ACS …..Making Music
Count ALTRINCHAM
CHORAL SOCIETY LEADER:ANNE HEATON CONDUCTOR
STEVEN ROBERTS Veni Sancte Spiritus Conducted by David Lloyd-Mostyn Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2
in F major INTERVAL Jennifer France Carolina Krogius Mark Duff Matthew
Duncan Soprano Mezzo-soprano Tenor Baritone Royal Northern Saturday 4th April 2009 7.30pm
Mozart
Ave verum
corpus
Lydia Bryan Piano
Haydn
Missa
in Angustiis – Nelson Mass
Dates for your diary
4 July 2009
Royal
Northern
Musica attraverso i secoli
Celebrating
the joy of music throughout the centuries
and
around the world.
11 July 2009
St.
Cuthberts’s Church, Lytham
Musica attraverso i secoli
21 – 27 July 2009
Lake Garda & Verona
Musica attraverso i secoli
14 November 2009
Royal
Northern
Handel – Messiah
19 December 2009
Carols with the Choral
17 April 2010
Royal
Northern
Elgar – Dream of Gerontius
3 July 2010
Royal
Northern
Opera Gala
13 November 2010
Royal
Northern
Rossini – Petite Messe
Solennelle
For more details
on the above and for details on how to buy tickets, please add your name to our
mailing list. Log on to www.altrincham-choral.co.uk and click on ‘add
your name to our mailing list’ at the bottom of the page or speak to
Altrincham
Choral Society
Altrincham Choral
Society prides itself in offering a diverse, innovative and challenging
programme of concerts, alongside many choral favourites. This forward thinking is
complemented with a commitment to choral training and standards which
provides its members with the knowledge and confidence to thoroughly enjoy
their music making.
All singers are
welcome and each brings different strengths and attributes. We are looking for
dedication, commitment and the ability to be part of a team and to contribute
effectively to our music making.
You will undertake
an audition, but should have the confidence to sing and sight read music to a
reasonable level – we are not expecting the ‘perfect musician’.
Once you have been
successful you can look forward to belonging to a well organised, good quality
choir, with an enjoyable musical diet in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
You will improve
your overall singing and even make new friends and all on a Monday evening –
what better way to start the week?
Rehearsals are on
Monday evenings at
Rehearsals are from
7.45 – 10.00 pm
For more
information you can contact us in a variety of ways:
E-mail: info@altrincham-choral.co.uk
Telephone: Mrs P
Arnold (Secretary) 01270 764335
www.altrincham-choral.co.uk
Steven Roberts
Steven Roberts is a Conductor, Musical Director and
Adjudicator and has combined a career in education with his work as a musician
working both in this country and throughout
Despite a very busy educational career, Steven has
conducted numerous musical groups, including the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union,
The Huddersfield Choral Society, Dodworth and Skelmanthorpe Male Voice Choirs
and a variety of orchestras, brass bands and wind ensembles, as well as being
Chorus Master for concerts with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and José Carreras.
He is currently Musical Director and Conductor with the
Altrincham Choral Society and the Chesterfield Philharmonic Choir. Steven has
also worked as Musical Director in the theatre and this diversity reflects his
music and drama training.
He has conducted in many prestigious venues, including the
Waterfront Hall,
His appointment to the permanent post of Music and Company
Development Director with Sing Live
Steven is an adjudicator member of the British and International Federation of Festivals, regularly adjudicating in this country and also a music mentor for Music for Youth. He is a member of the Adjudicators Council of the Federation and an associate member of The Lord’s Taverners, the cricketing charity that raises money to give ‘young people, particularly with special needs a sporting chance’.
David Lloyd-Mostyn
David is a composer and teacher who lives in
A skilful and witty practitioner of music for small chamber ensembles, David’s compositions are beginning to enjoy international exposure and critical acclaim.
In October 2005 Minesweeper was premiered by the New York Miniaturist Ensemble at
David is much in demand as a
composer for theatre, film and television and has successfully collaborated
with artists in the field of popular and commercial music. He has arranged
music for the Hip-Hop outfit, Nightmares on Wax
which was subsequently used by BBC Radio 1 and in February 2005 he provided
over two hours of backing music for the Royal Academy of Music Session Orchestra
to accompany Jonny Berliner in a
fundraising concert for the Elton John Aids Foundation.
As a conductor, David
Lloyd-Mostyn holds positions with Altrincham Choral
Society, and he teaches music at a secondary school in
Her professional concert career started as a winner of the North West Arts Young Musicians’ Platform and also with concerts awarded through the Live Music Now scheme, founded by Sir Yehudi Menuhin.
She won a British Council Scholarship towards concerts and
recording work in
She has performed many times at the Royal Exchange Theatre
for the Manchester Midday Concerts and also at the Purcell Room, and appeared
as concerto soloist at the RNCM as well as recording for BBC radio and
television.
Her concert repertoire is wide-ranging; she has worked
with many eminent contemporary composers and has performed works by Alexander
Goehr and David Gow at the Society for the Promotion of New Music. She was also
the accompanist for the ‘Art of Song’ courses at Higham Hall and has been
official accompanist and adjudicator for music festivals in both the
The
(Leader: Anne Heaton).
Now celebrating its fortieth year, the orchestra was
formed in 1969 as the Lancashire String Orchestra, specifically by, and for
string teachers supplemented by talented non-professional string players, all
drawn from the farthest corners of the
Its widely diverse repertoire has expanded to include
works from the early Baroque era to 21st century, and concerts are given
throughout the
Whilst presenting its own series of orchestral concerts,
the orchestra has always been very committed to working with choirs in the
region, and sees this role as a vital and enjoyable ingredient of its musical
life. For many years the orchestra joined forces with the MAIA singers from
In more recent years new links have been established with
choral societies in
Jennifer France
Soprano
Jennifer France is currently in her fourth year at the Royal
Northern College of Music, studying with Sandra Dugdale. