Past Performances

 

 

 

Spring Concert 2008

Brahms


'German Requiem'

 

Set to words of the Holy Scriptures - 

a beautiful, large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and soloists.

 

Johannes Brahms

(1833-1897)

Monteverdi


'Beatus Vir' 

 

His motet-form setting of Psalm 112 -

a superb example of his dramatic style

Claudio Monteverdi
(1567-1643)

Vivaldi

 

'Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera'

 

His lyrical Italian Baroque style motet:

"In this world there is no honest peace"

Antonio Vivaldi
(1678-1741)

Venue:

All Saints Church, Ryde, IoW

Date:

Saturday, 5th APRIL 2008 at 19:30 pm

Ryde Chorus:

Under mus. dir. Philip Fryer

Orchestra:

IOW Symphony Orchestra (leader Kirsty Robertson)

Soloists:

Soprano - tbc
Alto - tbc
Tenor - tbc
Bass - tbc
Organist - tbc

 

Programme Notes:

 


1. Johannes Brahms - German Requiem (op 45)


"Ein deutsches Requiem, nach Worten der heiligen Schrift", Op. 45 (English: A German Requiem, to words of the Holy Scriptures) is a large-scale work for chorus, orchestra, and soloists, composed by Johannes Brahms between 1865 and 1868. "Ein deutsches Requiem" is sacred but non-liturgical. It comprises seven movements, which together last 70-80 minutes, making it Brahms's longest composition.

Brahms's mother died in February 1865, a loss that painfully grieved him and that may well have inspired Ein deutsches Requiem. Brahms's lingering feelings over Robert Schumann's death in July 1856 may also have been a motivation, though his reticence about such matters makes this uncertain. By the end of April 1865, Brahms had completed the first, second, and fourth movements. The second movement used some previously abandoned musical material written in 1854, the year of Schumann's mental collapse and attempted suicide, and of Brahms's move to Düsseldorf to assist Clara Schumann and her seven children.

Brahms completed all but what is now the fifth movement by August 1866. Johannes Herbeck conducted the first three movements in Vienna on December 1, 1867. Though the partial premiere went poorly, all six movements then extant were premiered in the Bremen cathedral six months later on Good Friday, 12 April 1868, with Brahms conducting and Julius Stockhausen as the baritone soloist. The performance was a great success and marked a turning point in his career. Brahms added the fifth movement in May 1868. It was first sung in Zurich on September 12, 1868 by Ida Suter-Weber, with Friedrich Hegar conducting the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. The final, seven-movement version of "Ein deutsches Requiem" was premiered in Leipzig on February 18, 1869 with Carl Reinecke conducting the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Chorus, and soloists Emilie Bellingrath-Wagner and Franz Krükl.

Brahms assembled the libretto to "Ein deutsches Requiem" himself. In contrast to the traditional Roman Catholic requiem mass, which employs a standardized text in Latin, "Ein deutsches Requiem" derives its text from Martin Luther's German Bible translation. Brahms's first known use of the title A German Requiem was in an 1865 letter to Clara Schumann in which he wrote that he intended for the piece to be "a sort of German Requiem". Brahms was quite moved when he found out years later that Robert Schumann had planned a work of the same name. German refers primarily to the language rather than the intended audience. Brahms told Karl Martin Reinthaler, director of music at the Bremen cathedral, that he would have gladly called the work "A Human Requiem".

Although the Requiem Mass in the Roman Catholic liturgy begins with prayers for the dead ("Grant them eternal rest, O Lord"), "Ein deutsches Requiem" emphasizes comforting the living, beginning with the text "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." A comparable sacred, humanist worldview persists through the work. In fact, Brahms purposefully omitted Christian dogma. In his correspondence with Karl Reinthaler, when Reinthaler expressed concern over this, Brahms refused to add references to "the redeeming death of the Lord", as Reinthaler put it, such as John 3:16. In the Bremen performance of the piece, Reinthaler took the liberty of inserting the aria "I know that my redeemer liveth" from Handel's Messiah, with a view to satisfy the clergy.

The work is in seven movements:

  • "Selig sind, die da Leid tragen" (Blessed are they that mourn)
  • "Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras" (For all flesh is as grass)
  • "Herr, lehre doch mich" (Lord, make me to know mine end)
  • "Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen" (How lovely is thy dwelling place)
  • "Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit" (And ye now therefore have sorrow)
  • "Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt" (For here have we no lasting home)
  • "Selig sind die Toten" (Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord)

[Source: Wikipedia]

 


2. Claudio Monteverdi - Beatus Vir



Beatus Vir, which was probably composed in 1630, was published in the composer’s 1641 collection Selva Morale e Spirituali. The motet, a setting of Psalm 112, is a superb example of Monteverdi’s dramatic style. It contrasts pairs or small groups of voices with the weight of the full chorus, a technique known as stile concertato - one of the most characteristic features of baroque music. The piece is scored for six-part chorus and soloists, with organ, basso continuo and two obbligato violin parts.

Without doubt, Monteverdi was the greatest of the Italian Renaissance composers. He revolutionised the music of the theatre and the church with his dramatic and imaginative use of instruments and voices, and with his daring harmonies. In 1613 Monteverdi was appointed Master of the Music at St. Mark’s, Venice. He remained there until his death in 1643, devoting his time to directing the choir and composing a series of wonderful sacred pieces which spread his fame throughout Europe.

