A Saturday evening concert in Sunderland Minster.

Conducted by David Murray.

Soloists:          Jessica Holmes – Soprano

                        Sally Burchell – Mezzo Soprano

                        Mark Chaundy – Tenor

                       James Oldfield – Bass

Haydn only composed works for the church intermittently for five decades and then between 1796 and 1802 he produced one setting of the mass per year. Hayden, by now in his sixties but still alert to the opportunity for innovation, expanded the format by combining an extended setting of the mass text with the full resources of the orchestra – resulting in the symphonic mass. The St.Nicholas Mass was written earlier, in 1772, and is not on the same scale as the later masses but still demonstrates his tunefulness and joy. The Theresienmesse from 1799 was originally simply entitled ‘Missa’ on its title page but is associated with Marie Therese, the wife of the Emporer Franz ll. It was composed the year after the noted Nelson Mass but is equally masterful.

Tickets £12.00 and £10.00 (Concessions) in the Nave and £6.00 in the Gallery, with limited views. Seats are un-numbered and doors open at 6.45 p.m.

Tickets can now be booked on-line, at a small extra cost, from WeGotTickets at http://www.wegottickets.com/f/2260

A Saturday evening concert in Sunderland Minster.

Conducted by David Murray

The soloists are Katherine Moore (soprano), Sarah Parry (contralto), Christopher Turner (tenor) and Njabulo Madlala (baritone).

 Tickets are £12.00 (£10.00 concessions) in the Nave or £6.00 for the Gallery, with limited view.  Seats are un-numbered and doors open at 6.45 p.m.

 Tickets can now be booked on-line, at a small additional cost, from WeGotTickets at http://www.wegottickets.com/f/1934

 The composing of the cantata ‘Stabat Mater’ was Antonín Dvo?ák’s reaction to the death of his two year old daughter Josepfa.  The work was begun in 1876 and was dedicated to František Hušpauer “ as a souvenir to the friend of his young days”. Dvo?ák was obliged to postpone the orchestration of his work due to other obligations but he returned to the final stylisation in 1877 after two more of his children tragically died within a short space of time, one as the result of accidentally drinking a phosphorus solution and the other to smallpox. It was his first work on a religious theme and there is no doubt that it is both a work of mourning and a work of healing. It was first performed in 1880.

 ‘Nänie’ (the German form of the Latin nenia, meaning a funeral song) is a beautiful piece written in memory of Brahms’  friend, the artist Anselm Feuerbach who died in 1880. It is based on a poem by Schiller dealing with the transience of life. The first sentence, Auch das Schöne muß sterben, translates to “Even the beautiful must die”. The work contains some interesting references very discreetly woven into the fabric. There is the so called Clara Embelm which appeared first in Schumann’s Fantasy Op 17, and the use of it implies that the death of Brahms’ godson, Felix Schumann, may have been a source of inspiration for the work. There is further a thematic connection between Nanie and Ein Deutsch Requiem, suggesting that the Clara Emblem may have been a germinal motive for the Requiem . There is even a reference to the opening of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op 81a, Les Adieux, also called Das Lebewohl (or The Farewell). It is one of the most rarely performed pieces by Brahms mostly due to its difficulty.

A Saturday evening concert in Sunderland Minster.

Conducted by David Murray.

In addition to the choral works, there will be several brass and percussion pieces :-

Fanfare from the Ballet Le Peri for brass quintet by Paul Dukas, Die Bankelsangerlieder for brass quintet, an extract from Prince of Denmark’s March by Jeremiah Clarke, six dances from The Danserye by Tylman, Marche de Timbales by André and Jacques Philidor and Little Polly’s Polka by Keith Bartlett.

Tickets £12.00 and £10.00 (Concessions) in the Nave and £6.00 in the Gallery, with limited views. Seats are un-numbered and doors open at 6.45 p.m.

Tickets can now be booked on-line, at a small extra cost, from WeGotTickets at http://www.wegottickets.com/f/1709

A Friday Evening concert in Ewesley Road Methodist Church.

The Young Singers, supported by the Chamber Choir of Bishopwearmouth Choral Society, will host their own annual summer concert. Tickets will be available at the door.

Our recent concert on the 13th June 2009 was reviewed by Roy Horabin in The Sunderland Echo under the headline of “Rarely a blemish”. It was noted that the opening piece, Grainger’s ‘Fantasy on Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess’ was played “in spectacular style by David Murray and Eileen Bown”. Next was Lambert’s masterpiece ‘The Rio Grande’ descriptive of a carnival day in a South American sea port. “David Murray directed a most interesting rendition” and the “chorus work never failed to capture the spirit of this joyous music”. “The accompaniment by pianists Eileen Bown and Jonathan Story, plus an enlarged percussion section, brought to life the score’s infectious dance rhythms”.

After the interval came ‘Carmina Burana’ produced by Carl Orff sung in Latin. “From the opening bars there was no lack of exuberance, while lyrical passages were sung with obvious affection”. “A well rehearsed contribution from the Bishopwearmouth Young Singers was much appreciated”.

“The choir maintained the highest of standards, faithfully observing dynamics and maintaining a good vocal balance throughout” “There was rarely a blemish”.