Mendelssohn: Elijah
Saturday 25 May 2002, at 7.00 pm
Guildford Cathedral
Dates for your Diary
Saturday 26 October 2002
Dvorjak: Requiem
Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op.26
venue to be announced
Sunday 22 December 2002
Mayor’s Carol Concert
Guildford Civic Hall
Saturday 17 May 2003
Mabhler: Symphony No 8
Guildford Cathedral
Programme digitally printed by ARCS Desktop Publishers
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Guildford Philharmonic Choir
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ha'a's
President Sir David Willcocks CBE MC
Mendelssohn: Elijah
Ben Porter
Treble
Lesley-Jane Rogers
Soprano
Jeanette Ager
Contralto
Eugene Ginty
Tenor
Michael Bundy
Baritone
Forest Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeremy Backhouse
Financially assisted by
CUILDFORD
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The staging for this concert is owned by the Association of Surrey
Choirs. To hire, please contact Stephen Jepson, tel: 01306 730383.
It was purchased with financial assistance from the Foundation for
Sport and Arts, PO Box 20, Liverpool.
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
1809-1847
Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, the grandson of famous
Jewish
philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn, and the son of a wealthy banker,
Abraham
Mendelssohn, who raised his four children as Protestants. The family took
the
name ‘Bartholdy’ when they converted from Judaism to Christianity
.
Mendelssohn's musical genius was quickly recognised and encouraged
; he
began composing aged 6, first performed in public aged 9, and by his
teens
had already composed numerous symphonies, cantatas, piano and
string
quartets.
In his early twenties, Mendelssohn travelled the world, becoming
a great
favourite in England. He considered England to be his second home,
returning to London nine times.
Mendelssohn was by nature cheerful, contented and enthusiastic; his
name ‘Felix’, Latin for ‘happy’ - couldn't have suited him more. He had a
penchant
for making and keeping friends, among them Queen Victoria,
and in
rehearsals he was described as being modest and charming, with unfailing
tact and politeness. He was music director in Diisseldorf from
1834, then
conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig from 1835 to 1841,
and
the Royal Kapellmeister in Berlin until 1844.
Mendelssohn wrote his first great biblical oratorio, St Paul, in 1836. After
that
work's successful premier, he had already been already thinking of
a setting
of the biblical story of Elijah and in 1845 he was galvanised into action
by
being invited to write a new work for the 1846 Birmingham Music Festival.
Dr.
Julius Schubring, who had worked with Mendelssohn on St Paul, provided
the
biblical text (drawing particularly on the Books of Kings), which
William
Bartholomew then translated into English for the Birmingham performanc
e.
The oratorio Elijah constitutes the last great achievement of Mendelssoh
n's
brief but productive life. At the first performance, when Mendelssohn stood
on
the rostrum of Birmingham Town Hall on August 26, 1846, he
had an
orchestra of 125 players and a chorus of 271 singers. Elijah
was an
immediate and tremendous success; however, Mendelssohn was
not
satisfied with it and made extensive revisions before the next performanc
es. It
is this revised edition which has been performed ever since.
The
work's great dramatic qualities, allied to its magnificent musical
craftsmanship, appealed strongly to audiences and performers alike,
and it
has remained one of the most popular oratorios to the present time.
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Guildford Philharmonic Choir
Within a year of the work’s premier, Mendelssohn's beloved sister Fanny
died. She had been his closest friend and confidante and the loss was
overwhelming. Mendelssohn become ill himself, and died on November 4,
after a series of debilitating strokes, only 5 months after Fanny's death. A
chorus of 600 sang his funeral service in Leipzig, and a thousand mourners
carried his coffin to the railway station. He was buried in Berlin.
Synopsis of the Story of Elijah
The background of the oratorio’s story is that God promised, in a covenant
with the people of Israel, to protect them if they obeyed His commandments.
He forbade the worship of other gods, but when Ahab, the king of Israel, took
the foreign princess Jezebel as his queen, he also adopted her religion. He
built idols to Baal and other gods for the people of Israel to worship. This
broke the covenant.
Part One
1 Kings 17, 18
Before the overture, Elijah takes centre stage and prophesies a drought,
punishment for the people's deserting the true God and worshipping Baal.
The overture portrays the suffering from the famine that the drought brings
and the people of Israel plead for relief. Obadiah, who has stayed faithful to
God, reminds the people that the drought is to punish them for worshipping
idols and tells them to be true to God.
An angel advises Elijah to go into hiding to avoid Ahab’s wrath. Later, the
angel returns to tell Elijah to go back to Zarephath by the sea, where a widow
takes him in. While Elijah stays with her, miracles occur - food supplies
replenish themselves, and when her son dies, he is brought back to life.
After 3 years of drought,
Elijah presents himself before King Ahab and
proposes the contest on Mount Carmel before the Israelites between God and
the prophets of Baal to show who is the true God. Elijah calls on the God of
Abraham, who sends fire to burn the sacrificial offering while all entreaties to
Baal prove worthless.