[Source: John Bawden, Musical Dir. (1994-2006), Fareham Philharmonic Choir]


3. Antonio Vivaldi - Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera



Nulla in mundo pax sincera (RV 630) is a motet composed by Antonio Vivaldi, the title of which may be translated as "In this world there is no honest peace". Written in the key of E major and in the typical lyrical Italian Baroque style, it is scored for solo soprano, two violins, viola and basso continuo, this would normally be a cello and keyboard instrument, in Vivaldi's case often the organ. The piece praises Jesus Christ for the salvation he offers (in Christianity) to an imperfect world full of evil and sin; as one of Vivaldi's sacred works, the lyrics are accordingly written in the traditional Latin.

The motet consists of three parts (Aria; Recitative; Aria), followed by a concluding Alleluia. A full performance of the piece takes approximately nine and a half minutes - nearly eight minutes of which are spent entirely on the first aria.


 

Aria
Nulla in mundo pax sincera
sine felle; pura et vera,
dulcis Jesu, est in te.
Inter poenas et tormenta
vivit anima contenta
casti amoris sola spe.
 Aria
In this world there is no honest peace
free from bitterness; pure and true
peace, sweet Jesus. lies in Thee.
Amidst punishment and torment
lives the contented soul,
chaste love its only hope.
Recitative
Blando colore oculos mundus decepit
at occulto vulnere corda conficit;
fugiamus ridentem, vitemus sequentem,
nam delicias ostentado arte secura
vellet ludendo superare.
 Recitative
This world deceives the eye by surface charms,
but is corroded within by hidden wounds.
Let us flee him who smiles, shun him who follows us,
for by skilfully displaying its pleasures, this world
overwhelms us by deceit.
Aria
Spirit anguis
inter flores et colores
explicando tegit fel.
Sed occulto tactus ore
homo demens in amore
saepe lambit quasi mel.
 Aria
The serpent’s hiss conceals its venom,
as it uncoils itself
among blossoms and beauty.
But with a furtive touch of the lips,
a man maddened by love
will often kiss as if licking honey.
Alleluia
 Alleluia


Seeing the technical skills which the composer frequently demands of his soloists (for example, the vivid representation of Satan's wiles in Nulla in mundo), one can only marvel at tile abilities of singers in Vivaldi's day. Here was a composer who was wonderfully individual, testing both musical forms and his singers to the utmost, writing music of great life and spirit which is immediately approachable for performers and listeners.

[Source: Wikipedia & Hyperion Records]

 

 

 

Spring Concert 2007

Faure
1. 'Requiem' - a beautiful choral–orchestral setting of the Catholic Mass for the Dead

 

2. 'Cantique de Jean Racine' - his first significant composition and a perennial favourite of audiences.

Gabriel Faure

(1845 - 1924)

Beethoven
 3. 'Mass in C' - his long-underrated masterpiece, which always delights and surprises audiences of the choral music style

Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770 - 1827)

Venue:

All Saints Church, Ryde, IoW

Date:

Saturday, 16th June 2007 at 19:30 pm

Ryde Chorus:

Under mus. dir. Philip Fryer

Orchestra:

IOW Symphony Orchestra (leader Kirsty Robertson)

Soloists:

Soprano - Helen Stanger 
Alto - Susannah Vernon 
Tenor - Robin Lang 
Bass - Martin Johnson 
Organist - Andrew Cooper

 

Programme Notes:

 


1. Gabriel Faure - Requiem
 

Gabriel Fauré composed his Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 between 1877 and 1890. This choral–orchestral setting of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead is the best known of his large works. The most famous movement is the soprano aria Pie Jesu. Camille Saint-Saëns said of it, "just as Mozart's is the only Ave verum Corpus, this is the only Pie Jesu. Faure's reasons for composing his Requiem are uncertain. One possible impetus may have been the death of Fauré's father in 1885, and his mother's death two years later on New Year's Eve 1887. However, by the time of his mother's death he had already begun the work, which he later declared was "composed for nothing … for fun, if I may be permitted to say so!"

 

The earliest composed music included in the Requiem is the "Libera Me", which Fauré wrote in 1877 as an independent work. In 1887–88, Fauré composed the first version of the work, which he called "un petit Requiem"[3] with five movements (Introit and Kyrie, Sanctus, Pie Jesu, Agnus Dei and In Paradisum), but did not include the "Libera Me". This version was first performed January 16, 1888 under the composer’s direction in La Madeleine in Paris. The treble soloist was Louis Aubert, and the occasion was the funeral of one Joseph La Soufaché, an architect.

 

In 1889, Fauré added the "Hostias" portion of the Offertory and in 1890 he expanded the Offertory and added the 1877 "Libera Me". This second version, known today as the chamber orchestra version, was premièred January 21, 1893, again at the Madeleine with Fauré conducting.

 

In 1899–1900, the score was reworked for full orchestra. There is some question as to whether this was the work of Fauré himself or one of his students (see below). This version was premiered April 6, 1900, with Eugène Ysaÿe conducting. It was the best known version until John Rutter rediscovered Fauré's original manuscript of the chamber orchestra version in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris in the early 1980s.

