GUILDFORD
PHILHARMONIC
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Both of our organisations have hard-won reputations for
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Philharmonic Orchestra every success tonight, and
throughout this, its 53 season.
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All concerts in the current season are funded by
S proan
The orchestra is grateful to South East Music Trust
Major corporate sponsors in the 2000/2001 season:
BOC Gases, Borax Europe Ltd, Daniels Holt, The Guildford Nuffield
Hospital, Hart Brown Solicitors, Roffe Swayne
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Programmes Notes
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897)
By the time Brahms was twenty, the influential Robert Schumann had
publicly said of him: ‘I thought that sooner or later someone would and
must appear, destined to give the ideal expression to the spirit of the times.
And he has finally come, a young blood in whose cradle Graces and Heroes
kept watch. His name is Johannes Brahms.’
Such early fame - the eulogy was published in a national journal - put an
enormous pressure on the young composer, but this grew to yet greater
proportions when his friend and supporter died in 1856 at the age of just
forty-six. Already Brahms found himself thrust into the very centre of
German musical life with its great creative traditions, and one perfectly
understandable result was that he became apprehensive about presenting
major works before the public.
As his career developed, the achievement of Brahms was such that,
established in the leading musical city of Vienna, he became exactly that
central figure as predicted by Schumann, maintaining at the same time a
close friendship with Schumann’s widow Clara.
No other composer so
clearly continued the line of the German tradition after Beethoven; and
the highly self-critical Brahms destroyed those scores which did not wholly
satisfy him, with the result that the description ‘masterpiece’ applies to
practically all his compositions.
Throughout his life Brahms remained faithful to the classical principles
of musical logic: to the sonata principle, passacaglia and variation form,
for example. He found no interest in programme music, and felt no need
to extend the orchestra with the addition of new colours or sheer weight
of tone.
Rather he preferred to take inspiration from German folksong
and closely logical development procedures; for he was a perfectionist,
as expressed in his own words: ‘Go over your music again and again until
there is not a bar you could improve upon.’
Ein Deutsches Requiem, opus 45
ioAt
Selig sind, die da Lied tragen (Chorus)
Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras (Chorus)
Herr, lehre doch mich (Baritone & Chorus)
Wie lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen (Chorus)
Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit (Soprano & Chorus)
Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt (Baritone & Chorus)
Selig sind die Toten (Chorus)
Born and brought up in Hamburg, Brahms was a product of North German
Protestantism. His early struggles to make his way in the world gave him
great independence of mind, and as a creative artist the question of life’s
meaning and the possibility of an afterlife never ceased to absorb him.
He found little consolation in religious faith, however; rather his returning
theme was that of consolation for loss among the living, in the anticipation
of the darkness to follow.
It is in this context that we should approach his setting of the Requiem,
music based on the Holy Scriptures, whose outlook is summarised by the
words from The Beatitudes (Matthew V.4) which are set in the opening
movement: Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Brahms developed his ideas for the work over a ten year period, following
the death in 1856 of his friend and mentor Robert Schumann.
Certainly
some of the music of the Requiem dates from earlier years, whereas the
fifth movement, with its words of consolation from the Book of Isaiah,
was added in 1868, following the death of Brahms’s mother.
The composer confirmed that he had used the Lutheran Bible as his
principal source, and thus was content to describe the work as a German
Requiem:
°‘As far as the text is concerned, I confess that I would gladly
omit even the word German and instead put in human; also with my best
knowledge and will I would dispense with places like John II1.16: For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. On the other
hand, I have chosen one thing or another because I am a musician, and
because with my venerable authors I cannot delete or dispute anything.’
Another important factor is Brahms’s veneration for earlier German music,
and in particular Bach and Schiitz, composers he greatly admired.
Yet
although these masters had been closely involved in writing music for
the church, the Requiem of Brahms does not follow their precedent in
being a liturgical work.
Rather it is a deeply personal and sensitive
response to human loss and the transience of life, and as such is one of
the most important religious compositions of the 19th century.