Elijah orders the people to kill the prophets of Baal and glories in God’s
fearsome justice; he then helps the people pray to God to end the drought.
After each prayer, he sends a youth to look out to sea for rain clouds. When
the storm arrives, the people rejoice and the first half of the oratorio ends with
the crowd acknowledging God's mercy and omnipotence.
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
5
Part Two
1 Kings 19; 2 Kings 1, 2
The second part opens with God’s words of reassurance to his people. Ahab
and Jezebel, however, persist in worshipping Baal, and Elijah condemns them,
prophesying that God will again punish Israel. This gives Jezebel the chance to
incite the people against Elijah and Obadiah warns the prophet to flee to the
desert (watched over by a trio of angels);. A desperate Elijah asks God to let
him die, but care from the angels and his witnessing the glory of the Lord at
Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai) restore his courage. Afterward, the angels tell Elijah
to return to Israel as a prophet to the people, who describe the vigour with
which he returns to proclaim God’'s power. The chorus describes Elijah's
ascension into heaven in a chariot of fire at the end of his life, and pronounce
the prophesy of the coming of the Messiah.
Elijah, Op. 70 COMPLETE TEXT
PART |
Introduction: As God The Lord
Elijah: As God the Lord of Israel liveth, before whom | stand: There shall not be
dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
OVERTURE
1.
Chorus: Help, Lord!
The People: Help, Lord! Wilt Thou quite destroy us?
The harvest now is over, the summer days are gone, and yet no power cometh
to help us! Will then the Lord be no more God in Zion?
The deeps afford no water; and the rivers are exhausted! The suckling’s tongue
now cleaveth for thirst to his mouth: the infant children ask for bread, and there
is no one breaketh it to feed them!
=
Duet and Chorus: Lord, Bow Thine Ear
The People: Lord, bow Thine ear to our prayer!
Two Women: Zion spreadeth her hands for aid, and there is neither help nor
comfort.
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3
Recitative: Ye People, Rend Your Hearts
Obadiah: Ye
people,
rend your hearts
and
not your garments for your
transgressions: the prophet Elijah hath sealed the heavens through the word of
God. | therefore say to ye: forsake your idols, return to God; for He is slow to
anger, and merciful, and kind, and gracious, and repenteth Him of the evil.
4
Aria: If With All Your Hearts
Obadiah: ‘If with all your hearts ye truly seek Me, ye shall ever surely find Me.’
Thus saith our God. Oh! that | knew where | might find Him, that | might even
come before His presence!
5.
Chorus: Yet Doth The Lord See It Not
The People: Yet doth the Lord see it not, He mocketh at us; His curse hath
fallen down upon us, His wrath will pursue us till He destroy us.
For He, the Lord our God, He is a jealous God, and He visiteth all the fathers’
sins on the children to the third and the fourth generation of them that hate Him.
His
mercies on thousands fall,
on all them that love him
and
keep his
commandments.
6.
Recitative: Elijah, Get Thee Hence
An Angel: Elijah! Get thee hence, Elijah! Depart and turn thee eastward: thither
hide thee by Cherith’s brook. There shalt thou drink its waters; and the Lord thy
God hath commanded the ravens to feed thee there: so do according unto His
word.
y£
Quartet & Recitative: For He Shall Give His Angels Charge
Over Thee
Angels: For He shall give His angels charge over thee, that they shall protect
thee in all the ways thou goest; that their hands shall uphold and guide thee,
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
An Angel: Now Cherith’s brook is dried up, Elijah, arise and depart, and get
thee to Zarephath; thither abide: for the Lord hath commanded a widow woman
there to sustain thee. And the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the
cruse of oil fail until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
8.
Recitative, Aria & Duet: What Have | to do With Thee?
The Widow: What have | to do with thee, O man of God? Art thou come to me
to call my sin unto remembrance? To slay my son art thou come hither?
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
7
Help me, man of God! My son is sick! and his sickness is so sore that there is
no breath left in him! | go mourning all day long; | lie down and weep at night.
See my affliction, Be thou the orphan’s helper! Help my son!
Eljjah: Give me thy son. Turn unto her, O Lord my God; O turn in mercy, help
this widow’s son! For Thou art gracious and full of compassion, and plenteous
in mercy and truth. Lord, my God, let the spirit of this child return that he again
may live!
The Widow: Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? Shall the dead arise and
praise thee? The Lord hath heard thy prayer, the soul of my son reviveth!
Elijah: Now behold, thy son liveth!
The Widow: Now by this | know that thou art a man of God, and that His word in
thy mouth is the truth. What shall | render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?
Eljjah: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, love him with all thine heart...
Duet:... with all my soul and with all my might. O blessed are they who fear
Him!
9.
Chorus: Blessed Are the Men
People: Blessed are the men who fear Him, they ever walk in the way of peace.
darkness riseth light, light to the upright. He is gracious,
compassionate; He is righteous.