In 1924 the Requiem was performed at Fauré's own funeral. It was not performed in the United States until 1931, and then only at a student concert at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. It did not reach England until 1936.

 

The piece has a duration of about 35 minutes. It consists of seven movements:

1. Introït et Kyrie (D minor)
2. Offertoire (B minor)
3. Sanctus (E-flat major)
4. Pie Jesu (B-flat major)
5. Agnus Dei et Lux Aeterna (F major)
6. Libera Me (D minor)
7. In Paradisum (D major)

[Source: Wikipedia]

 


2. Gabriel Faure - Cantique de Jean Racine (HWV 258)

Cantique de Jean Racine (Op. 11) is a work for mixed chorus and organ by Gabriel Fauré. Written in 1865, the piece won Fauré the first prize when he graduated from the École Niedermeyer that year. The text comes from a prayer by Jean Racine.

[Source: Wikipedia]


The Cantique is a setting of words by the 17th century dramatist and poet Jean Racine. It was Fauré’s first significant composition, written in 1865 whilst he was in his final year at the École Niedermeyer, the ‘École de musique religieuse et classique’. He submitted the piece for the composition prize, and won, though it was only published eleven years later, with a full orchestral version following in 1906. Fauré went on to write a good deal of religious music – most notably the Requiem, written in 1888 – but of the shorter sacred pieces it is the Cantique that has particularly captured the affections of choirs and audiences.

 

[Source: John Bawden - Fareham Philharmonic Choir]

 


3. Ludwig van Beethoven - Mass in C major (opus 86)


 

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his Mass in C major (or Mass in C) to a commission from Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II in 1807. In fulfilling this commission, Beethoven was extending a tradition established by Joseph Haydn, who following his return from England in 1795 had composed one mass per year for the Esterházy family, to celebrate the name day of the Prince's wife. Haydn had ceased this tradition with the failure of his health in 1802. It was given its first performance on September 13, 1807. In addition to four vocal soloists and chorus, the score calls for pairs of woodwinds, horns and trumpets, timpani, organ, and strings.

 

Prince Nikolaus did not appreciate the mass, causing Beethoven to leave his house in a rage. Charles Rosen, in his The Classical Style, has called the episode Beethoven's "most humiliating public failure". The mass is appreciated by critics (such as Rosen), but is probably one of the less often performed of Beethoven's larger works. Of the work, Michael Moore writes "While [it] is often overshadowed by the immense Missa Solemnis, written some fifteen years later, it has a directness and an emotional content that the latter work sometimes lacks." The widely-read Penguin Guide to Compact Discs (2004 edition) forthrightly calls the work a "long-underrated masterpiece."

 

The work is in five movements:

1. Kyrie

2. Gloria

3. Credo

4. Sanctus

5. Agnus Dei

 

[Source: Wikipedia]

 

 

Christmas Concert 2006

I SAW THREE SHIPS

A collection of Traditional Works and two by.. 

 

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
from his Four Motets for Christmas:

II. Quem Vidistis Pastores Dicite

III. Videntes Stellam

 

Congregational carols for the whole family to join in!

Francis Poulenc

(ca. 1940)

Venue:

St Saviour's Church, Clifftops, Shanklin, IoW

Date:

Saturday, 16th December 2006 at 19:30 pm

Ryde Chorus:

Under mus. dir. Philip Fryer

Organist:

Andrew Cooper

 

Programme Notes:

 

A Family Christmas Carol Concert to include two of Poulenc’s Quatre Motets pour le Temps de Noel (Four Motets for Christmas), well known and lesser known carols from the choir, many congregational carols, interspersed with some readings.

 

The warmth and joy of the Christmas season imbues these attractive pieces, with Francis Poulenc's (1899-1963) penchant for lyric melodies and deliciously poignant harmonies evident throughout.

 

The Four Christmas Motets were composed in 1951-2 and display the composer’s lyrical gift and subtle harmonies. Francis Poulenc was a composer whose musical language is like no other. His depth of understanding of vocal and instrumental effects is heard in the lush and poignant sounds which convey emotional intensity directly to the listener.

 

 

 


Summer Concert 2006

VARIOUS

Folk songs and other short works - some a capella and some with organ accompaniment.

Island soloists Helen Mansfield (soprano) and Robin Lang (tenor).

The indoor choral event this summer!

Venue:

St Mildreds Church, Whippingham, IoW

Date:

Saturday, 22nd July 2006 at 19:30 pm

Ryde Chorus:

Under mus. dir. Philip Fryer

Soloists:

The Island's best!

 

 

 

 

 

Spring/Easter Concert 2006

Mozart


'Regina Coeli' &

'Solemn Vespers'

 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756 – 1791)

Haydn


'Mass in Time of War'

Franz Josef Haydn

(1732 - 1809)

Venue:

All Saints Church, Ryde, IoW

Date:

Saturday, 25th Mar 2006 at 19:30 pm

Ryde Chorus:

Under mus. dir. Philip Fryer

Orchestra:

IOW Symphony Orchestra (leader Kirsty Robertson)

Soloists:

Soprano - tbc
Alto - tbc
Tenor - tbc
Bass - tbc
Organist - tbc

 

Programme Notes:

 


1. F.J. Haydn: 'Mass in Time of War' in C-major (1796, "Paukenmesse", H22:9)


Haydn’s Missa in tempore belli (The Mass in Time of War, also called the Paukenmesse, was composed in 1796, following Haydn's return to Vienna after years in London, where he enjoyed immense popularity. An extremely beautiful piece, a work of terror and joy, it was written as Napoleon's army was at the gates of Vienna, and the western world was on the edge of chaos. The Mass in Time of War was to be performed in Vienna and is pointed in intent - and effect - in its musical treatment of war on a symbolic level.

