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25th May 2013
7.30 pm Guildford Cathedral
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Vivace
Chorus,
Best of British
Will Todd
Angel Song Ii
Bob Chilcott
Requiem
Paul Mealor
Ubi caritas et amor
John Rutter
Mass of the Children
Emily Garland
Soprano
Philip Modinos
Tenor
Richard Walshe
Baritone
Farnham Youth Choir
Brandenburg Sinfonia
Conductor: Jeremy Backhouse
PRE-CONCERT TALKS
Before Vivace Chorus concerts in Guildford Cathedral, we offer ticket
holders a free talk given by an acknowledged music expert who has a
special interest in the works to be performed.
Tonight's pre-concert talk, in the Chapter House at 6.30pm, is given by
composer and teacher Dr Steven Berryman. Passionate about music
education, Steven is currently the Assistant Director of Music at North
London Collegiate School and also teaches at the Junior Department of
the Royal Academy of Music. As a contemporary composer himself —
recent performances include music for two theatre works — his talk
promises to give a professional insight into the works you will hear
tonight.
The talk finishes at 7.10pm, allowing time to order refreshments for the
interval. Members of the audience who wish to attend the talk and do not
already
have reserved seating can reserve their concert
beforehand in the appropriate unreserved areas of the Cathedral.
seats
B
Elgar, March 2012
‘Julian Lloyd Webber was magic and the choir sang%
beautifully throughout..a cracking concert.”
w
oy
O
Zw\fc{
V
/
"A lovely selection of music, very beautifully sung and
played.”
"The choir's singing was beautiful and the :]
unaccompanied choir piece was especially enjoyable.”
"..we were 'wowed' by Julian and Vivace Chorus.”
“Brilliant performance
tonight @GLiveGuildford - :
a really enjoyable evening. :) ” (via Twitter)
/
"Beautiful music tonight courtesy of the Vivace Chorus, :
including
the
Brandenburg
Sinfonia
and
the
Very§
fa/efl red Ju//an L/aya’ Webber' e (via Facebook)
Flash photography, audio and video recording are not permitted
without the prior written consent of the Vivace Chorus. Please also
kindly switch off all mobile phones and alarms on digital watches.
2
Vivace Chorus
‘
Tonight’s concert
Part of our Contemporary Choral Classics series, this is a celebration of
the best that contemporary British choral music has to offer, and displays
the wide range of styles that today’s composers embrace.
It opens with Will Todd’s ethereal Angel Song II, a short, atmospheric
piece which was conducted at its Vasari Singers’ premiere in 2005 by
tonight’s conductor, Jeremy Backhouse.
Then follows Bob Chilcott's Requiem. Written some 5 years later, this
work manages to bring something new both musically and emotionally to
this traditional form, to wide acclaim.
The second half of the programme opens with Paul Mealor's very
beautiful motet Ubi caritas et amor, which was composed for the
wedding of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Finally, we are joined for John Rutter's Mass of the Children by the
renowned Farnham Youth Choir, who also sang at its UK premiere, here
in Guildford Cathedral. Brilliantly written for children’s voices blended
with adult forces and accompanied by organ and instrumental ensemble,
this work is a joy to perform and wonderful to hear.
Will Todd (b 1970)
Will Todd has been playing the piano since he was three and composing
since he was seven years old. He has written works for choir, orchestra
and stage productions, and his music, which encompasses a wide range
of musical styles and genres, has been featured on BBC Radio and
Classic FM, and performed all over the world.
He is perhaps best known for his choral works, which range from largescale oratorios such as Saint Cuthbert and The Burning Road (about the
Jarrow March) to smaller-scale pieces such as The Call of Wisdom and
tonight's piece, Angel Song II. His flagship work is the jazz mass setting
Mass in Blue which has been performed more than 100 times around the
world since its 2003 premiere.
Will has a long association with both Jeremy Backhouse and the Vivace
Chorus: Angel Song Il was written for Jeremy’s chamber choir, the
Vasari Singers, and in 2009, Will wrote his Te Deum for Vivace.
The text of Angel Song II, inspired by the idea of angels singing on
Christmas night, echoes the word ‘hosanna’, but sung with no
consonants, giving an otherworldly feel to the music.
Vivace Chorus
3
Bob Chilcott (b 1955)
| Bob
Chilcott is one of the most active
| composers and choral conductors in Britain
' today. He has been involved in choral music
. most of his life; he sang in the choir of King's
. College, Cambridge, both as a boy and as a
- student Choral Scholar, and subsequently
sang tenor in the King’s Singers for 12
years, until 1997 when he turned his focus
' to composing.
Chilcott has been a composer ever since
has poured his energy into choral
and
composition,
Photo: John Bellars
conducting
and
promoting
choral singing throughout the world.
He is well known for his compositions for children’s choir, such as Can
You Hear Me? as well as his many works for mixed voices, including
Requiem, being performed tonight, and A Little Jazz Mass.
As a conductor, Chilcott has worked with choirs and festivals throughout
the world. Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Singers in London since
2002, he has also conducted many other distinguished choirs, including
the RIAS Kammerchor in Berlin, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the
World Youth Choir and the Taipei Chamber Singers.
Requiem
Chilcott's Requiem was first performed in 2010. It is scored for soprano
and tenor soloists, chorus, organ and instrumental ensemble. The text is
the Latin Missa pro Defunctis, the Mass for the Dead, with the addition of
the prayer, Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts from the Book
of Common Prayer. The work is dedicated to the memory of the
composer’s niece, Samantha Verschueren, who tragically died at the age
of only twenty-three whilst the piece was being written.
The Requiem, which is clearly influenced by those of Fauré and Duruflé,
is a contemplative setting appropriate in either a concert or a liturgical
context. The music bears the usual Chilcott hallmarks: strong rhythms,
lyrical melodies and the influence of jazz elements.
The Introit and Kyrie opens over a gently pulsing accompaniment, initially
in the dark key of F minor, but moving into the major for ‘et lux perpetua’.
The pace quickens slightly at the tenor soloist’s entry, ‘Te decet hymnus’,
4
Vivace Chorus
after which the opening material returns, with the addition this time of the
soprano soloist. The tenors and basses of the choir introduce the
Offertorio, which begins urgently, building to a climax at ‘Libera me’. A
gentler tempo ushers in an extended tenor solo at ‘Hostias et preces tibi’.
This eventually leads into the Pie Jesu, a simple, lyrical aria for the
soprano soloist, supported by a subdued choral accompaniment. Jazz
elements now come to the fore in the Sanctus, with its dissonant
harmonies, irregular dancing rhythm and driving energy. The choir’s role
in the Agnus Dei is again that of accompanist, this time to another
expansive tenor solo. Chilcott next inserts a reflective setting for the choir
of the prayer, Thou knowest, Lord, from the Book of Common Prayer.
The Lux aeterna is a re-working of the music from the first movement,
with the soprano soloist’s final phrase ascending heavenward and
bringing the work to a serene close.
John Bawden
1. Introit and Kyrie — Soloists and Chorus
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
let perpetual light shine upon them.
Te decet hymnus Deus, in Sion,
Thou art praised in Zion, O God, and
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem.
homage shall be paid to thee in
Jerusalem.
Exaudi orationem meam.
Hear my prayer;
Ad te omnis caro veniet.
All flesh shall come before thee.
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison.
Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy.
2. Offertorio — Soloists and Chorus
Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriee,
Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,
libera animas omnium fidelium
free the souls of all the faithful
departed
from the pains of hell and from the
defunctorum
de pcenis inferni et de profundo lacu.
Libera eas de ore leonis,
ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
ne cadant in obscurum.
deep pit.
Free them from the jaws of the lion;
lest hell engulf them,
lest they fall into darkness.
Hostias et preces tibi, Domine,
In praise we offer to thee, Lord,
laudis offerimus.
Tu suscipe pro animabus illis,
sacrifices and prayers.
quarum hodie memoriam facimus.
Receive them for the souls
of those we remember this day.
Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire
Make them, Lord, pass from death to
ad vitam,
quam olim Abrahae promisisti et
life,
semini ejus.
his seed.
Vivace Chorus
as thou didst promise Abraham and
3. Pie Jesu — Soprano and Chorus
Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem.
Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis
sempiternam requiem.
Gentle Lord Jesu, grant them rest.
Gentle Lord Jesu, grant them
eternal rest.
4. Sanctus — Chorus
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
Dominus Deus Sabaoth;
pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine
Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Hosts;
Heaven and earth are full of thy
glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who cometh in the
name of the Lord. Hosanna in the
highest.
5. Agnus Dei — Tenor
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
dona eis requiem sempiternam
requiem.
Lamb of God, who taketh away the
sins of the world, grant them rest,
eternal rest.
6. Thou knowest, Lord — Chorus
Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts;
Shut not thy merciful ears to our prayer;
But spare us, Lord most holy,
O God most mighty,
O holy and most merciful Saviour,
Thou most worthy Judge eternal,
Suffer us not at our last hour,
For any pains of death, to fall from thee.
7. Lux aeterna — Soloists and Chorus
Lux eeterna luceat eis, Domine,
Let eternal light shine upon them,
cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
O Lord, with thy saints for ever,
quia pius es.
for thou art good.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine;
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
and let perpetual light shine upon
Requiem zeternum.
them. Eternal rest.
~ Interval~
Vivace Chorus
Paul Mealor (b 1975)
Born
in
St Asaph,
North Wales,
Paul
Mealor studied composition
privately from an early age with John Pickard, and later at the University
of York with Nicola LeFanu and in Copenhagen with Hans Abrahamsen.
Since 2003 he has taught at the University of Aberdeen, where he is
currently Reader in Composition, and has held visiting professorships in
composition at institutions in Scandinavia and the United States.
Mealor's
music,
described
as
having
serene
beauty,
fastidious
craftsmanship and architectural assuredness, has rapidly entered the
repertoire of choirs and singers around the world. His sacred motets,
songs and cycles have been performed, broadcast and recorded by
artists in the UK, USA and much further afield.
Mealor was catapulted to international attention when 2.5 billion people
(the
largest
audience
in
broadcasting
history)
heard
his
motet,
Ubi caritas et amor performed at the wedding of TRH The Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey in April 2011.
Ubi caritas et amor
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Where charity and love are, God is there.
|
Congregavit nos in unum Christi
Christ's love has gathered us into one.
1
amor.
‘
Exultemus, et in ipso jucundemur.
Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero .
And may we love each other with a
|
Temeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
l
Let us fear, and let us love the living God.
sincere heart.
John Rutter (b 1945)
|
Born in London, John Rutter received his first
musical education as a chorister at Highgate
School. He went on to study music at Clare
College, Cambridge.
His compositions include both large- and smallscale choral works, orchestral and instrumental
| pieces, a piano concerto, two children’s operas,
music for television, and specialist writing for
such groups as the Philip Jones Brass
Ensemble and the King’s Singers.
He has co-edited various choral anthologies,
including the Carols for Choirs series with
Vivace Chorus
7
Sir David Willcocks, and, more recently, the Oxford Choral Classics
series.
From 1975 to 1979 he was Director of Music at Clare College and, after
giving up this position to allow more time for composition, he formed the
Cambridge Singers as a professional chamber choir primarily dedicated
to recording.
Rutter now divides his time between composition and
conducting, and has guest-conducted or lectured at many concert halls,
universities, churches, music festivals and conferences in Europe, Africa,
America and Australasia.
He is an honorary Fellow of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, a
Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians, and in 1996 the Archbishop of
Canterbury conferred a Lambeth
Doctorate of Music upon
recognition of his contribution to church music.
him
in
He was honoured in the 2007 Queen’s New Year Honours List, being
awarded a CBE for services to music.
Mass of the Children
Mass of the Children was written in response to an invitation to compose
a new work for a concert given in Carnegie Hall during the American
Choral Directors Association’s national convention in New York in
February 2003. Rutter's larger-scale choral works have been relatively
few — the Gloria, the Requiem and the Magnificat are the most often
performed — but each one has a distinct character. The Mass of the
Children represents something new in the composer’s work insofar as it
was conceived with an integral role for a children’s choir alongside an
adult mixed choir, two soloists and orchestra. The role of the children’s
choir is to add a further dimension to the traditional Latin Mass sung by
the
adult
choir,
sometimes
commenting,
sometimes
amplifying
the
meaning and mood. The Mass itself (a Missa Brevis, that is to say a
Mass without a Credo section) is mainly sung by the adult choir or the
soloists. The children sometimes sing the Latin — for example at the
‘Christe eleison’, the opening of the Gloria and at the Benedictus — but
elsewhere they and the two soloists sing specially chosen English texts
which in some way reflect upon or illuminate the Latin. The work opens
with two verses from Bishop Thomas Ken's morning hymn for the
Scholars of Winchester College, and it closes with the children singing
his evening hymn with Tallis’ timeless melody, as the adults intone the
traditional ‘Dona nobis pacem’, a prayer for peace. This creates a
framework (from waking to sleeping) within which other texts and moods
appear in kaleidoscopic succession, like events in a day or landmarks in
a life.
© Collegium Records
8
Vivace Chorus
1. Kyrie
Children:
Awake my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise
To pay thy morning sacrifice.
Redeem thy mis-spent time that’s past,
Live this day as if 'twere thy last:
Improve thy talent with due care;
For the great Day thyself prepare. (Thomas Ken, 1637—-1711)
Adults, then children and soloists:
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison.
Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy.
Kyrie eleison.
Lord have mercy.
2. Gloria
Children, then adults:
Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax
hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace to men of goodwill.
Children:
Glory be to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth.
Adults:
Laudamus
te,
benedicimus
te,
We praise thee, we bless thee, we
adoramus te.
worship thee..
Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam
We give thanks to thee for thy great
gloriam tuam.
glory.
Soloists:
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Deus
Pater omnipotens.
Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the
Father Almighty.
Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus
Christ.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the
Patris,
Father,
Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere
nobis.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe
deprecationem nostram.
Thou who takest away the sins of the
world, have mercy on us.
Thou who takest away the sins of the
world, receive our prayer.
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,
Thou who sittest at the right hand of
miserere nobis.
the Father, have mercy on us..
Vivace Chorus
Adults:
Quoniam Tu solus sanctus, Tu solus
Dominus, Tu solus altissimus,
Jesu Christe, Cum Sancto Spiritu in
gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
For Thou only art holy, Thou only art
the Lord, Thou only art most high,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in
the glory of God the Father. Amen.
3. Sanctus and Benedictus
Adults:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus
Deus Sabaoth, Hosanna!
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts;
Hosannal!
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Children, then adults and soloists:
Benedictus qui venit in nomine
Blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord. Hosanna!
Domini. Hosanna!
4. Agnus Dei
Adults:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Lamb of God, who takest away the
sins of the world, have mercy on us.
miserere nobis.