1. Selig sind, die da Lied tragen
The opening movement sets a comforting and an appropriately sombre
tone, the darkness of the music resulting particularly from the omission
of the violins.
Thus the orchestral sound gives a special focus to the
richness of the violas, while the cello section is divided, adding an extra
subtlety to the orchestral textures. The oboe offers a moment of special
beauty, its song-like phrase echoed by the chorus as if in meditation;
indeed, the vocal writing in this movement confirms Brahms’s mastery
as a song-writer.
2. Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras
Brahms here makes reference to the words and melody of a chorale by
Georg Neumark (1621-1681): Wer nir den lieben Gaott ldsst walten (If
thou but suffer God to guide thee).
Bach had been especially fond of
this, and used it in eight of his church cantatas as well as four organ
chorale preludes.
Brahms adapts the chorale theme immediately, using
the first two notes in the lower strings to embark upon the heavy tread of
a funeral march. Then a noble melody is introduced, which later appears
as a counterpoint to the principal theme sung by the chorus.
While the funeral march is the recurring feature of this extensive treatment,
there are contrasting features of great richness and variety. For example,
a tender episode offers consolation, but leads only to a stern reminder of
the brevity of human life. The ‘positive’ outlook returns, however, inspired
by the blissful inheritance offered by redemption. Now the music becomes
bright and confident, building towards an elated climax, until Brahms
closes this wonderful movement with a serene coda of acceptance.
3. Herr, lehre doch mich
The baritone introduces the third movement, searching for the individual’s
spiritual peace.
The prayer is taken from Psalm 39: Lord, make me to
know mine end. The orchestra adds a piercing theme which is like a cry
of pain, and in due course the chorus joins the solo line. Then the anguish
is swept away by a resounding double fugue: The souls of the righteous
are in the hands of God. Throughout the turbulent activity of this fugal
development, there runs a low pedal D, surely reflecting upon God’s
eternal steadfastness.
4.
Wie lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen
The choral fourth movement relieves these tensions.
T
The music gains
much from the subtlety of the woodwind writing, but the initial calm and
serenity prove to be only one dimension of this music, which has frequently
taken on a separate identity as a motet.
The brief central climax, for
example, attains a powerful intensity bordering on the ecstatic, while the
closing phrase anticipates the imagery of the sixth movement.
5. Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit
Once more the focus moves away from the general towards the personal.
The soprano solo leads the way in this movement which was a late addition
to the work, inspired by the death of the composer’s mother. The words,
taken from St John, Isaiah and Ecclesiasticus, share the common theme
of comfort for the bereaved. No wonder the music is the most tender in
the whole work.
6. Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt
The sixth movement, featuring the chorus with baritone soloist, ranges
widely in its imageries and confirms that there can be no easy solutions.
The brooding intensity of the opening section anticipates later
masterpieces, namely the Alto Rhapsody and the Four Serious Songs, until
the baritone solo brings a greater sense of purpose and belief.
In due
course this generates the full-toned choral response: Where is thy victory?
The great fugal development sets words from the Book of Revelation:
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power. Thus
does Brahms convey the sense of spiritual triumph, in a display of choral
counterpoint worthy of Handel.
7. Selig sind die Toten
The opening soprano line harks back to the conclusion of the first
movement, but now the purity of high violins adds a new dimension,
emphasised by Brahms’s ‘maestoso’ description. At the heart of this finale
lies an essential calmness and serenity, resulting in particular from the
oboe’s beautiful theme, while the last word sung by the chorus, selig
(blessed), echoes the very opening of the Requiem and
confirms the
attainment of everlasting peace.
At that time.
...
These were the years when the German Confederation (which comprised
all the long-established principalities and kingdoms), under the leadership
of Bismarck’s Prussia, moved on to unity after defeating first Austria and
then the France of Napoleon III.
In 1871 Wilhelm I was proclaimed
Emperor of Germany at Versailles.