 

Although it is in the normally carefree key of C-major and largely reflecting Haydn’s irrepressible buoyancy, the opening and closing sections are spiked with uncharacteristic (and, at the time, sacrilegious) militaristic trumpet fanfares and tympani rolls. (Haydn had added similar instrumentation to his earlier Symphony no.100 in G, but the effect was purely for decorative color.)

 

While the Mass’ drums and brass accents are isolated, they inject a hint of anxiety and desperation into the final soothing prayer for peace. Through his prominent use of tympani, we get the musical image of distant cannon fire from Napoleon's approaching armies, which greatly concerned the people of Austria at that time. The final Dona Nobis Pachem becomes both a prayer for peace and victory.

 

One of the hallmarks of great music is its ability to speak to future generations, and the Mass in Time of War did so with eloquence and cogency on January 19, 1973, when it highlighted a “Concert for Peace” led by Leonard Bernstein in Washington's National Cathedral as a protest to the Vietnam war and to the official Kennedy Center concert celebrating Nixon’s second inauguration that night.

 

Note this Mass is also known as 'Mass #9 in C-major (Hob.XXII:9)'

 


2. W.A. Mozart: 'Regina Coeli' (1771, K.108)

 

Sacred music occupied an important place in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's (1756-1791) oeuvre. Regina Coeli is a relatively early work and shows Mozart honing his craft - plain block harmonies, exciting rhythms, with interspersions of dramatic ensemble writing are all set in the standard in the styles and forms of the day. This exuberant work for four-part mixed chorus, soprano soloist and accompaniment was composed in 1771 (at the age of 15) - Mozart was clearly on his way to becoming a master!

 

The text is the Marian antiphon, a type of liturgical chant common in the Gregorian repertory. Marian antiphons were written specifically to honor the Virgin Mary, and have been sung at the end of Compline, the final Office of the liturgical day, since the thirteenth century. There are four Marian antiphons, one for each season of the year. The Regina Coeli, Latin for "Rejoice Queen of Heaven," is sung from Easter Sunday through the Friday after Pentecost. Legend has it that Pope Gregory heard the first three lines sung by angels during an Easter morning procession, upon which he added the fourth line (translation below):

 

Original text and translations:

Regina coeli laetare, Alleluja. : Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia.
Quia quem meruisti portare, Alleluja. : For He whom you were worthy to bear, Alleluja.
Resurrexit sicut dixit. Alleluja. : Has risen, as He said, Alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluja. : Pray for us to God, Aalleluia.

 

Mozart composed three different settings to this text. All three settings were most likely written for use in the Salzburg cathedral. Mozart's first setting of the Regina Coeli in C major, K. 108, and his second, in B-flat major, K. 127, was written one year later. Dominican Vespers place the third (K.276) as a work from 1779.


3. W.A. Mozart: 'Vesperae solennes de confessore' (1780, K.339)


 

Mozart’s years in Salzburg produced some of his most memorable compositions. When compared to the productivity of the preceding years, his musical output for 1780 seems strangely meagre. The major works written that year include only one Symphony, the Vesperae solennes de confessore and the Missa solemnis. Mozart was undoubtedly concentrating his musical energies on the composition of the opera Idomeneo, K. 366 (with Idomeneo Mozart was being given the opportunity to work in his favourite genre, the opera, on this occasion commissioned for use by the Munich Court. The writing of the score also represented a real opportunity to escape Salzburg and Count Hieronymus Colloredo, Prince Archbishop of Salzburg, his much despised employer!)

 

Along with the Missa solemnis and the third Regina Coeli (K.276), the Vesperae solennes de confessore may have been composed around 1780 for the same occasion, possibly the high feast day called fetis palliis. On this feast day in Salzburg the Prince Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo would celebrate mass while wearing the high status garment, the palliium, which was a white wool stole that had been bestowed on him by the Pope.

 

The Vesperae solennes de confessore is one of Mozart’s most important sacred compositions. It is a six movement setting of Latin texts of the five psalms Nos 110, 111, 112, 113 and 117 and the Hymn of the Virgin Mary from the St. Luke Gospel. The opening movement: the imposing Dixit Dominuus and the impressive Confitebor tibi Domine provide an appropriate ceremonial character. A lighter touch comes from the Beatus vir, in contrast to the inspiring Laudate pueri. One fully understands the reasons for the justified popularity of the magnificent Laudate Dominum, which with its unsurpassed eloquence is often performed as a stand-alone work. The final movement Magnificat is grandiose, to be performed with vitality and considerable splendour.

 

Original text and translations:

Laudate Dominum omnes gentes; : Praise the Lord, all nations;
Laudate eum, omnes populi. : Praise Him, all people.
Quoniam confirmata est : For He has bestowed
Super nos misericordia ejus, : His mercy upon us,
Et veritas Domini manet in aeternum. : And the truth of the Lord endures forever.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto. : Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper. : as it was in the beginning, is now, and forever,
Et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. : and for generations of generations. Amen

 

 

 

Christmas Concert 2005

Wassail! *

A collection of Traditional Works and two by.. 