Children:
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life and bid thee feed,
By the stream and o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice:
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Adults and children:
Little lamb, I'll tell thee;
Little lamb, I'll tell thee:
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb:
He is meek and he is mild,
He became a little child:
| a child and thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
Little lamb, God bless thee.
Little lamb, God bless thee.
Adults:
Miserere nobis.
10
(William Blake, 1757—-1827)
Have mercy on us.
Vivace Chorus
5. Finale
Baritone soloist:
Lord, open thou mine eyes that | may see thee;
Lord, open thou my lips that | may praise thee;
Lord, open thou my heart that | may love thee,
Serve thee with joy, fear none above thee.
Christ be my sword and shield, my strong defender;
Christ be my light and my Redeemer.
Lord, be with me this day in each endeavour;
Lord, keep my soul with thee now and for ever.
(based on a prayer of Lancelot Andrewes, 1555—-1626)
Adults:
Dona nobis pacem.
Grant us peace.
Soprano soloist:
Christ, be my guide today, my guide tomorrow;
Christ in my days of joy, my days of sorrow;
Christ in the silent hours when | lie sleeping,
Safe in his holy angels’ keeping.
Christ be within the hearts of all who love me;
Christ all around, and Christ above me.
Christ in my thought and prayer and my confessing;
Christ, when | go to rest, grant me your blessing.
(based on St Patrick’s Breastplate, a 5th-century prayer)
Adults:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, who takest away the
sins of the world, grant us peace.
Children (at the same time):
Glory to thee, my God, this night
For all the blessings of the light;
Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,
Beneath thy own almighty wings.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,
Praise him, all creatures here below,
Praise him above, ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
(Thomas Ken)
All:
Dona nobis pacem.
Vivace Chorus
Grant us peace.
From an early age Emily has enjoyed
listening to and performing classical
music. She has sung with many
choirs
including
The
National
Children’s Choir of Great Britain, The
National Youth Choir of Great Britain
and The National Ladies’ Chamber
Choir, Dulce Corum. Some of her
favorite
performances include The
Medium by Menotti with Somerset
Opera, performing in the choir for the
Philharmonia’s
performance
of
The Planets at The Royal
Festival Hall and recording with the
Holst's
BBC Symphony Orchestra, as part of
the
chorus
for
Dance
of the
;
‘
’
Snowflakes from Tchaikovsky's
Nutcracker conducted by Barry Wordsworth.
The
Emily has been fortunate enough to tour Australia and New Zealand with
various choirs, and to perform in New York and Florence, as well as
many places in the UK and Ireland as a soloist.
Emily recently graduated with a First Class BMus (Hons) degree in
Classical Performance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and
Dance, where she studied with Wendy Eathorne. Whilst studying for her
BMus Emily performed many operatic roles including: Pamina (Die
Zauberfléte), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Controller (Flight) and Countess
(Le nozze di Figaro). Highlights also include being invited to take part in
- the Junior Kathleen Ferrier Competition and working with Errollyn Wallen
on her new gospel opera Murder in the Cathedral at the National Theatre
Studios.
All of these projects have given her a varied repertoire, which she has
been able to incorporate in recitals, the highlight being in June 2011
when Emily performed a solo recital at the Guildhall for Princess Anne
and Prince Michael of Kent. Emily is currently in her first year of an MA at
The Royal Academy of Music, studying with Kathleen Livingstone, and is
generously supported by The Josephine Baker Trust.
12
Vivace Chorus
Philip Modinos is a young rising
dramatic tenor.
In the 2012-13 season he made
some
remarkable
debuts,
including the title role in Verdi’s
Otello and Wagner's Siegfried
in Londonand
as
Turiddu
in
Mascagni’'s Cavalleria Rusticana
for the National Opera of Greece.
His
voice,
expands
a
rare Heldentenor,
already
over
a
wide
repertoire,
showing
an
extraordinary
strength
and
elegance
in
the
most dramatic
roles.
In addition to Otello and Siegfried, other roles that he has sung include:
Don José in Bizet's Carmen, Radames in Verdi’s Aida, Luigi in Puccini’s
Il tabarro, Gabriele Adorno in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, Canio in
Leoncavallo’s / Pagliacci, Pinkerton in Puccini's Madam Butterfly, and
Ishmael in Verdi’'s Nabucco, to name but a few.
Philip has appeared as a soloist in Greece, England, Italy, Spain,
France, Cyprus, Egypt, Germany and the USA and he has performed in
numerous venues such as the National Opera of Greece, the Barbican,
St. John's, Smith Square, Teatro de la Feria in Valladollid, and many
others.
Philip has been awarded the Onassis Scholarship (by the Onassis
Foundation) and the Greek Wagner Gesellschaft Bursary in 2011 (Dame
Gwyneth Jones presiding). He has also been assisted by the Josephine
Baker Trust.