The world of science saw several significant discoveries, including Alfred
Nobel’s patenting of dynamite, which would revolutionise the explosives
industry and the nature of warfare. The German Gustav Nachtigall became
the first European to explore the central Sahara, while in Egypt the Suez
Canal was nearing completion.
Among contemporary publications were Louisa M. Alcott’s Little Women,
Emil Zola ‘s Thérése Raquin and the first volume of Karl Marx’s Das
Kapital. In music, besides the completion of the German Requiem, 1868
was a particularly eventful year, with the founding of the Berlin
Philharmonic, the deaths of Berwald and Rossini, the premiere of Wagner’s
Die Meistersinger, and the composition of Bruch’s G minor Violin
Concerto and Grieg’s Piano Concerto.
© Terry Barfoot
Sherwoods
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Text and Translation
i) poco andante e con espressione
Selig sind, die da Leid tragen,
denn sie sollen getrostet werden.
werden mit Freuden ernten.
Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted.
They that sow in tears
shall reap in joy.
Sie gehen hin und weinen,
und tragen edlen Samen,
und kommen mit Freuden,
und bringen ihre Garben.
He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Die mit Tranen sien,
ii) moderato in modo di marcia
poco sostenuto - allegro non troppo
Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras
und alle Herrlichkeit des Menschen
wie des Grases Blumen.
Das Gras ist verdorret
und die Blume abgefallen.
All flesh is grass
and all the glory of man
as the flower of the grass.
The grass withereth,
the flower thereof falleth away.
So seid nun geduldig, lieben Briider,
bis auf die Zukunft des Herrn.
Siehe, ein Ackermann wartet
auf die kostliche Frucht der Erde,
und ist geduldig dariiber,
bis er empfahe
den Morgenregen
und Abendregen.
Be patient therefore, brethren,
unto the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth
for the precious fruit of the earth,
and hath long patience for it,
until he receive
the early
and latter rain.
Aber des Herrn Wort
bleibet in Ewigkeit.
Die Erloseten des Herrn
werden wiederkommen,
und gen Zion kommen mit Jauchzen;
Freude, ewige Freude wird tiber ithrem
Haupte sein;
Freude und Wonne werden sie ergreifen,
und Schmerz und Seufzen wird weg miissen.
But the word of the Lord
endureth for ever.
And the ransomed of the Lord
shall return,
and come to Zion with songs
and everlasting joy upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and singing shall flee away.
iii) andante moderato
Herr, lehre doch mich,
dass ein Ende mit mir haben muss,
und mein Leben ein Ziel hat,
und ich davon muss.
Siehe, meine Tage sind einer Handbreit
vor dir,
und mein Leben is wie nichts vor Dir.
Lord, make me to know
mine end, and the measure of my days,
what it is; that I may know
how frail I am.
Behold Thou hast made my days
as an handbreadth;
and mine age is as nothing before Thee.
Ach, wie gar nichts sind alle Menschen,
die doch so sicher leben.
Sie gehen daher wie ein Schemen,
und machen ihnen viel vergebliche Unruhe:
sie sammeln und wissen nicht,
wer es kriegen wird.
Nun, Herr, wes soll ich mich trésten?
Ich hoffe auf Dich.
Der Gerechten Seelen sind
Verily every man at his best state
is altogther vanity.
Surely every man walketh in a vain shew:
surely they are disquieted in vain:
he heapeth up riches,, and knoweth not
who shall gather them.
And now, Lord, what wait Ifor?
My hope is in Thee.
But the souls of the righteous are
in the hand of God,
and there shall no torment touch them.
in Gottes Hand,
und keine Qual riihret sie an.
iv) con moto moderato
Wie lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen,
How amiable are Thy tabernacles,
Meine Seele verlanget und sehnet sich
nach den Vorhofen des Herrn,
mein Leib und Seele freuen sich
in dem lebendigen Gott.
Wohl denen, die in Deinem Hause wohnen,
die loben Dich immerdar.