Through
10.
Recitative & Chorus: As God The Lord
Elijah: As God the Lord of Sabaoth liveth, before whom | stand, three years this
day fulfilled, | will shew myself unto Ahab; and the Lord will then send rain
again upon the earth.
Ahab: Art thou Elijah? Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
The People: Thou art Elijah, thou he that troubleth Israel!
Elijah: | never troubled Israel's peace: it is thou, Ahab, and all thy father's
house. Ye have forsaken God's commands: and thou hast follow’d Baalim. Now
send, and gather to me the whole of Israel unto Mount Carmel; there summon
the prophets of Baal, and also the prophets of the groves, who are feasted at
Jezebel's table. Then we shall see whose God is the Lord.
The People: And then we shall see whose God is the Lord.
Elijah: Rise then, ye priests of Baal; select and slay a bullock, and put no fire
under it; uplift your voices and call the god ye worship, and | then will call upon
the Lord Jehovah; and the god who by fire shall answer, let him be God.
8
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
The People: Yea, and the God who by fire shall answer, let him be God.
Elijah: Call first upon your god, your numbers are many. |, even | only, remain,
one prophet of the Lord! Invoke your forest gods, and mountain deities.
11.
Chorus: Baal, We Cry to Thee
Prophets of Baal: Baal, we cry to thee, hear and answer us! Heed the sacrifice
we offer! Hear us, Baal! Hear, mighty god! Baal, oh answer us! Baal, let thy
flames fall and extirpate the foe!
12.
Recitative & Chorus: Call Him Louder
Elijah: Call him louder, for he is a god! He talketh, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey;
or, peradventure, he sleepeth: so awaken him: call him louder, call him louder.
Prophets of Baal: Hear our cry, O Baal, now arise! Wherefore slumber?
13.
Recitative & Chorus: Call Him Louder
Elijah: Call him louder! He heareth not. With knives and lancets cut yourselves
after your manner: leap upon the altar ye have made: call him and prophesy!
Not a voice will answer you: none will listen, none heed you.
Prophets of Baal: Baal! Baall Hear and answer, Baal! Mark how the scorner
derideth us!
Elijah: Draw near, all ye people, come to me!
14.
Aria: Lord God of Abraham
Elijah:
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, this day let it be known that
Thou art God, and that | am Thy servant! Lord God of Abraham! O shew to all
this people that | have done these things according to Thy word! O hear me,
Lord, and answer me! Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, O hear me and
answer me, and shew this people that Thou art Lord God, and let their hearts
again be turned!
15.
Quartet: Cast thy Burden
Angels: Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He never will
suffer the righteous to fall: He is at thy right hand. Thy mercy, Lord, is great, and far
above the heavens. Let none be made ashamed, that wait upon Thee!
16.
Recitative & Chorus: O Thou, who Makest
/ The Fire Descends
Elijah: O Thou, who makest Thine angels spirits; Thou, whose ministers are flaming
fires: let them now descend!
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
9
The People: The fire descends from heaven, the flames consume his offering!
Before Him upon your faces fall! The Lord is God, the Lord is God! O lIsrael,
hear! Our God is one Lord, and we will have no other gods before the Lord.
Elijah: Take all the prophets of Baal, and let not one of them escape you. Bring
them down to Kishon’s brook, and there let them be slain.
The People: Take all the prophets of Baal and let not one of them escape us:
bring all and slay them!
17.
Aria: Is Not His Word Like a Fire?
Elijah: Is not His word like a fire, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock into
pieces? For God is angry with the wicked every day: and if the wicked turn not,
the Lord will whet His sword; and He hath bent His bow, and made it ready.
18.
Aria: Woe Unto Them Who Forsake Him!
Alto: Woe unto them who forsake Him! Destruction shall fall upon them, for they
have transgressed against Him. Though they are by Him redeemed, yet they
have spoken falsely against Him, from Him have they fled.
19.
Recitative & Chorus: O Man of God / O Lord, Thou Hast
Overthrown Thine Enemies
Obadiah: O man of God, help thy people! Among the idols of the Gentiles, are
there any that can command the rain, or cause the heavens to give their
showers? The Lord our God alone can do these things.
Elijah: O Lord, Thou hast overthrown Thine enemies and destroyed them. Look
down on us from heaven, O Lord; regard the distress of Thy people. Open the
heavens and send us relief. Help, help Thy servant now, O God!
The People: Open the heavens and send us relief: help, help Thy servant now,
O God!
Elijah: Go up now, child, and look toward the sea. Hath my prayer been heard
by the Lord?
The Child: There is nothing. The heavens are as brass, they are as brass
above me.
Elijah: When the heavens are closed up because they have sinned against
Thee, yet if they pray and confess Thy name, and turn away from their sins
when Thou dost afflict them: then hear from heaven, and forgive the sin! Help,
send Thy servant help, O God!
The People: Then hear from heaven, and forgive the sin! Help! send Thy
servant help, O Lord!