Tonight's concert is being held in Guildford Cathedral
by kind permission of the Dean and Chapter
Vivace Chorus
13
Richard was educated at the King's
School, Gloucester, after which he
at
scholar
choral
a
became
Portsmouth Cathedral in 2008/9 and
then went on to become a lay clerk at
Gloucester Cathedral in 2009/10.
Gloucester
at
time
his
During
solo
many
had
Richard
Cathedral,
opportunities, most notably in a
performance of Handel's Messiah.
Richard also performed the bass solos
in Walton’'s The Twelve during the
BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong,
broadcast live from the Gloucester
Three Choirs Festival in 2010.
Richard was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in
2010, where he currently studies undergraduate singing with Mark
Wildman and lain Leddingham. During his time at the Royal Academy,
Richard has enjoyed the chance to sing in the Kohn Foundation Bach
Cantata chorus. He has also enjoyed solo performances on the recital
platform, performing Schumann’s Dichterlieb and Finzi's song cycle Let
us Garlands Bring, as well as on the operatic stage, performing the part
of Antonio in a production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro at the
Amersham Music Festival. Richard has recently taken part in master
classes with English song and German Lieder experts Roderick Williams,
Florian Boesch and Wolfgang Holzmair. In October 2011, during his
second year at the Royal Academy of Music, Richard reached the final of
the Kathleen Ferrier Society Bursary for Young Singers.
As a baritone soloist, Richard has had a variety of performance
opportunities, including: Fauré’s Requiem at Gloucester Cathedral and
the Colston Hall, Bristol, with conductor Adrian Partington and the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Pilate and arias in Bach's St John
Passion; recitative parts in Bach’s St Mathew Passion in the Amersham
Music Festival; Zebul in Handel's Jeptha; and solos in Mozart and Haydn
Masses in High Wycombe, and Brahms’ Requiem. Future engagements
include Handel's Messiah, Schubert's Mass in G and the Mozart
Requiem.
14
Vivace Chorus
,
Jeremy
Backhouse
musical
career
in
Canterbury
where
he
was
Cathedral,
began
his
Head
Chorister, and later studied music at
Liverpool
University.
He
spent
5 years as Music Editor at the Royal
National
Institute
of
Blind
People
(RNIB), where he was responsible for
the transcription of print music into
Braille.
In
1986
he
joined
EMI
Records as a Literary Editor and from
April 1990 combined his work as a
Consultant Editor for EMI Classics and later Boosey & Hawkes Music
Publishers with his career as a freelance conductor.
In
January
1995,
Jeremy
was
appointed
Chorus
Master
and
subsequently Music Director of the Vivace Chorus (then the Guildford
Philharmonic
Choir).
Jeremy
ambitious
programmes,
Vaughan
Williams’
has
presented
and
Howell's
Hymnus
conducted
some
and
Szymanowski’'s Stabat Mater, Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony (No. 2),
A
including
Sea
Symphony,
Mendelssohn’s
Paradisi
‘Lobgesang’
(Symphony No. 2), Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible,
and, most recently, Mahler's ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ (No. 8) in the
Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Major classical
popular works have included Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Verdi's
Requiem and Haydn's The Creation.
Since 1980, Jeremy has been the conductor of the Vasari Singers,
acknowledged as one of the finest chamber choirs in the country,
performing music from the Renaissance to contemporary commissions.
Jeremy is totally committed to contemporary music and to the
commissioning of new works. He and Vasari have commissioned over
20 works in their recent history, and this enthusiasm has spread to the
Vivace Chorus who, in May 2009, performed the premiere of their first
commission — local composer Will Todd's Te Deum.
Jeremy has also worked with a number of the country's leading choirs,
including the Philharmonia Chorus, the London Choral Society and the
Brighton Festival Chorus. For 6 years, to the end of 2004, Jeremy was
the Music Director of the Wooburn Singers, following Richard Hickox and
Stephen Jackson. In January 2009, Jeremy was
Director of the Salisbury Community Choir.
Vivace Chorus
appointed
Music
15
the
@nburg
Br’an@]
sinfona
Artistic Director — Robert Porter
Associate Music Director — Sarah Tenant-Flowers
The Brandenburg Sinfonia is one of the most dynamically versatile
musical organisations in the country. It is renowned for its special quality
of sound and poised vivacity in performance. The orchestra performs
regularly in the majority of the major venues across the country, and in
London at the Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall,
Fairfield Halls and St John's, Smith Square. The Brandenburg Sinfonia is
also in great demand abroad and has visited France, USA, Bermuda, the
Channel Islands, Barbados, Russia, Germany, Japan and Hong Kong. In
1999 the orchestra established major concert series at both St Martin-inthe-Fields and Crystal Palace Bowl.
A large number of artists of international standing have worked with the
orchestra including Emanuel Hurwitz, Lesley Garrett, John Georgiadis,
John Wallace, Michael Thompson and Gordon Hunt. Its repertoire
ranges from Bach to Lloyd Webber and its members give around 100
performances of orchestral, chamber, choral and operatic music during
the year. The orchestras for a number of touring companies are formed
from members of the Brandenburg Sinfonia including First Act Opera,
London City Opera, Opera Holland Park, London Opera Players and
Central Festival Opera.