 

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
- Hodie Christus natus est
- O magnum mysterium

 

Congregational carols for the whole family to join in!

Francis Poulenc

(ca. 1940)

Venue:

St Saviour's Church, Clifftops, Shanklin, IoW

Date:

Saturday, 17th Dec 2005 at 19:30 pm

Ryde Chorus:

Under mus. dir. Philip Fryer

Organist:

Richard Benger

 

* 'Wassail' is most commonly recognised as an obscure reference in various traditional Christmas carols, for example "Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green". From a spiced punch imbibed at Twelfth Night and Christmas celebrations.

 

Programme:

 

Congregational Carol: Once in Royal David’s City

HJ Gauntlett, arr., Willcocks

Choir: Ding-dong Merrily on High

16th Century, harm. Wood

Reading: The Sacred Town of Bethlehem

Michael Stephenson

Congregational Carol: O Little Town of Bethlehem

English trad., arr. Armstrong

Choir: Hodie Christrus Natus Est

Francis Poulenc

Congregational Carol: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

English trad., arr. Willcocks

Reading: Wassail – the Christmas Punch

Michael Stephenson

Choir: Wassail Song

English trad., arr. Vaughan Williams

Reading: Christmas

John Betjeman

Choir: The Truth from Above

English trad., arr. Vaughan Williams

Congregational Carol: We Three Kings of Orient Are

JH Hopkins, arr. Willcocks

Choir: O Magnum Mysterium

Francis Poulenc

Reading:  From Welcome, Yule

Jan Mark

Choir: Out of Your Sleep

Richard Rodney Bennett

Reading: Singing for the Church

WH Marsden

Congregational Carol: Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Mendelssohn, arr. Willcocks

 

 

 

Spring/Easter Concert 2006

Mozart


'Coronation Mass in C'(K.317) 

 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756 – 1791)

Haydn

 

'Salve Regina' (Hob. XXIIIb:1)


and two bonus pieces: Zadok the Priest & The King shall Rejoice (Händel)

Franz Josef Haydn

(1732 - 1809)

Venue:

All Saints Church, Ryde, IoW

Date:

Saturday, 7th May 2005 at 19:30 pm

Ryde Chorus:

Under mus. dir. Philip Fryer

Orchestra:

IOW Symphony Orchestra (leader Kirsty Robertson)

Soloists:

Soprano - Helen Stanger 
Alto - Eleanor Boulter 
Tenor - Peter Birts 
Bass - Richard Lea 
Organist - Andrew Cooper

 

Programme Notes:

 


1. F.J. Haydn: 'Salve Regina' (Hob. XXIIIb:1)


In 1766 Haydn's predecessor, Gregor Werner, Princely Esterhazy's Chapel Master, died. Haydn was promoted from Vice Kapellmeister to Kapellmeister and remained in that position till his death. Naturally he also took over his predecessor's duties, foremost of which was the composition and production of music for the church. Up to 1766, Haydn had composed very little church music at Eisenstadt - the major exception is the Te Deum for Prince Nicolaus Esterhazy of 1764.

 

It is thus explainable on historical grounds why church music begins to figure so prominently after 1766 in Haydn's oeuvre: that very year saw the composition of the Missa in honorem BMV, to be followed a year later by the famous Stabat Mater (a work which spread his fame throughout Europe), and, about 1768, by the lost Missa Sunt Bona Mixta Malis.

 

The present Salve Regina was written in 1770 or 1771: the autograph was originally dated 1770, but the date later changed (probably by Haydn) to 1771; and that is also the date of the copy in Joseph Elssler's hand (Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Vienna). Possibly the work was begun late in 1770 and completed the next year. Originally the work was written for four soloists ("Quattro voci ma Soli" in the manuscript), solo organ and strings. The character of the solo organ part, which is quite prominent, suggests that Haydn may have played the part himself.

 

We do not know for what occasion the work was written: possibly for a service at the Schlosskapelle in Eisenstadt, possibly however for the nearby Church of the Barmherzigen Brüder, with whom Haydn was in friendly contact (he composed the Missa S. Joanni de Deo for them in the middle 1770's, and this work, too, has an elaborate solo organ part in the Benedictus). [Buggiano Castello, Dec 1961 (extract)]
 


2. W.A. Mozart: 'Coronation Mass in C' (K.317)

 

Mozart’s Mass in C major K. 317 is perhaps the best known of his 16 settings of the Ordinary of the Mass. According to tradition it was composed in 1779 for a festival commemorating the coronation of a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary in the church of Maria Plain, a few kilometers north of Salzburg; the event had been celebrated there since 1751, on the fifth Sunday after Pentecost. Thus its nickname "Coronation" Mass, though the story has never been corroborated; the date on the autograph (23 March 1779) seems too early in the year, and the scoring and character of the work corresponds to the Mass tradition as observed at Salzburg Cathedral.