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Guildford Philharmonic Choir
Elijah: Go up again, and still look towards the sea.
The Child: There is nothing. The earth is as iron under me!
Eljjah: Hearest thou no sound of rain? Seest thou nothing arise from the deep?
The Child: No; there is nothing.
Elijah: Have respect to the prayer of Thy servant, O Lord, my God! Unto Thee
will I cry, Lord, my rock; be not silent to me; and Thy great mercies remember,
Lord!
The Child: Behold, a little cloud ariseth now from the waters; it is like a man’s
hand! The heavens are black with cloud and with wind; the storm rusheth
louder and louder!
The People: Thanks be to God for all His mercies!
Elijah: Thanks be to God, for He is gracious; and His mercy endureth for
evermore!
20.
Chorus: Thanks Be to God!
The People: Thanks be to God! He laveth the thirsty land! The waters gather,
they rush along, they are lifting their voices! The stormy billows are high, their
fury is mighty. But the Lord is above them and almighty!
INTERVAL
PART Il
21.
Aria: Hear Ye, Israel
Soprano: Hear ye, Israel, hear what the Lord speaketh: ‘Oh, hadst thou heeded
my commandments!” Who hath believed our report? To whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed?
Thus saith the Lord, the
Redeemer of Israel,
and His Holy One to him
oppressed by tyrants, thus saith the Lord:
‘I am He that comforteth. Be not afraid, for | am thy God! | will strengthen thee!
Say, who art thou, that thou art afraid of a man that shall die; and forgettest the
Lord thy Maker, who hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the earth's
foundations? Say, who art thou?’
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
11
22.
Chorus: Be Not Afraid
Chorus: ‘Be not afraid,’ saith God the Lord, ‘be not afraid, thy help is near!
God, the Lord, thy God, saith unto thee: ‘Be not afraid” Though thousands
languish and fall beside thee, and tens of thousands around thee perish, yet
still it shall not come nigh thee.
23.
Recitative & Chorus: The Lord Hath Exalted Thee
Elijah: The Lord hath exalted thee from among the people: and o'er His people
Israel hath made thee king. But thou, Ahab, hast done evil to provoke Him to
anger above all that were before thee: as if it had been a light thing for thee to
walk in the sins of Jeroboam. Thou hast made a grove and an altar to Baal, and
served him and worshipped him. Thou hast killed the righteous and also taken
possession. And the Lord shall smite all Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water;
and He shall give Israel up, and thou shalt know he is the Lord.
The Queen: Have ye not heard, he hath prophesied against all Israel?
Chorus: We heard it with our ears.
The Queen: Hath he not prophesied against the king of Israel? And why hath
he spoken the name of the Lord? Doth Ahab govern the kingdom of Israel while
Elijah's power is greater than the king's? The gods do so to me, and more if, by
tomorrow about this time, | make not his life as the life of one of them whom he
hath sacrificed at the brook of Kishon! Hath he not destroyed Baal's prophets?
Yea, by sword he destroyed them all!
Chorus: He shall perish! He destroyed them all! He also closed the heavens!
And called down a famine upon the land.
The Queen: So go ye forth and seize Elijah, for he is worthy to die; slaughter
him! Do unto him as he hath done!
24.
Chorus: Woe to Him!
Chorus: Woe to him, he shall perish; he closed the heavens! And why hath he
spoken in the Name of the Lord? Let the guilty prophet perish! he hath spoken
falsely against our land and us, as we have heard with our ears. So go ye forth;
seize on him! He shall die!
25.
Duet: Man of God
Obadiah: Man of God, now let my words be precious in thy sight. Thus saith Jezebel
‘Elijah is worthy to die’. So the mighty gather against thee, and they have prepared a
net for thy steps; that they may seize thee, that they say slay thee. Arise then, and
hasten for thy life; to the wildemess joumey. The Lord thy God doth go with thee: He
will not fail thee, He will not forsake thee. Now begone and bless me also!
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Guildford Philharmonic Choir
Elijah: Though stricken, they have not grieved. Tarry here, my servant: the Lord
be with thee. | journey hence to the wilderness.
26.
Aria: It Is Enough
Elijah: It is enough! O Lord, now take away my life, for | am not better than my
fathers! | desire to live no longer: now let me die, for my days are but vanity. |
have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts, for the children of Israel have
broken Thy covenant, and thrown down Thine altars, and slain all Thy prophets,
slain them with the sword. And I, even | only am left: and they seek my life to
take it away! It is enough! O Lord, now take away my life, for | am not better
than my fathers! Now let me die, Lord, take away my life!
27.
Aria: See, Now He Sleepeth
Tenor: See, now he sleepeth beneath a juniper tree in the wilderness, but the
angels of the Lord encamp round about all them that fear Him.
28
Trio: Lift Thine Eyes
Angels: Lift thine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help. Thy help cometh
from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He hath said, thy foot shall not
be moved, thy Keeper will never slumber.