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth
for the courts of the Lord:
my heart and my flesh crieth out
Jor the living God.
Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house;
they will be still praising Thee.
Herr Zebaoth!
oh Lord of Hosts!
v) andante
Thr habt nun Traurigkeit;
aber ich will euch wieder sehen,
und euer Herz soll sich freuen,
und eure Freude soll niemand
von euch nehmen.
Ich will euch trésten,
wie einen seine Mutter trostet.
Sehet mich an:
ich habe eine kleine Zeit
Miihe und Arbeit gehabt
und habe grossen Trost funden.
And ye now therefore have sorrow:
but I will see you again,
and your heart shall rejoice,
and your joy no man
taketh from you.
As one whom his mother comforteth
so will I comfort you.
Behold with your eyes,
how that I laboured
but a little,
andfound for myself much rest.
vi) andante - vivace allegro
Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt,
sondern die zukiinftige suchen wir.
Siehe, ich sage euch ein Geheimnis:
wir werden nicht alle entschlafen,
wir werden aber alle verwandelt werden,;
und dasselbige plétzlich,
in einem Augenblick,
For here have we no continuing city;
but we seek one to come.
Behold, I shew you a mystery;
we shall not all sleep,
Denn es wird die Posaune schallen,
und die Toten werden auferstehen
unverweslich,
und wir werden verwandelt werden.
Dann wird erfiillet werden
das Wort, das geschrieben steht:
Der Tod ist verschlungen in den Sieg.
Tod, wo ist dein Stachel?
Holle, wo ist dein Sieg?
Herr, Du bist wiirdig zu nehmen
Preis und Ehre und Kraft,
denn Du hast alle Dinge erschaffen
und durch Deinen Willen
For the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised
zu der Zeit der letzten Posaune.
haben sie das Wesen
und sind geschaffen.
but we shall all be changed,
in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump.
incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
Then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written:
Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where sit thy victory?
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive,
glory and honour and power,
for Thou hast created all things,
and for Thy pleasure
they are
and were created.
vii) maestoso
Selig sind die Toten,
die in dem Herren sterben, von nun an.
Ja, der Geist spricht,
dass sie ruhen von ihrer Arbeit,
denn ihre Werke folgen ithnen nach.
Blessed are the dead,
which die in the Lord, from henceforth.
Yea, saith the Spirit,
that they may rest from their labours:
and their works do follow them.
David Hill - conductor
David Hill is Master of the Music at Winchester Cathedral, Music
Director of The Bach Choir and Director of the Waynflete Singers.
Born in Carlisle, he was educated at Chetham’s School, Manchester
and was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the
age of 17, winning five prizes. He went as Organ Scholar to St
John’s College, Cambridge, where he was assistant to Dr George
Guest and studied the organ with Gillian Weir and Peter Hurford.
David held the post of sub-organist at Durham Cathedral and in 1982 he became
Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral. He was appointed Organist and Master
of the Music at Winchester Cathedral in 1987 and has had great critical acclaim on
tour with the Cathedral Choir in the USA and Australia. He was Musical Director of
the Alexandra Choir from 1980-87 and in 1986 was appointed Associate Conductor
of the Philharmonia Chorus, later holding the post of Artistic Director until 1997. He
is frequently invited to direct choral workshops and summer schools, particularly in
Britain, USA and Australasia and his book on choir training Giving Voice was
published in 1996.
He has a broad-ranging discography recorded for Decca/Argo, Hyperion and Virgin
Classics conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Brandenburg Consort,
City of London Sinfonia, Parley of Instruments as well as the choirs of Westminster
and Winchester Cathedrals. His recordings have included the Rachmaninov Vespers
with the Philharmonia Chorus for Nimbus, Carmina Burana for Virgin, Zadok The
Priest and other Handel Coronation Anthems for Decca, and the Fauré Requiem for
Virgin with Nancy Argenta and Simon Keenlyside. He has conducted the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Waynflete Singers and the Winchester
Cathedral Choir in two Christmas concerts for television. He has recently recorded
Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for
Naxos, three volumes of Stanford choral works for Hyperion and Lux Aeterna, a
compilation of choral masterpieces for Virgin Classics. Awards for his recordings
include a 1997 Grammy as Chorus Master for Decca’s Belshazzar’s Feast.