Flute
Anna Wolstenholme
Oboe
Rachel Broadbent
Clarinet
Harry Cameron-Penny
Bassoon
Adam McKenzie
Horn
Nick Wolmark
Double bass
Anthony Williams
Harp
Sue Blair
Timpani
Tim Evans
Percussion
Sarah Stuart
Janne Metsapelto
g;s\;/iadnCoram
Some of the printed music for this evening's concert has been hired from
Surrey County Council Performing Arts Library and
Oxford University Press Music Hire Library
16
Vivace Chorus
Vivace Chorus
Music Director: Jeremy Backhouse
Accompanist: Francis Pott
Chairman: James Garrow
Vivace Chorus has two aims: to make
!
music of the highest standard and to
have fun while doing so.
The choir has come a long way since it
began
over 60 years ago as the
Philharmonic Choir, gaining
over time an enviable reputation for
Guildford
E
performing first-class concerts across a
wide range of musical repertoire.
Since 1995, the choir has thrived under the exceptional leadership of our
Music Director, Jeremy Backhouse, ably supported now by Francis Pott.
Jeremy’s passion for choral works and his sheer enthusiasm for musicmaking are evident at every rehearsal and every performance, and
Francis is not just a very fine rehearsal accompanist but is also a
composer of international repute and a concert pianist in his own right.
Indeed he was the soloist in our concert last May, giving an acclaimed
rendition of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
We relish the opportunity to
more
unusual
works such as
Symphony
No.
perform
Mabhler’s
8,
or
Prokofiev’s
Alexander
Nevsky as
W
great
} of
much
choral
Verdi,
as
the
masterpieces
Bach,
Brahms,
Handel or Haydn. At a more
§
intimate
i
home
level,
with
the
we
are
at
works
of
Fauré, Tavener, Allegri or
:
Contemporary
music is an |mportant feature of the repertoire and our Contemporary
Choral Classics’ series, to which tonight’'s concert belongs, is designed
both to challenge the choir and to promote the classics of the future.
Vivace Chorus
Lauridsen.
17
Particular successes have included a sell-out performance of Mahler's
Symphony No. 8, the ‘Symphony of a Thousand’, at the Royal Albert Hall
in May 2011, involving five choirs and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Jeremy, and a highly acclaimed performance last
November of Britten's War Requiem. Following our sell-out debut at
‘G Live’ in March last year with A Night at the Opera, this first-rate
concert hall was packed again for our Elgar concert this March — see the
review on page 22. We look forward to presenting another varied
programme next season, starting with a concert of contrasting works by
Haydn and Jenkins in November, and ending with another Royal Albert
Hall production, this time of the ever-popular Verdi Requiem.
In addition to our own concerts, we also sing in various charity concerts,
including the Mayor of Guildford’s annual Carol Concert, and with our
stalwart supporters, the Brandenburg Sinfonia, we sing twice a year in
one of London’s popular concert venues, St Martin-in-the-Fields.
We also, on occasion, venture further afield. We have visited Germany
many times over the years to sing with the Freiburg Bachchor. Other
trips abroad have included a tour, in June 2009, of north-west France
when we sang in the cathedrals of Paris (Notre-Dame), Rouen and
Beauvais, while in June last year we headed across France to
Strasbourg, giving concerts also in Germany, in Heidelberg and Freiburg.
We are already planning a tour next year to Verona, when we will give
three concerts, in Verona, Bardolino (Lake Garda) and Venice.
If that whets your appetite, do come
B
"
SN
and join us! New members are B¥
T
always welcome. We rehearse in =
Holy Trinity Church, Guildford High §
Street, on Monday evenings. Just
turn up (before 7.15), or contact our
membership secretary Jane Brooks
at membership@vivacechorus.org.
