of the
Musical Director, who acknowledges with
thanks the help he has received in training
the choir from Kenneth Lank and Mary
Nigel Rogers
Nigel Rogers was a choral scholar at Kings
College, Cambridge. After taking his degree,
he went to Italy to continue his singing
studies and later studied in Germany. His
professional fulltime singing career began in
1961 when he helped form the Studio der
Frithen Musik in Munich, with which group
he toured and recorded until 1964. During
the past few years Nigel Rogers’ reputation
as one of the principal exponents of
Renaissance and Baroque music has
developed to place him as the world’s most
recorded artist in the field of Italian Baroque
music. Particularly notable was the recent
recording of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo on which
he sings the title role which won the Grand
Prix du Disque. Nigel Rogers appeared last
season in operatic roles in Holland and this
year will sing in Warsaw and at the Gottingden Handel Festival.
Next year he will once again tour Canada and
the U.S.A. with Colin Tilney and will perform in Rome later in this season.
Nigel Rogers appeared in Guildford in a
performance of Handel’s Messiah in 1969,
and with Jane Manning in Taverner’s ‘Cain
and Abel’ in the 1976 York Festival, conducted by Vernon Handley.
Rivers, and accompanists Patricia Finch and
Prudence Smith. The Choir made its first
recording in 1973 with the Guildford
Philharmonic Orchestra: Intimations of
Immortality by Gerald Finzi, and in 1976
recorded Hadley’s “The Trees So High” with
the New Philharmonia Orchestra.
Vernon Handley
Vernon Handley was born in Enfield, North
London, and studied at Balliol College,
Oxford, and the Guildhall School of Music
and Drama. He is now one of the busiest
British Conductors working regularly with all
the major London and regional orchestras.
Recognised as one of the major champions
of British music, Vernon Handley is frequently entrusted with the world premiere of new
works.
In the last couple of years he has made a
dozen recordings for four different com-
panies, the repertoire ranging from Finzi,
Vaughan Williams, and Tippett to Tchaikovsky, Faure and Saint-Sa€ns, a record of
music by the latter composer with Pierre
Amoyal as soloist gaining a Grand Prix du
Disque award.
Since 1962 he has been Musical Director to
the Municipality of Guildford where he has
developed the Guildford Philharmonic into a
professional body of major importance and
Malcolm King
In the current season, British bass Malcolm
King has commitments in every major opera
company in Britain, and will make his debut
at the Paris Opera early next year.
After graduating from Oxford with a BA in
English, Malcolm King started his career as a
baritone with Sadler’s Wells Opera. In 1967
he joined Scottish Opera. He went to Rome
in 1968 on a Leverhulme Scholarship, and
the following year won an Italian Government Scholarship for Master Classes in
conducts the Proteus Choir with singers all
aged under 30, as well as the larger
Philharmonic Choir. He has made several
records with both the orchestra and choirs.
In 1974 the Composer’s Guild of Great
Britain named him ‘“Conductor of the Year”
for his services to British music. He is a
Fellow of the Royal College of Music and
has received Awards from the Classics Club
Patron of Music Fund, the Cabot Foundation
and the Arnold Bax Memorial Medal for
Conducting.
In spite of his crowded schedule, Vernon
Siena. In 1973, while studying with Otakar
Handley still manages to escape to his
Kraus, he changed to singing bass roles. Since
Gloucestershire home for a period of every
then his engagements have included two
seasons with the English Opera Group, and
several appearances at the Camden Festival.
year to work on enlarging his already
immense repertoire and to follow his keen
interest in ornithology.
Guildford Borough Council acknowledges
Elgar also uses the plainsong “O Sacrum
with thanks the help it has received from the
Convivium”. This is heard during the Prelude,
Philharmonic Society and members of the
and again near the opening of the work, just
Proteus and Philharmonic Choirs for their
services as programme sellers and stewards
after the Choir words ““and peace be to thine
helper”. It reappears, appropriately during
throughout the season, and also the members
the final scene (the Breaking of Bread).
of the Red Cross Society for their attendance
at all the concerts.
In Part III Peter introduces a phrase which is
almost a quintessence of Elgar’s music, with
a characteristic drop of a seventh, to the
words, ‘“In the Name of Jesus Christ”. This
The Kingdom
Elgar 1857—-1934
The Kingdom was first performed at the
Birmingham Festival in October, 1906.