He regularly appears with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, his engagements
having included Brahms’ Piano Concerto No 2 with Peter Donohoe, and more
recently Verdi’s Requiem and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Tavener’s The Protecting
Veil and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Tasmin Little. He has conducted
Mozart’s Requiem with the Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra De Porto in Lisbon;
Arvo Pirt’s Passio in the South Bank’s Emerging Light series; the Verdi Requiem
for the Southern Cathedrals Festival with The Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra;
Brahms and Mozart with the Ulster Orchestra; Bach with the Zagreb Philharmonic
Orchestra; Bach and Fasch with The English Chamber Orchestra and Messiah with
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He regularly directs the BBC Singers. Recent
concerts with The Bach Choir have included Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius and
Bach’s Mass in B minor.
His future plans include appearances with the BBC Singers, English Chamber
Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at The Proms. David Hill continues to record
for Virgin Classics and Hyperion Records.
Lynda Russell - soprano
Lynda studied at the Royal College of Music with Meriel St
Clair where she was awarded several prizes and scholarships
including the Oratoria and leading Singer s Prize. She went on
to win the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship and then
studied in Paris and Vienna with Eugenie Ludwig.
Lynda Russell has sung in many of the world’s leading opera houses, where her
roles have included Marcelline Fidelio in Madrid, Vicenza, Bologna and
Strassbourg, and the title role in Mozart’s Zaide in Vincenza and La Fenice,
Venice. In Britain, she has sung Queen of the Night Die Zauberflote, Adele Die
Fledermaus for Opera North, First Lady Die Zauberflote for the Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden and Marie La Fille du Regiment for Opera Northern
Ireland.
Lynda’s recordings include Teixeira’s Te Deum, Hiandel’s Esther, Bach’s
Christmas Oratorio and the newly released recording of Handel’s Samson with
Harry Christophers and The Sixteen on Collins Classics; Mahler’s Symphony
No 4 with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Schubert Lieder with
Peter Hill and Britten’s War Requiem with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
for Naxos Records. Lynda has also recorded Hindel’s Messiah for BBC TV
with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen.
At home, concert engagements have included performances with the London
Symphony Orchestra under Mstislav Rostropovich and Michael Tilson Thomas,
the CBSO with Sir Simon Rattle and Walter Weller, the Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra with Libor Pesek in the BBC Proms, the BBC Symphony
Orchestra with Richard Hickox and Alexander Lazarev and the Bournemouth
Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé, BBC Scottish Symphony and Ulster orchestras.
Lynda also sings regularly with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, and she has
just returned from singing three concerts of the Messiah with Harry Christophers
and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in St Louis.
In 1999 Lynda sang Bach St Matthew Passion in St Paul’s Cathedral with the
London Mozart Players, and concert performances as Marzelline in Beethoven’s
Fidelio, conducted by Walter Weller with the CBSO in Birmingham. In January
2000 she sang the role of Ermione in Hiandel’s Oreste in the opening production
of the Covent Garden Studio Theatre conducted by Howard Williams. She will
reappear at Garsington in Summer 2001 as Anner in Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo
as well as continuing her full programme of oratorio appearances including a
tour of Japan with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen performing the Messiah.
Stephen Varcoe - baritone
Stephen Varcoe has established a reputation as one of Britain’s
most versatile baritones, and has sung in opera, concerts and
recitals covering a wide range of repertoire in Europe, the USA
and the Far East.