For further information, visit our
website, vivacechorus.org, where
:
you can also sign up to receive information about our concerts, email us
at info@vivacechorus.org or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
18
Vivace Chorus
Vivace Chorus Singers
FIRST SOPRANO
FIRST ALTO
Jo Glover
FIRST BASS
Pam Alexander
Barbara Barklem
Margaret
John Britten
Helen Beevers
Penny Baxter
Jane Brooks
Grisewood
Carol Hobbs
Simon Browning
Mary Broughton
Elaine Chapman
Jenny Cane
Yvonne
Brian John
Rachel Edmondson
Margaret
Hungerford
Eric Kennedy
Jon Long
Adrian Oxborrow
Chris Peters
Rebecca Kerby
Dentskevich
Derek Fisher
Liz Durning
Margaret Mann
Val Morcom
Susan Norton
Kate Emerson
Jacqueline
Robin Onslow
Jean Leston
Margaret Parry
Judith Lewy
Beryl Northam
David Ross
Margaret Perkins
Lois McCabe
Sheila Rowell
Philip Stanford
Kate Rayner
Gillian Rix
Kay McManus
Jo Stokes
Rosey Storey
Barry SterndaleBennett
Mo Kfouri
Christine Medlow
Norman
Robin Privett
Carol Terry
Rosalind Milton
Pamela Usher
Joan Thomas
Mary Moon
Anne Whitley
SECOND BASS
Hilary Vaill
Penny Muray
June Windle
Elisabeth Yates
Peter Andrews
Gill Perkins
SECOND
Lesley Scordellis
SOPRANO
Jacqueline Alderton
Anna Arthur
Mandy Freeman
Marianne llisley
Krystyna Marsden
Kate McGuire
Catherine
Shacklady
Ann Smith
Marjory Stewart
Hilary Trigg
Maggie Woolcock
FIRST TENOR
Bob Bromham
Bob Cowell
Tim Hardyment
Nick Manning
Martin Price
Chris Robinson
SECOND ALTO
Rachael Moore
Debbie Morton
Alison Newbery
Gillian Palmer
Geraldine Allen
SECOND TENOR
Evelyn Beastall
John Bawden
Sylvia Chantler
Mary Clayton
Peter Butterworth
Tony Chantler
Kate Peters
Andrea Dombrowe
Geoff Johns
Isobel Rooth
Celia Embleton
Stephen Linton
Peter Norman
Jon Scott
John Thornely
Elizabeth Evans
Frances Worpe
Valerie Garrow
Dave Cox
Geoffrey Forster
James Garrow
Michael Jeffery
Neil Martin
Michael Taylor
John Trigg
Isabel Mealor
Christine Wilks
Roger Barrett
Norman Carpenter
Vivace Chorus is grateful to
The Josephine Baker Trust
for the sponsorship of two of this evening’s soloists:
Emily Garland and Richard Walshe.
The staging for tonight's concert is owned by the Association of Surrey Choirs
To hire please contact Carrie Tinsley, Cathedral Office. tel: 01483 547870
Vivace Chorus
19
Farnham Youth Choir
For 27 years Farnham Youth Choir under the direction of founder David
Victor-Smith MBE, has been one of the UK’s leading upper voice choirs
for 12 to 18 year-olds. Choristers are drawn from some 20 schools both
state and private in a 15 mile radius of Farnham, Surrey, many having
begun their singing career in the organisation’s three junior choirs.
The normal repertoire of the youth choir covers some 30 songs
performed from memory, including many different styles and spanning
several centuries of choral music. However, the choir is also in demand
to perform semi-choruses in concerts such as this tonight. Indeed, FYC
has taken part in performances of Rutter's Mass of the Children in St
Paul's Cathedral, King’s College Cambridge and several times in
Guildford Cathedral, most notably giving the UK premiere of the work in
2002, by invitation of the composer.
Farnham Youth Choir has performed in concert with the King’s Singers,
Aled Jones, and several times with John Rutter and the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra. The choir has released seven CDs of repertoire
since 1993, with a further one due for release in Autumn 2013. In
addition, FYC has worked on recording projects with John Rutter on two
occasions, including a CD of Mass of the Children released on the Naxos
label.
Farnham Youth Choir has performed all over the world, notably in China,
Singapore, Australia and mainland Europe. It has won a string of national
and international awards for choral excellence, including a Gold Medal at
the World Choir Games in Cincinnati in 2012 and more recently two top
prizes, the Prix de Montreux and Audience Prize at the Montreux
International Choral Festival.
Tonight’s singers are:
Thomas Adams
Tallulah Armstrong
Elizabeth Bamford
Melissa Bensley
Amy Brogden
Caroline Brown
Eleanor Burden
Bethany Daniels
Laura Denton
Grace Desouza
Rachel Dicker
20
Anna Evans
Julia Evans
Megan Everett
Holly Giles
Alice Goodearl
Thomas Green
Lisa Gun
Cuninghame
Annabel Hanssen
Saskia
Hardcastle
Chloe Hepworth
Phoebe Heveron
Isobel Honeywood
Amber Li
Sophie-Claire
McLeod
Louise Nicholls
Amelia Pay
Isabelle Pay
Martha Pearce
Annabel Rieden
Flora Shaw
Alice Shires
Emma Stonehouse
Grace Tompkins
Georgina Utting
Bryony Waterman
Lucy Webb
Madeline Wilde
Thomas Wilde
Martha Woodhams
Vivace Chorus
;
4
c»f“?j\
Oy
S
&
'Breathtaking Harmony of Sweet Voices'
From a review in the Surrey Advertiser, by
Gillian Brierley, of Vivace Chorus's March 2013 concert
The Vivace Chorus brought to the opening of Vaughan Williams'
Serenade to Musica gentle sweetness of sound which was quite
- captivating, and as the harmonies faded the sopranos gave us the most limpid top A
. in the phrase ‘of sweet harmony’. The weight of the orchestra covered the words in
- many places; however the choral colour and beautiful legato cannot be faulted.
" This performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto, soloist Julian Lloyd Webber, was full of
. interest. The orchestra were so sensitive to Lloyd Webber's solo passages, moving as
: one, sometimes quite playfully, that it felt more intimate than I have heard before,
- almost a chamber performance. There were many exquisite pianissimi from the cello, -
- 50 soft as to draw the listener in, and then in contrast some wonderfully burnished
' brass forte sections.
