Saturday 26th March 2011 in Chester Cathedral
Music for Passiontide
The choir produced singing of great quality - well balanced, rhythmically incisive and with excellent diction. Their first entry was genuinely thrilling, filling the cathedral with a glorious sound. Liverpool Daily Post
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| Chester Music Society Choir | |
| Simon Russell Organ |
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| Graham Jordan Ellis Conductor | |
Programme:
Fauré: Requiem
Leighton: Crucifixus pro nobis
Lotti: Crucifixus
Pärt: Beatitudes
Fauré’s Requiem is one of the best-loved and popular settings of this ‘standard’ of the choral repertoire. In contrast to the Requiems of Verdi or Berlioz, for example, which are highly charged and full of emotion, Fauré’s version is gentle and elegant. The central solo ‘Pie Jesu’ is one of the most popular movements.
Kenneth Leighton, who died in 1988, wrote Crucifixus pro Nobis in 1966. It is based on English Poetry of the 17th century with the theme of ‘tears’ and provides a thoughtful contemplation of the Passion, being an extended setting of Patrick Carey’s poetry on the death of Christ. The serene conclusion to the work sets the verse of Phineas Fletcher’s text Drop, Drop Slow Tears, in a fresh, meditative litany which, like a Bach chorale, brings the previous events to a reflective close.
Lotti (1667-1740) was a prolific composer of the Italian baroque. His Crucifixus 8-part motet is a classical example of his intense yet melodic style.
Arvo Pärt was born in Estonia in 1935. His style is variously described as ‘minimalist’ and based on Gregorian chant. His setting of the Beatitudes was written in 1990.
Tickets: £12 (Nave: numbered, reserved): £6 (Aisles, unreserved, restricted view). Reduced prices available. Telephone 07805 475816 or 0845 241 7868
Venue: Chester Cathedral, 19:30, Saturday 26th March 2011.
Chester Music Society reserves the right to alter or cancel programmes without notice.