Stephen has appeared with leading orchestras throughout the
world including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, The Hanover
Band, the Aarhus & Odense Symphony Orchestra, and at the Gulbenkian
Foundation in Portugal, at the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa, with the
Kings Consort, at the Festival Cervantino in Mexico, throughout Europe with
the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, at the BBC Proms and with conductors
Briiggen, Daniel, Gardiner, Hickox, Lindberg, Mackerras, Malgoire, Minkowski,
Ostman, Pinnock, Rifkin, Roszdevensky and Tortelier. Recent engagements have
included Bach’s St John Passion with The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/
Leonhardt, Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Trevor Pinnock in Ottawa, Bach
Cantatas with the Bach Sonnerie at the Spitalfields Festival, Vaughan Williams’
Sir John In Love with the Northern Sinfonia/Hickox, Schubert’s Mass in E flat
with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra/Norrington and Messiah with the City of
London Sinfonia/Steuart Bedford.
Stephen appears regularly in recital here and abroad and is heard frequently in
recital with the Songmakers’ Almanac and on BBC Radio 3. Recent recital work
has included a programme of Finzi and Somervell with Iain Burnside, Schubert’s
Winterreise with Eugene Asti, a Lieder tour with Peter Seymour entitled The
Rise of The Lied which was recorded for BBC Radio 3, Brahms, Schumann and
Wolf at the Wigmore Hall with Graham Johnson, Grainger with Penelope Thwaites
for BBC Radio 3, Schubert with Roger Vignoles in Belfast and with Graham
Johnson at the Bury St Edmund’s Festival.
Stephen has made over 125 recordings including Purcell, Handel and Bach with
Pinnock, Gardiner, Hickox and Kuijken, Mozart with Marriner, Fauré with Rutter,
Holst with Hickox, Richard Strauss with Norrington, recitals of Finzi and Parry
with Clifford Benson and French songs with Graham Johnson. Awaiting future
release are Haydn’s Paukenmesse for Chandos/Hickox and Bach Cantatas for
Deutsche Grammophon with Gardiner.
His future engagements include appearances with the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Netherlands Bach Society He
continues to record for Hyperion and Chandos.
Guildford Philharmonic
The Guildford Philharmonic presents one of the most successful concert seasons in the
U.K. with audiences averaging 98% last season. It is at the heart of music-making in the
south east, with a huge repertoire extending from the 17th century to the present day.
The main concert season runs from October to July in a variety of venues including the
Guildford Civic, Guildford Cathedral, the Electric Theatre, Holy Trinity Church and, for
the first time this season, Abbot’s Hospital. In addition, the orchestra is invited to give
concerts throughout London and the south of England in venues which have included
Kenwood Park, Royal Festival Hall, King’s College Cambridge, St George’s Chapel
Windsor, Eton College and the cathedrals of Winchester, Chichester, Canterbury and St
Albans.
The Guildford Philharmonic’s scope ranges from concerts for children and with children,
via chamber concerts in more intimate venues, to large-scale choral and orchestral works.
The repertoire covers everything from jazz and light music to new music, and the emphasis
is to work with young soloists at the outset of their careers. En Shao was appointed
Principal Conductor in 1995, following in the illustrious footsteps of Crossley Clitheroe,
Vernon Handley, Sir Charles Groves and Sir Alexander Gibson. The orchestra continues
its work of attracting new audiences for all types of classical music and of making concertgoing an exciting experience.
Guildford Borough Council has funded and managed the Philharmonic as part of its arts
provision for the Borough since the orchestra’s inception in 1945 (when it was the
Guildford Municipal Orchestra). The Council is grateful to the South East Music Trust,
and to its major corporate sponsors BOC Gases, Borax Europe Ltd, Daniels Holt, Hart
Brown Solicitors, The Guildford Nuffield Hospital and Roffe Swayne for financial
assistance towards the costs of running the orchestra during the 2000/2001 season.