29.
Chorus: He Watching Over Israel
Chorus: He, watching over Israel, slumbers not, nor sleeps. Shouldst thou,
walking in grief, languish, He will quicken thee.
30.
Recitative: Arise, Elijah!
An Angel: Arise Elijah, for thou hast a long journey before thee. Forty days and
forty nights shalt thou go to Horeb, the mount of God.
Elijah: O Lord, | have laboured in vain; yea, | have spent my strength for
naught! O that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, that Thou wouldst come down:
that the mountains would flow down at Thy presence, to make Thy Name
known to Thine adversaries, through the wonders of Thy works! O Lord, why
hast Thou made them to err from Thy ways and harden their hearts that they do
not fear Thee? O that | now might die!
31.
Aria: O Rest in the Lord
An Angel: O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, and He shall give thee thy
heart’s desires. Commit thy way unto Him, and trust in Him, and fret not thyself
because of evil-doers.
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
13
32.
Chorus: He That Shall Endure
Chorus: He that shall endure to the end, shall be saved.
33.
Recitative: Night Falleth Around Me
Elijah: Night falleth round me, O Lord! Be Thou not far from me! Hide not Thy
face, O Lord, from me; my soul is thirsting for Thee, as a thirsty land.
An Angel: Arise now, get thee without, stand on the mount before the Lord: for
there His glory will appear, and shine on thee! Thy face must be veiled, for He
draweth near.
34.
Chorus: Behold, God the Lord
Chorus: Behold, God the Lord passed by! And a mighty wind rent the
mountains around, brake in pieces the rocks, brake them before the Lord: but
yet the Lord was not in the tempest.
Behold, God the Lord passed by! And the sea was upheaved, and the earth
was shaken: but yet the Lord was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake there came a fire: but yet the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire there came a still small voice; and in that still voice onward
came the Lord.
35.
Recitative, Quartet & Chorus: Holy is God
Alto: Above Him stood the Seraphim, and one cried to another:
Seraphim: Holy, holy, holy is God the Lord, the Lord Sabaoth! Now His glory
hath filled all the earth.
36.
Chorus & Recitative: Go, Return Upon Thy Way
Chorus: Go, return upon thy way! For the Lord yet hath left Him seven
thousand in Israel, knees which have not bowed to Baal. Go, return upon thy
way! Thus the Lord commandeth.
Elijah: | go on my way in the strength of the Lord For Thou art my Lord; and |
will suffer for Thy sake. My heart is therefore glad, my glory rejoiceth; and my
flesh shall also rest in hope.
37.
Aria: For the Mountains
Elijah: For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but Thy
kindness shall not depart from me; neither shall the covenant of Thy peace be
removed.
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38.
Chorus: Then Did Elijah
Chorus: Then did Elijah the prophet break forth like a fire; his words appeared
like burning torches. Mighty kings by him were overthrown. He stood on the
mount of Sinai and heard the judgments of the future, and in Horeb its
vengeance. And when the Lord would take him away to heaven, lo! There
came a fiery chariot with fiery horses, and he went by a whirlwind to heaven.
39.
Aria: Then Shall the Righteous
Tenor: Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in their heavenly Father’s
realm. Joy on their head shall be for everlasting, and all sorrow and mourning
shall flee away for ever.
40.
Recitative: Behold, God Hath Sent Elijah
Soprano: Behold, God hath sent Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to
the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest the Lord shall
come and smite the earth with a curse.
41.
Chorus & Quartet: But the Lord / O Come Every One
Chorus: But the Lord from the north hath raised one, who from the rising of the
sun shall call upon on His Name and come on princes. Behold, my servant and
mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth! On him the spirit of God shall rest: the
spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of might and of counsel, the spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Quartet: O come every one that thirsteth, O come to the waters, O come unto
Him, O hear, and your souls shall live for ever.
42.
Chorus: And Then Shall Your Light
Chorus: And then shall your light break forth as the light of morning breaketh:
and your health shall speedily spring forth then: and the glory of the Lord ever
shall reward you.
Lord, our Creator. how excellent Thy Name is in all the nations! Thou fillest
heaven with Thy glory. Amen.
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
15
Lesley-Jane Rogers studied singing and piano at the
Royal
Academy
of
Music,
taking
both
subjects
successfully to postgraduate level, and was awarded
three Principal’s prizes. She now specialises in oratorio
and solo cantatas, and is heralded as one of the most
versatile soloists of today, with a vast repertoire of
several hundred works.
A keen exponent of contemporary music, Lesley-Jane
has given several world premiéres, most notably Ivan
Fedele's
La chute de la maison Usher with the
Ensemble InterContemporain in Paris's prestigious Cité
de la Musique, and, at the sharp end of music
technology,
premieres
Lesley-Jane
live
on
the
recently
Internet,
gave
the
two
world
occasion
also
encompassing a simultaneous live webcast from New York. Other contemporary
music exploits include performing and recording the electronic soprano réle in Sir
Peter Maxwell Davies' opera Resurrection for Collins Classics, and recording the
soprano solos in Carl Rutti's Magnificat and Alpha et Omega for ASV, the latter CD
being awarded "Editor's Choice" in Britain's Gramophone magazine. She is also the
soprano soloist in Sadie Harrison's Aster recorded for Metier, this CD being
awarded "Disc of the Month" by Classical London.