* The second half began with the unaccompanied part song There is sweet music. Here
. were some beautifully shaped phrases and no orchestra to mask the words, so the
' poetry was able to sing as sweetly to us as the voices.
- The programme concluded with a third Elgar work, The Music Makers. Elgar has
- composed a wonderful tapestry of sound and colour and the Vivace Chorus wove the
" threads with utmost sensitivity. At last we heard the choir in full flow, with some
thrilling forte passages, which certainly made sense of the text - 'and therefore
! today is thrilling'. This final piece showed Jeremy Backhouse in full control of all the *
- musical forces before him, and he gave us a dynamic performance. The final phrase
. 'We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams’ was perhaps the
;
highlight of the evening, spinning out endlessly into a breathless hush. It was hard to
' break it with the deserved applause..and we left the concert hall - (forgive a
* further quote from the final item) ~'our souls with high music ringing. ’
Vivace Chorus
21
International
Orchestral
ee
Concert Series
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
Wed 23 October 2013
Sat 22 March 2014
Czech National
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphony Orchestra
Wed 2 April 2014
Wed 27 November 2013
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
e
European Union
Chamber Orchestra
Fri 14 February 2014
EEE SURREY
104FM | 104.6 FM | bbe.co.ukisurrey
.
:
Wed 7 May 2014
BOOK ONLINE
Glive.co.uk
0844 7701 797 London Road, Guildford GU1 2AA
Vivace Chorus Patrons
The Vivace Chorus is extremely grateful to all patrons
for their financial support.
Honorary Life Patrons:
Mr Bill Bellerby MBE
Dr John Trigg MBE
Mrs Doreen Bellerby MBE
Premier Patrons:
Dr Michael Golden
Platinum Patrons:
Mrs Rita Horton
Dr Roger Barrett
Mr Laurie James
Mr & Mrs Peter B P Bevan
Mrs Pamela Leggatt
John and Barbara Britten
John and Janet McLean
Mr & Mrs R H R Broughton
Ron and Christine Medlow
Mr Michael Dawe
Dr Roger Muray
Mr & Mrs G Dombrowe
Mr & Mrs John Parry
Mr & Mrs Joseph Durning
Dr & Mrs M G M Smith
Susan and Cecil Hinton
Mrs Pamela Usher
Mrs Carol Hobbs
Bill and June Windle
Gold Patrons:
Robin and Jill Broadley
Mrs Jean Radley
Mrs Philip Davies
Brenda and Brian Reed
Mr & Mrs Maxwell S New
Prue and Derek Smith
Silver Patrons:
Mrs Iris Bennett
Mr Lionel Moon
Bob & Maryel Cowell
Maggie van Koetsveld
If you have enjoyed this concert, why not become one of our patrons?
We have a loyal band of followers whose regular presence at our
concerts is greatly appreciated. With the valued help of our patrons, we
are able to perform a wide range of exciting music, with world-class,
professional musicians in venues such as Guildford Cathedral, G Live
and the Royal Albert Hall. Patrons enjoy discounts of between 10% and
30% off concert tickets, reserved seating and priority booking for the best
seats for as little as £50pa. If you are interested, please contact Joan
Thomas on 01483 893178 or email: patrons@vivacechorus.org.
Vivace Chorus
23
SING IN MUSICALS & OPERETTA?
WANT TO BECOME A STAR OVERNIGHT?
PERFORM IN A THEATRE SHOW?
IMPROVE YOUR CONFIDENCE?
EXPERT COACHING FROM INTERNATIONAL
OPERA SINGER PHILIP O'BRIEN
Take a course of seven lessons throughout the summer
leading to rehearsals and a show in a theatre!
From age seven upwards
For more information and an application form contact
Amanda (07974 948009) or Philip (07919 154477)
Vivace Chorus dates for your diary
Next concert:
Saturday 16TM November 2013, 7.30pm Guildford Cathedral
Jenkins: The Armed Man — A mass for peace
Haydn: Missa in tempore belli — Mass in time of war
And don’t forget...
Sunday 18" May 2014, Royal Albert Hall with The London Philharmonic
Choir, Wimbledon and Twickenham Choral Societies, and the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra: the Verdi Requiem
Further details at vivacechorus.org
or from info@vivacechorus.org
Printed by WORDCRAFT
115 Merrow Woods, Guildford, Surrey GU1 2LJ
Tel: 01483 560735
Vivace Chorus
24
Registered Charity No. 1026337
Vivace Chorus
‘There’sa Varilux
il
vAaRriLux
lens for everyone.
Ask us for details.
1b High Street Camberley, Surrey GU15 3QU Telephone 01276 21791
202 Fleet Road, Fleet, Hants GU51 4BY Telephone 01252 613733
37 High Street, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3DY Telephone 01483 575650
17 Commercial Way, Woking, Surrey GU21 6XR Telephone 01483 766800
YA