 

Formally, K. 317 stands somewhere between a missa brevis, in which the text is disposed of as quickly as possible in five movements, and a missa longa or missa solemnis, in which the music for the longer parts of the text is divided into distinct sections and the Sanctus and Benedictus are treated separately. The first two movements are cast in the former mould: indeed, the setting of "Christe eleison", with a C minor inflection, passes by almost unnoticed. The Gloria is cast as a single movement in a single tempo, roughly corresponding to an instrumental sonata form.

 

The Credo, however, is divided into three sections, the music of the central Adagio depicting the mystery of Christ's incarnation with long demisemiquaver (32nd-note) figures for muted violins; these become chromatically more anguished at the word "Crucifixus". Unusually, Mozart rounds off this movement with a restatement of "Credo in unum Deum", thus anticipating Beethoven's amendment to the text of the Gloria in his Missa solemnis.

 

The last two movements are concise but tend towards the multi-sectional, with separate tempos for "Sanctus", "Osanna in excelsis", "Benedictus" in the former, and for "Agnus Dei" and "Dona nobis pacem" in the latter. It has often been remarked that the "Agnus Dei", for soprano solo, bears a close resemblance to the aria "Dove sono" from Le nozze di Figaro; but this is only one of the many thematic coincidences in Mozart, and is of no real importance to the understanding of either work. [William Drabkin]


3. G.F. HÄNDEL: "ZADOK THE PRIEST" (HWV 258)


Much of Handel's reputation today rests on only a small body of his work, principally Messiah written in 1741, even though the total amount of music he composed was enormous. This preference for Messiah has meant that much of Handel's work is not heard regularly. Zadok the Priest has had a little more exposure than other of Handel's musical output because it is heard at every coronation of the British Crown.

 

One of the last acts of King George I before his death in 1727 was to sign `An Act for naturalizing George Frideric Handel and others'. Handel's first commission as a naturalized British citizen was to write the music for the coronation service of King George II later that year. Zadok was one of four anthems written for the service and the only one to survive to be repeated at each succeeding coronation.

 

The anthem was based on the coronation of King Solomon who came to the throne of Israel when his father, King David, was dying. David's son Adonijah, ambitious to succeed David, made plans to usurp the throne. Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, implored David to give the crown to Solomon.

 

Zadok had served as priest during David's reign and had fled with David from Jerusalem during Absalom's rebellion. Nathan, the prophet, had rebuked David for his adultery with Bathsheba. Both, however, were loyal subjects to David and did as he commanded.

 

The recounting of Solomon's coronation is found in I Kings, Chapter 1:"..... and King David said, `Call me Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet ..... and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him [Solomon] there king over Israel: and blow ye the trumpet and say `God Save King Solomon' ......"

 


4. "THE KING SHALL REJOICE" (HWV 260)


The actual order of King George II’s coronation service is a matter of some speculation although it seems likely that the first of Handel's anthems to be performed was The King shall rejoice. Handel assembled the text for this anthem from Psalm XXI as it appears in the Book of Common Prayer. Strings and oboes are soon joined by trumpets and drums in preparation for the choir's jubilant entry.

 

As so often with Handel the word painting is simple but effective: the word 'rejoice' is set expansively and melismatically while the words 'in thy strength, O Lord' are set solidly and homophonically. There follows a lilting triple-time movement which shows ,the king to be 'exceeding glad' in a contented and reserved manner rather than in the ebullient manner of the opening movement. The choicest music is saved for the words 'of thy salvation' where Handel uses chains of suspensions to lend a rather archaic, ecclesiastical air to the proceedings. The contrapuntal third movement is introduced by a blaze of glory and thereafter the movement reflects on 'the blessings of goodness'.

 

Such goodness is ultimately rewarded by the appearance of a golden crown that dazzles with the reappearance of the brass instruments. The fourth movement opens with mock seriousness, but an embryonic fugue is quickly kicked into touch by a surprise tutti entry. The most memorable gestures of The King shall rejoice are the diaphragmatic belly-laughs with which Handel periodically decorates the final syllable of the word ‘Alleluia'.

 

 

Christmas Concert 2004

IN DULCI JUBILO

A collection of Traditional Works and two by.. 

 

George Friederich Händel (1685-1759)

Psalm 112 - "Laudate Pueri Dominum" (1707, HWV 236)

&

"My heart is inditing" (1727, HWV 261)

 

Congregational carols for the whole family to join in!

George Friederich Händel
around 1710

Venue:

St Saviour's Church, Clifftops, Shanklin, IoW

Date:

Friday, 17th December 2004 at 7.30 p.m.

Ryde Chorus:

Under mus. dir. Philip Fryer

Soloists:

Soprano - Julie Charles

Oboist - Stephen Glaister

Organist:

Keith Smith

 

Programme Notes:

 

 

1. GF Händel: Psalm 112 - "Laudate Pueri Dominum" (1707, HWV 237)

 

This is one of Händel's Vespers Psalms (sometimes known as the Carmelite Vespers). Händel's church music based on Latin texts is not as well known as it deserves to be. This setting of Psalm 112* was completed on 8 July 1707 in Rome and evinces the highly colourful and sensuous character of Roman Catholic church music written in Italy during the late Baroque era. We begin to realise to what extent Händel was influenced by the Italian composers of the day.

 

(*) Psalm 112 according to the Vulgate Edition of the bible and also the German Bible as translated by Martin Luther, but Psalm 113 according to the Authorised King James Version of 1611.