By far the greatest part of Lesley-Jane’s concert diary is mainstream solo oratorio
work, but she is also in ever-increasing demand as a “vocal concerto” soloist; in
particular her affinity with Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne, the Strauss Four
Last Songs, Mozart's Exsultate jubilate and Bach’s solo cantata Jauchzett Gott
For recitals, she works with the pianist
Christopher Ross, and together they have recently recorded a CD of Schubert
makes her a popular choice for this task.
Lieder, due for release in 2002.
Respected too for her baroque work, Lesley-Jane has sung with various “authentic
instrument” groups, and is a founder member of the Wren Baroque Soloists.
Jeanette Ager, who was born in Dorset, began her
singing studies at the age of 12. She was awarded an
Exhibition to study at the Royal Academy of Music,
where she won many prizes. In 1996 she won the
Gold Medal in the Royal Over-Seas League Music
Competition, and an award from the Tillett Trust
Young Artist Platform. In June 1998 she won the
Richard Tauber Prize.
She
is
now continuing
her
studies with Linda Esther Gray.
Her recent work has included: Handel's Messiah at St
David's Hall, Cardiff; Elgar's Dream of Gerontius at
Chichester Cathedral; Beethoven's Missa Solemnis at
16
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
Yo
Truro and Exeter Cathedrals; and Tippett's Child of our Time at Salisbury
Cathedral.
In oratorio she has performed widely, including Haydn’s St Nicholas with the
London Mozart Players and the Choir of St John’s College Cambridge,
Handel's Messiah in the Barbican Concert Hall and in Bermuda with the
Bermuda Philharmonic Society, and Judas Maccabaeus at Winchester
Cathedral.
Her operatic work has included chorus for Glyndebourne Opera and solo roles
for Kent Opera, Broomhill Opera and Diva Opera, with whom she has
performed Cherubino in England, the Channel Islands and France.
For Hyperion, Jeanette Ager has recorded five pieces by Lili Boulanger as
mezzo soloist with the New London Chamber Choir conducted by James
Wood. She was a soloist in a Deutsche Grammophon recording of three songs,
To An Unkind God, for women’s choir by Ruth Crawford. Jeanette has recently
recorded Haydn’s Stabat Mater with the choir of Christ Church, Oxford, and her
future engagements will include a performance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius at
the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Eugene Ginty started singing while reading Music at
Durham University. He spent two seasons with Pavilion
Opera and has also sung with the Academy of Ancient
Music, Collegium Musicum, Monteverdi Choir and the
Finzi Singers. He joined the BBC Singers in 1994.
Since 1987 Eugene has sung in a wide range of
oratorios, including Lloyd-Webbers Requiem, Haydn’s
The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Eljjah, Tippett's Negro
Spirituals and Orff's Carmina Burana, to name a few.
His operatic roles have included Ferrando in Cosi Fan
§ Tutte, Fenton in Falstaff, Don José in Carmen, Don
Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Ottavio in Don
Giovanni and Rodolfo in La Boheme. He made his American debut as Tamino in
Die Zauberfiéte in Boston in 1995. Closer to home he has worked for Opera North,
Scottish Opera, Opera Theatre Company (Dublin) and English National Opera.
Television appearances include The Gondoliers from a 1997 Promenade Concert;
he has also broadcast on BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4.
Eugene also enjoys singing Lieder, and has just completed performances of
Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzer and Schumann’s Spanische Liebeslieder in Ireland
with Songcircle and lain Burnside. He recently sang Schubert's Mondenschein at
the Wigmore Hall accompanied by Andras Schiff; he later recorded this work with
the BBC Singers and Jane Glover. He has also recorded Strauss' Deutsch Motette
with Stephen Cleobury, and Der Rosenkavalier and Il Trovatore for the Chandos
Opera in English conducted by David Parry.
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
-B
Michael
Bundy was educated at Trinity College,
Cambridge, where he gained an honours degree in
music, and at the Guildhall School of Music and
Drama,
London,
studying
on
the
post-graduate
singing and opera courses. Further study was taken
at the Britten-Pears school in Aldeburgh and with the
late Erich Vietheer. Since turning professional, he
has performed widely in very diverse genres, ranging
from the early Baroque period to musicals, from
grand
opera
to
contemporary
music,
He
has
appeared as soloist with groups as varied as The
Sixteen, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
and the Futurum Ensemble of Sweden, and was for
nearly 5 years a member of the BBC Singers.