First Violin
David Towse
Maurice Brett
Violas
Christopher Wellington
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Oboes
Neil Black
Tuba
David Powell
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Janice Knight
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Jean Burt
Clarinets
Roger Blair
Avril Maclennan
Karen Demmel
Victor Slaymark
Harp
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Emer Calthorpe
Peter Newman
Robert Winquist
Pat Humphreys
Hale Hambleton
Bassoons
Helen Tunstall
Martin Palmer
Cellos
John Orford
Ginny Wray
John Stilwell
Francesca Carpos
Nicola Goold
Clare Deniz
Horns
Music Administrator
Sharon Beale
FNo
Clack
DavidAS
Secretary
Anthony Short
Second Violins
Maurice Cavanagh
Christine Read :
Peter Esswood
Nicholas Boothroyd
Christine Clutton
Rebecca Menday
Kevin Elliott
Christine Norsworthy
General Manager
Peter Holt
Shirley Ewen
Andrew Bernardi
Basses
Catherine Woehrel
Nicholas Levy
David Jones
Paul Moore
Trumpets
Gareth Bimson
Music Development
Officer
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Stage Assistant
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Patrick Taggart
Ian Fasham
Peter Hembrough
Thomas Pilz
S
Michael Lea
Stephen Rossell
Robert Manasse
Giles Liddiard
Roger Willey
Clare Lister
Feoath Daidac
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
Guildford Philharmonic Choir was founded in 1947 by the Borough of Guildford to
perform major works from the choral repertoire with the Guildford Philharmonic
Orchestra. The Choir is now independent from the Borough of Guildford but still
maintains ciose links with the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra with joint performances
such as the one this evening.
The Choir grew to prominence under the batons of such eminent musicians as Sir Charles
Groves, Vernon Handley and Sir David Willcocks. Sir David remains in close contact
with the Choir as its current President and Jeremy Backhouse has been Chorus Director
since 1995.
Notable achievements in recent years have included Mozart’s Great C-minor Mass,
Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Vaughan Williams’ Dona
nobis pacem, Haydn’s Creation, Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, Orff’s Carmina
Burana and Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius.
Guildford is twinned with Freiburg-im-Breisgau, capital of the Black Forest region in
Germany, and for the last ten years, the Guildford Philharmonic Choir has collaborated
with the Freiburger Bachchor to present some outstanding joint performances. Last
March’s performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion in the Cathedral was the most recent
visit by the Bachchor to Guildford. Plans for this year include a return visit in November
by Guildford Philharmonic Choir to sing Bruckner’s D-minor Mass with the Bachchor
in Freiburg’s magnificent new Konzerthaus.
Guildford Philharmonic Choir’s concert programme for the rest of this season includes
a performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony on May 12* in a concert
which includes Jeremy Filsell as soloist in Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto.
Next season starts with Handel’s Messiah on November 3TM in the Cathedral.
The Choir is always searching for new members to maintain its high standard and
prospective members are always welcome to attend rehearsals, which are held on Monday
evenings in central Guildford. Please telephone the Membership Secretary, Noreen Ayton,
on 01932 221918 for more information.
The Choir also enjoys the support of a group of Friends and if you are interested in
becoming a Friend (or Patron) of the Choir please contact Marion Arbuckle on 01483
572621.