 

Händel’s works from his Italian period have a brilliance that makes the enthusiasm of his Roman patrons entirely understandable. These were people who could afford the best, so these works were written for some of the finest singers of the day. The Laudate Pueri was written specifically for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in July 1707. It could have served either as the first psalm of first vespers or the second psalm of second vespers. Händel originally scored the music for soprano solo, choir and orchestra with a solo oboe playing a prominent role.

 

The opening section is extremely rousing, with the stirring soprano opening being echoed by full choir. Händel may well have worked under pressure (he only finished this setting eight days before the feast!), but the result is one of his finest works. Once again, one can marvel at the assurance with which the young German Protestant sets Latin texts for an Italian audience.

 

We present Händel's Psalm 112 to you as primarily a choral work, with only organ and oboe accompaniment. We hope you enjoy the performance!

 

Genre: Psalm setting
Libretto: Latin words of Psalm 113 (Vulgate 112) and doxology
Completed score: Rome, 8 July 1707
First performance: Probably written for a grand Vespers service held at the church of S. Maria di Monte Santo in Rome on 16 July 1707, the feast day of "Our Lady of Mount Carmel" - the major festival of the Carmelite order.
Borrowings: Introduction recycled later for the Utrecht Jubilate (HWV 279)
Portions reused for Joshua (HWV 64). "A solis ortu" became the chorus "May all the host of Heav'n," the Gloria Patri became the solo and chorus "Glory to God," and the vocal line of "Qui habitare facit" became the aria "Oh had I Jubal's lyre."
Händel reused "Qui habitare facit" for the false mother's aria in Solomon (HWV 67) "Thy sentence, O King."

 

2. GF Händel: Psalm 112 - "My heart is inditing" (1727, HWV 261)

 

In 1727, shortly before the death of George I, Händel became a British subject, adopting his "new" names of George Frideric. Retaining his position as composer to the Chapel Royal (a post he had held since 1723), Händel was commissioned to compose the anthems for the coronation of George II and his consort Queen Caroline at Westminster Abbey on October 11th, 1727 which was, by contemporary reports, an occasion of great magnificence. The music which Händel provided for the occasion was no less magnificent, and its reputation remained vivid for many years afterwards. Five years later, in 1732 the reputation of the coronation music was such that Händel advertised his first English Oratorio performance in a London theatre with the explanation "The Music to be disposed after the Manner of the Coronation Service'.

 

My heart is inditing of a good matter;
I speak of the things which I have made unto the King.
Kings' daughters were among the honourable women.
Upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in vesture of gold,
and the King shall have pleasure in thy beauty.
Kings shall be thy nursing fathers and Queens thy nursing mothers!

 

 

 

 

Spring/Easter Concert 2004

Bach


'ST JOHN PASSION' BWV 245 

 

J.S.Bach (1685-1750)

Venue:

All Saints Church, Ryde, IoW

Date:

Saturday, 8th May 2004 at 19:30 pm

Ryde Chorus:

Under mus. dir. Philip Fryer

     and

THE FLETCHING SINGERS (mus. dir. Nick Milner-Gulland)

 

Orchestra:

IOW Symphony Orchestra (leader Kirsty Robertson)

Soloists:

Helen Stanger, Soprano
Eleanor Boulter, Contralto 
Robin Lang, Tenor (Evangelist)
Richard Lea, Bass (Christus)
Douglas Lee, Bass (St. Peter, Pontius Pilate)
Organist - Andrew Cooper

Harpsichordist - Nick Milner-Gulland

 

Programme Notes:

 


1. Johann Sebastian Bach: St John Passion (BWV 245)


It was the custom in the Lutheran Church in Leipzig to give a musical performance of the Passion story in Holy Week, with a three-hour sermon and time for prayer and reflection between the two halves of the performance. It was a long and solemn occasion, calling for great reserves of devotion and spiritual discipline, and it made full use of the musical resources available: the story was told in Recitative by the Evangelist (tenor), with the part of Jesus sung by a bass; the other soloists shared the parts of Pilate, Peter and others, as well as singing reflective arias commenting on the action, as did the chorus in the chorales (hymn tunes, familiar to the congregation); the chorus also took part in the action, sometimes as disciples and at other times as the crowd of Jewish onlookers.

 

The St John Passion, the first of Bach’s Passions, was written for performance in St Thomas’ Church on Good Friday 1724. It is scored for choir, soloists and an orchestra consisting of flutes, oboes, bassoon, strings, harpsichord and organ. With its frequent angry interjections from the crowd and its smaller number of arias it is a more dramatic, fiery and condensed work than the later St Matthew Passion; if the St Matthew shows us Christ as the divine sufferer, the St John brings us close to Christ in his human form and to the great and terrible emotions with which he struggled.

 

The opening chorus, set to Bach’s own words, is a massive and densely scored movement. The sustained pedal notes (also a feature of the opening of the St Matthew) seem to suggest the strength and immutability of God, while the swirling semiquavers in the strings foretell the unsettling drama which is about to unfold; above the texture we hear plangent dissonances and suspensions in the woodwind, an idea which Bach later echoes to great effect in the “Crucify!” choruses (nos.36 & 44).