With an operatic repertoire in excess of forty roles he has travelled extensively,
and has been under contract to English National Opera, Kent Opera and the
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
As a recitalist he has appeared at a number of English festivals and at St
John’s, Smith Square, specialising in the French melodie, and has released two
series of commercial recordings featuring songs of Parisian organists.
In the field of Oratorio he has a wide and varied repertoire, and has sung in
most of the cathedrals and major concert halls in this country, including all the
venues in London’s South Bank, Symphony Hall Birmingham and the Liverpool
Philharmonic Hall, in such works as Beethoven’s ‘Choral’ Symphony, Elgar’s
The Dream of Gerontius and The Kingdom, and Walton’s Belshazzar's Feast.
He has also broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and performed the arias from Bach’s St
Matthew Passion in concerts around Europe and also Istanbul and Japan.
He maintains a strong interest in contemporary music, and was involved in the
Contemporary Music Network tour of Johnathon Harvey’s opera-oratorio
Passion and Resurrection. He premiered the chamber opera Flowers, by the
composer John Hardy and recently undertook a tour of Helen of Braemore, by
the Scottish composer Eddie McGuire. On a lighter note, he frequently
broadcasts for Radio 2, making regular appearances on Friday Night is Music
Night as a ‘star singer’.
He is currently researching and writing two books; one covers the unknown
French song repertoire and the other, by way of complete contrast, the organs
constructed by the 19th century builder William Thynne.
18
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
Jeremy
Backhouse began his musical career in
Canterbury Cathedral where he was Head Chorister,
and later studied music at Liverpool University. He
spent five years as Music Editor at the Royal National
Institute for the Blind, where he was responsible for the
transcription of print music
into
Braille.
In
1986
he
joined EMI Records as a Literary Editor and since April
1990 he has combined his work as a Consultant Editor
for
EMI Classics with his career
conductor and record producer.
as
a
freelance
Jeremy is also the conductor of the Vasari Singers,
widely acknowledged as one of the finest chamber
choirs in the country. Since winning the prestigious
Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year competition in
1988, they have performed
regularly on the South Bank and at St John’s, Smith Square in London,
as well
as in the cathedrals of Canterbury, Chichester, Winchester, Hereford,
Ely and
Peterborough. Their list of CDs is lengthening annually; the latest
to be
released on the Guild label, featuring premieres of works by Marcel
Dupré,
received outstanding reviews and was selected as an Editor's Choice
CD of the
Month in the October 2001 edition of Gramophone. In February 2002 the
Vasari
Singers performed the UK Premiere of Dupré's oratorio La France au
Calvaire,
followed by a World Premiere CD recording for Guild.
In January
1995, Jeremy was appointed Chorus Master of the Guildford
Choir, working closely with conductors such as Jonathan
Willcocks, En Shao and Vernon Handley, as well as regularly conducting
Philharmonic
concerts with the choir and orchestra alike. In 1998, he conducted
a memorable
performance of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius in Guildford's
Civic Hall, the
first public performance to be promoted by the choir itself, and in March
1999
gave a "masterly" performance of Bruckner's Mass in E minor
and Mahler's
Symphony No.2 in Guildford Cathedral.
He has worked with a number of the leading choirs in the country, including
>
Philharmonia Chorus (preparing for Sir Colin Davis), the London Choral
the
Society
(for Ronald Corp) and the Brighton Festival Chorus (for Carl Davies).
In
September 1998, Jeremy became the Music Director of the Wooburn
Singers,
only the third conductor in the distinguished 30-year history of
the choir,
following Richard Hickox and most recently, Stephen Jackson.
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
19
The Forest Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in the London Borough of
Waltham Forest in 1962 and has since become this country’s leading
community orchestra. Rivalling the highest professional standards, it uniquely
combines the talents of London’s best amateur musicians with those of its upand-coming music students. The orchestra has been joined by many
international artists, such as pianists John Lill and Ronan O’Hora, violinists
Gyorgy Pauk and Tasmin Little, cellists Robert Cohen and Natalie Clein, and
singers Lesley Garrett, Della Jones and Patricia MacMahon.
The Forest Philharmonic Orchestra is also regularly invited to perform around
the country, acting as an ambassador for the Borough of Waltham Forest and
broadening the orchestra’s repertoire of orchestral and choral works.
The 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. Since this time, the Choir has grown both in stature
and reputation and can now rightly claim its place as one of the foremost
Choruses in the country. The Choir grew to prominence under the batons of
such eminent British 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 the Choir is now independent from the Borough of Guildford.
In March 1999 the Choir gave a widely acclaimed performance of two works
which must surely rank among the greatest choral works of all time, Mahler’s
Symphony No.2 - Resurrection and Bruckner's Mass in E minor. The Choir
enjoyed a challenging and exciting concert programme for the 2000/01 season,
with Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem and Vaughan
Williams’ Sea Symphony.