The setting is Jerusalem, and many of the
scenes come from the early Chapters of The
Acts of the Apostles. The presence of the
recently departed Christ is very real to the
Disciples and the Holy Women, represented
by the Chorus. We witness the choosing of
Matthias to be numbered with the eleven
Apostles: we hear Mary and Mary Magdalene
sing of the healing power of Christ: we see
the tongues of the fire on the day of
Pentecost: Peter, with unaccustomed
eloquence, finds himself able to explain to
the people how they share the guilt of the
Crucifixion, and calls on them to repent: the
lame man is healed: the rulers come to arrest
John and Peter, and Mary sings her beautiful
is at the same time simple, memorable and
moving.
There are many other musical points to
listen for: the rushing mighty wind of
Pentecost, with the great strides of ‘“He who
walketh upon the wings of the wind’’: the
calming moment when Peter answers the
anxious question, “Men and brethren, what
shall we do?”” with the words, “Repent, and
be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ’’, and
the magnificent choral climax which follows:
the hint of marching feet in the orchestra at
the arrest, and whenever the rulers are
mentioned later: the words, ‘““The Kingdom
and the patience’ in Mary’s soliloquy: the
opening of Part V where ‘“The stone which
the builders rejected is become the Head of
the corner’: and finally, the last few bars,
already heard in the Prelude, ‘“Thou, O Lord,
art our Father, and we are Thine”.
soliloquy, “The sun goeth down”’ (with its
Many admirers of Elgar’s music regard this
accompanying violin solo, this contains some
work as in no way secondary to “The Dream
of the most beautiful and eloquent pages
it brings a great sense of involvement. Where-
which Elgar ever wrote). The final section of
as we watch Gerontius on his journey, in
the work, headed ‘““In Fellowship”’, tells of
“The Kingdom” we participate with the
of Gerontius” or “The Apostles”. Certainly
the release of John and Peter, and of the
Disciples and the Holy Women. At the final
Breaking of Bread in remembrance of Christ.
words, ‘““So may Thy Church be gathered
The work is full of tunes, associated with
ideas or people, and appearing in one form or
another when these are mentioned in the
text. Elgar used a number of the same tunes
in his oratorio, “The Apostles’”. There is space
to note only a few of them, and to mention
together from the bounds of the earth into
Thy Kingdom”, everyone, whether singer,
player or listener, finds himself taking part.
This remarkable involvement of all concerned is one of the signs of the greatness of
this work.
Note by William Llewellyn
some of the outstanding moments in the work.
In the Prelude, which is composed of material
to be heard again later, we hear, after the
initial surging, a calmer section leading to a
slow tune, which is used frequently by Peter
when he sings about God. It is sequential,
The Blessed Virgin
Jane Manning
Mary Magdalene
St. John
St. Peter
Helen Attfield
Nigel Rogers
Malcolm King
PRELUDE
and each bar contains a triplet. Peter sings it
in Part III at the words, “It shall come to
pass in the last days, saith God”’, and it is
heard finally, orchestrally, during the climax
at the end of this section, “Whom the God of
our fathers hath glorified”.
1.—IN THE UPPER ROOM
Chorus (The Disciples and the Holy Women)
Seek first the Kingdom
Recit. (Peter)
Peace be multiplied unto you
Chorus (The Disciples and the Holy Women)
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus
Solo (John)
He, Who walketh upon the wings of the wind
Recit. (Peter)
He took bread
Chorus (The People)
What meaneth this?
The true Vine
Tutti
He, Whose ministers are flaming fire
Chorus (The People)
With stammering lips
Chorus (The Disciples and the Holy Women)
Let them give thanks whom the Lord hath
redeemed
Recit. (Peter)
Men and brethren
Chorus (The Disciples and the Holy Women)
Let his habitation be desolate
Recit. (Peter)
Wherefore of these men which have
companied with us
Chorus (The Disciples)
Thou, Lord, Which knowest the hearts of all
men
They gave forth their lots
Soli
The Lord hath chosen
Chorus
Solo (Peter)
Recit. (Peter)
“I have prayed for thee, that they faith fail not”
Solo
Ye men of Judaea
Chorus (The People)
(His blood be on us)
Solo, Contralto
(Daughters of Jerusalem)
Chorus (The People)
Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Solo (Peter)
Repent, and be baptized
Chorus (The People)
In the Name of Jesus Christ
Tutti (Soli and Chorus)
The First-Fruits
O ye priests!