 

The action begins with Jesus and his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane where they are interrupted by Judas and the crowd who have been sent to arrest him. Jesus’ calm response seems to check the crowd, whereupon the first of eleven chorales “O mighty love” (no.7) contrasts his love and suffering with our living for pleasure. Peter’s sudden act of violence in cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s servant brings another chorale asking for patience in times of trouble (no.9). Two arias follow: the first (no.11), for alto and obbligato oboes, is sorrowful in contemplation of Jesus who is by now bound; the second (no.13), for soprano with obbligato flute, is joyful, accompanying Peter’s declaration that he will follow Jesus come what may. Notice how the flute “follows” the soloist as the latter enters.

 

Next comes Peter’s threefold denial, with the first one repeated a tone higher; the chorus sings a chorale (no.15) in which the congregation protests at the injustice of Jesus’ treatment. The words “ And he went out and wept bitterly” (no.18), which Bach sets with great poignancy, are inserted from St Matthew’s gospel. Then the tenor soloist sings an anguished and dramatic aria (no.19) which vividly depicts Peter’s despair. The first part of the Passion ends with an expressive chorale that moves from horror at Peter’s denial to a prayer for forgiveness, containing a sharp discord on the word “fettered” (no.20).

 

Most of the second part is taken up with the trial. Pilate puts forth several arguments to the Jews, which are answered in terse declamatory phrases (nos.23, 25, 29). This part contains some of the most emotive music written by Bach, with key words such as “scourged” (no.30) scored melismatically for effect. In the middle of the action comes a beautiful bass arioso with lute obbligato (no.31) and a technically very demanding aria “Behold him” (no.32) in which the tenor soloist is accompanied by two muted violins. There follows a mocking chorus (no.34) as the Jews become more excited. Finally Jesus is delivered over to be crucified at the violent insistence of the crowd (nos.36, 38, 42, 44, 46), and the bass soloist presses for haste in carrying out the sentence (no.48). After Pilate’s words “The title I have written shall stay as I have written” comes a chorale whose tune is familiar in English-speaking countries as the hymn “All glory, laud and honour” (no.52). As the soldiers cast lots for Jesus’coat, the sound of the dice being rattled can clearly be heard in the cello (no.54). The descending motif for Jesus’ final words “It is fulfilled” (no.57) is immediately echoed by the obbligato cello and alto soloist and forms the basis of the next aria (no.58) with its triumphant central section “The Lion of Judah fought the fight” – triumph at a time when all seemed lost. At this most tragic moment the bass soloist asks (no.60) “By dying hast thou conquered death?” The choir, accompanying him with a chorale which we have heard twice before, answers the question: “Jesu, thou who tasted death, livest now for ever”.

 

Bach once more borrows words from St Matthew’s gospel for the dramatic rending of the veil of the Temple (no.61), which is followed by the soprano aria “O heart, melt in weeping”, accompanied by flute and oboe (no.63). The extended chorus “Sleep well” (no.67) is like a lullaby, or a musical pieta, and we may be reminded of Jesus’ mother cradling him, not only at birth, but also after the deposition from the cross. Bach addresses the dying Saviour in our name: we are the ones who lay Christ to rest so gently, yet we are the ones who killed him. The Passion ends with an expansive chorale (no.68) which begins in tranquillity, but ends with the triumph and certainty of the Resurrection.
 


Concert Review

 

from Isle of Wight County Press, Friday May 14 2004)

 

"PASSION CONVEYED BY INSPIRED PERFORMANCE


Composers have to be optimists: for in most cases, between them and their potential listeners stand the performers, with the potential to transform a musical masterpiece into a shambolic bore – witness the fate of Rachmaninov with his First Symphony.

When the composer’s inspiration fuses with an inspired performance however, that is the time and place to be. Such was All Saints’ Church in Ryde for last Saturday’s performance of Bach’s St John Passion by the Ryde Chorus, conducted by Philip Fryer and joined by the talented Fletching Singers from Sussex.

They used the new Novello edition by Neil Jenkins, which translates Bach’s German into a less fractured English metre than I encountered when I first sang in this work with our college choir in 1948; and in this performance one could hear the words, helping the listener to appreciate Bach’s marvellous fusion of text and music.

The wealth of talent among the vocal soloists comprised Douglas Lee (bass), Richard Lea (bass), Helen Stanger (soprano), Eleanor Boulter (contralto), David Knight (tenor) and Julian Godlee (bass); but it would not be invidious to mention specially the brilliant singing of Robin Lang (tenor) in the taxing part of the Evangelist: fluent and crystal-clear in the almost clinical detachment of the unfolding narrative; and with an additional bite of drama in such mordant episodes as the lament of Peter after his betrayal of Jesus, and the scourging of Jesus in Pilate’s court.

The harpsichord continuo for the words of the narrative was excellently played by Nick Milner-Gulland (musical director of the Fletching Singers), as was the chamber organ continuo for the words of Jesus, by Andrew Cooper – the maker of the instrument as well as its player.

May I finish briefly with two commendables out of many: the limpid balance of choir chorale, bass soloist and orchestra in the reflective movement immediately following the death of Jesus – two sets of words in a kind of stereo, yet each perceptible; secondly the careful production of the excellent concert programmes.

The audience was even provided with words and music to join in four of the chorales – but we were mostly mute: the performers were singing on our behalf.

The orchestra leader was Kirstie Robertson."


Jack Jones.