The 2001/02 season has included a performance of Handel's Messiah, a
charity concert for the Guildford Prostate cancer project (Mozart's Vesperae
Solennes de Confessore and Haydn’s Nelson Mass) and, most recently, a
patriotic and thrilling concert to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. This
season the choir has also performed with the tenor Russell Watson in two
concerts, at the Royal Albert Hall, London, and at Brighton.
The Choir is always searching for new members to maintain its high standard
and auditions are held throughout the year. For further details about joining the
Choir or for information about any of our future concerts, please contact Noreen
Ayton, tel: 01932 221918. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings throughout
term time in central Guildford and prospective members are most welcome to
attend rehearsals on an informal basis before committing to an audition.
20
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
SOPRANOS
Marian Adderley
ALTOS
Jacqueline Alderton
Joanna Andrews
Sally Bailey
Iris Ball
Bob Bromham
Noreen Ayton
Penny Baxter
Tony Cousins
Marion Arbuckle
Mary Broughton
Evelyn Beastall
TENORS
David Baxter
Douglas Cook
Bob Cowell
Miranda Champion
Iris Bennett
Elaine Chapman
Sara Dann
Rachel Edmondson
Jane Brooks
Mary Clayton
Paula Frankson
Chris Robinson
Anna Cowell
John Trigg
Alison Blenkinsop
Mandy Freeman
Hilary Davenport
Margaret Dentskevich
Josephine Field
Angela Hall
Carolyn Edis
Valerie Edwards
Angela Hand
Calli Hayes
Nora Kennea
Jane Kenney
Celia Embleton
Valerie Garrow
Ingrid Hardiman
Mo Kfouri
Joanna Harman
Judith Lewy
Susan Hinton
Carol Hobbs
Sheila Hodson
Julia Maitland
Krystyna Marsden
Gayle Mayson
Hilary Minor
Joy Hunter
Valerie Leggatt
Susan Norton
Robin Onslow
Alison Palmer
Christine Medlow
Margaret Parry
Brenda Moore
Kate Peters
Rosalind Plowright
Alison Rawlinson
Kay McManus
Rosalind Milton
Jean Munro
Penny Muray
Jacqueline Norman
Kate Rayner
Anne Philps
Jill Scott
Catherine Shacklady
Gillian Sharpe
Ann Sheppard
Dawn Smith
Rima Skold
Judy Smith
Prue Smith
Maggie Smith
Alex Stevens
Kathy Stickland
Rosey Storey
Carol Terry
Jane Sweaney
Enid Weston
Hilary Trigg
Tessa Wilkinson
Christine Wilks
June Windle
Maralyn Wong
Geof Edge
Leslie Harfield
Nick Manning
BASSES
Peter Allen
Dan Adderley
Peter Andrews
Roger Barrett
Alan Batterbury
John Britten
Philip Davies
Michael Dudley
Geoffrey Forster
Terence Ellis
James Garrow
Michael Golden
Nick Gough
Peter Herbert
Laurie James
Michael Jeffery
Stephen Jepson
Tim Keller
Alec Leggatt
Tony Macklow-Smith
Neil Martin
Maxwell New
Chris Newbery
Michael Taylor
John Parry
Chris Peters
Nigel Pollock
Philip Stanford
Kieron Walsh
Beatrice Wood
Pamela Woodroffe
Guildford Philharmonic Choir
21
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PATRONS AND FRIENDS
OF GUILDFORD PHILHARMONIC CHOIR
Guildford Philharmonic Choir is extremely grateful to all Patrons and Friends for
their financial support.
Honorary Patrons
Mr. Bill Bellerby MBE
Mrs. Doreen Bellerby MBE
Patrons
Dr. J.B.R. Arbuckle
Mrs. Carol Hobbs
Dr. R.C. Barrett
Mr. Laurie James
Mrs. E.A. Batterbury
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Kilkenny
Mr. & Mrs. Peter Bennett
Mrs. Helen Lavin
Mrs. |. Brockdorff
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Longford
Mr. & Mrs. R.H.R. Broughton
Mr. & Mrs. Ron Medlow
Mrs. Patricia Cousins
Mr. & Mrs. Maxwell S. New
Mrs. Maryel Cowell
Opticians Penny & Hayter
Dr. Rodney Cuff
Mr. & Mrs. John Parry
Mr. Michael Dawe
Mrs. Jean Radley
Mrs. Margaret Dentskevich
Mr. & Mrs. B.A. Reed
Mr & Mrs G. Dombrowe
Dr. & Mrs. M.G.M. Smith
Executive Presentation
Mrs. Y.M.L. Tiplady
Dr. Michael Golden
Friends
Britten’s Music Ltd.
Mr. lan Rayner
Dega Broadcast Systems
Mrs. Jean Shail
Mrs. Joyce Feather
Mr. Michael Shortland
Mrs. Suzanne Pickerill
Mrs. K.C. Stickland
New Patrons and Friends are always welcome. If you are interested in supporting the choir financially, please contact GPC Patrons’ Secretary Marion
Arbuckle, tel: 01483 572621, for details of the Patrons and Friends scheme.