Guildford Philharmonic Choir’s next concert:
Mendelssohn:
The Hebrides Overture
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2
Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony
Saturday, May 12th 2001, Guildford Cathedral
SOPRANOS
Jane Brooks
TENORS
Marian Adderley
Anne Clausing
Paul Bielatowicz
Jacqueline Alderton
Mary Clayton
Steve Brelsford
Joanna Andrews
Margaret Dentskevich
Bob Bromham
Noreen Ayton
Andrea Dombrowe
Mary Broughton
Valerie Edwards
Elaine Chapman
Celia Embleton
Sara Dann
Mandy Freeman
Rachel Edmondson
Valerie Garrow
Josephine Field
Lorna Gray
Angela Hand
Ingrid Hardiman
Nora Kennea
Jo Harman
Jane Kenney
Lucy Hatcher
Mo Kfouri
Judith Lewy
Gayle Mayson
Lois McCabe
Hilary Minor
Susan Norton
Robin Onslow
Margaret Parry
Rosalind Plowright
Alison Rawlinson
Kate Rayner
Gillian Rix
Jill Scott
Maureen Shortland
Dawn Smith
Judy Smith
Vicki Steele
Claire Strudley
Kathy Stickland
Carol Terry
Enid Weston
Christine Wilks
Elisabeth Willis
Lucinda Wilson
Susan Hinton
Carol Hobbs
Marion Arbuckle
Sally Bailey
Iris Ball
Penny Baxter
Evelyn Beastall
Iris Bennett
Bob Cowell
Geof Edge
Leslie Harfield
Michael Hope
Charles Martin
Chris Robinson
John Trigg
Noel Turner
Maggie Van Koetsveld
Sheila Hodson
Joy Hunter
Carol Jones
Valerie Leggatt
Krystyna Marsden
Kay McManus
Christine Medlow
BASSES
Dan Adderley
Peter Allen
Peter Andrews
Roger Barrett
Alan Batterbury
Rosalind Milton
John Britten
Mary Moon
Norman Carpenter
Brenda Moore
Philip Davies
Jean Munro
Michael Dudley
Jacqueline Norman
Terence Ellis
Sue O’Connell
Geoffrey Forster
Emma Odell
James Garrow
Penny Overton
Anne Philps
Lesley Scordellis
Catherine Shacklady
Gillian Sharpe
Rima Skold
Prue Smith
Alex Stevens
Rosey Storey
ALTOS
Douglas Cook
Tony Cousins
Jane Sweaney
Hilary Trigg
June Windle
Maralyn Wong
Beatrice Wood
Pamela Woodroffe
Michael Golden
Nick Gough
Peter Herbert
Laurie James
Michael Jeffery
Stephen Jepson
Alec Leggatt
Tony Macklow-Smith
Neil Martin
Maxwell New
Chris Newbury
John Parry
Roger Penny
Nigel Pollock
David Ross
Philip Stanford
Forthcoming Concerts
Stainer’s Crucifixion
Saturday 31 March 7.30pm
Duruflé’s Requiem
Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Camerata
...Guildford Chamber Choir .
Robert Johnston
tenor
Stephen Charlesworth
Barry Rose
The Planets & Prokofiev
g0 7 M
bass
conductor
Friday 6 April 7.30pm
s
“Guildford Civic
-
Vasari Singers
Jorge Luis Prats
James Lockhart
A Mldsummer nght’s Musnc
piano
conductor
Friday 22 June 8. 00pm
Abbot’s Hospltal ngh Street,
Guildford
.
Musicians of the Globe
- - Directed by Philip Pickett
Flreworks
.
e
Saturday 14 July 8.00pm
Shalford Park, Guildford
En Shao
conductor
Tickets: 01483 444555
Two of life’s essentials
Boron is an element we all depend on, but one which we
will never see.
It is one of nature’s vital elements; it is essential to life
and it is all around us.
Plants cannot live without it; the healthier our diet, the
more boron we take in. For borates are found in healthy
vegetables, fruit, nuts and wine.
In our homes, borates are found in crockery, cookware,
ceramic tiles, fire retardant materials, insulation
materials and even humble light bulbs.
Gentle skin lotions, eye drops and medicinal ointments
all contain derivatives of boron.
So boron, like music, touches all our lives. Like music,
boron is essential for life.
P
BORAX===)\
-
-
Borax Europe Limited
170: Priestley Road
Guildford, GU2 7RQ
A member of the Rio Tinto Group
solicitors
Hart Brown are proud
to support the South Easts
professional orchestra
GUILDFORD
20 Bedford Road
01483 887766
GODALMING
1 South Street
01483 887766
WOKING
7 & 8 Guildford Road
01483 887766
FARNHAM
Sovereign House 17 South Street
01252 737303