INTERVAL
II.—AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE
The Morn of Pentecost
IV.—THE SIGN OF HEALING
At the Beautiful Gate
Solo (Mary)
The singers are before the altar; they make
sweet melody
Solo (Mary Magdalene)
This man, lame from his mother’s womb
Solo (Mary)
The blind and the lame came to Jesus
Solo (Mary Magdalene)
The service of the Lord is prepared
[II.—PENTECOST
In the Upper Room
Recit. Tenor
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come
Chorus (The Disciples)
When the great Lord will
Mystic Chorus (Sopranos and Contraltos)
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon them
Solo (John)
When the Comforter is come
Solo (Peter)
And speak as moved by the Holy Spirit
Mystic Chorus
I will pour forth of my Spirit
Recit., Contralto
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound
Chorus (The Disciples)
He, Who walketh upon the wings of the wind
Mystic Chorus
( The Lord put forth His hand)
Recit., Contralto
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem
In Solomon’s Porch
Chorus (The People)
Behold, are not all these
Recit., Contralto
Then they that gladly received his word
Recit., Contralto
The man that was lame, at the Beautiful Gate
Solo (Peter)
Look on us
Chorus (The People)
This is he which sat for alms
Solo (Peter)
Ye men of Israel
Solo (John)
Unto you that fear His Name
Duet (Peter and John)
Turn ye again, that your sins may be blotted out
The Arrest
Recit., Contralto
And as they spake
Recit., Contralto
It was now eventide
Solo (Mary)
The sun goeth down
V.—THE UPPER ROOM
In Fellowship
Chorus (The Disciples and the Holy Women)
The voice of joy
Recit. (John)
The rulers asked
Chorus (The Disciples and the Holy Women)
In none other is there salvation
Recit. (Peter)
And when they took knowledge of us
Recit. (John)
Finding nothing how they might punish us
Chorus (The Disciples and the Holy Women)
Lord, Thou didst make the heaven
The Breaking of Bread
Chorus (The Disciples and the Holy Women)
Thou, Almighty Lord
Recit. (Peter)
If any is holy;
Chorus (The Disciples)
Let him come
Recit. (John)
Give thanks; first for the Cup
Chorus (The Disciples and the Holy Women)
We thank Thee
Tutti
Contra Bassoon
Stephen Maw
Tuba
John Elliott
Horns
Peter Clack
Dennis Scard
Timpani
Roger Blair
H
Douglas Murlis
Percussion
John Jeffery
David Stirling
Stephen Lees
Charles Bloomfield
George Woodcock
Trumpets
Simon Ferguson
Richard Kauffman
Edgar Riches
Trombones
Trevor Herbert
As this Broken Bread was grain scattered upon
the mountains
The Prayers
Geraldine O’Reilly
I e Pri
e
Concerts Manager
Kathleen Atkins
Bass Trombone
Robin Turner
Tutti
Our Father
Solo (John)
SATURDAY 4 JUNE at 7.45 p.m.
GALA SILVER JUBILEE CONCERT —
CIVIC HALL
Ye have received
Tutti
Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Director of Music/ Vernon Handley
First Violins
Leader: John Ludlow
Barry Haskey
Christopher Bearman
Patricia Cassidy
Hywell Davies
Bridget Hirst
Kate Jacobs
Nigel Keatley
Keith Lewis
Peter Maslin
Susan Penfold
David Towse
Nina Whitehurst
Second Violins
Keith Gurry
Rosemary Roberts
Marie Louise Amberg
Constance Ames
Avril Carmalt
Cynthia Dunn
Ruth Dawson
John Forster
John Gralak
David Greed
Ronald Tendler
Violas
Stephen Broom
William Hallett
Katharine Burgess
Robert Duncan
Martin Turnlund
Rosemary Sanderson
Leonard Lock
Cellos
Eldon Fox
Jack Holmes
John Stilwell
John Franca
Pauline Sadgrove
Christina Macrae
Gwen Cassidy
Basses
Leroy Cowie
Douglas Lees
Anthony Moore
Andrew Baker
Charles Cudmore
God Save The Queen arr. Bliss
Zadok the Priest — Handel
Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat (‘Emperor’) —
Beethoven
Festival Te Deum — Holst
A London Symphony — Vaughan Williams
John Lill
Philharmonic Choir
Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra
Vernon Handley
Tickets on sale tonight in the foyer during
the interval.
Flutes
Henry Messent
Celia Chambers
Piccolo
Christopher Nicholls
Oboes
James Brown
Moyra Montagu
Sara Barrington
SOUTH EAST MUSIC TRUST
SPRING DRAW
Tickets for this event will be on sale before
tonight’s concert and during the interval.
The Trust is registered as a charity and needs
funds in order to support the Orchestra in its
role as the Orchestra of the South East.
Clarinets
Pauline Drain
Guildford audiences will benefit from the
even higher standard of playing that will be
realised by the extension of the Orchestra’s
Leslie Walklin
activities in the South East, and the Trust
Bass Clarinet
Gordon Lewin
Bassoons
Robert Jordan
Anna Meadows
hopes that tonight’s audience will support
the draw and buy as many tickets as
possible.
DRAW WILL TAKE PLACE
AT
PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY PARTY
AFTER TONIGHT’S CONCERT.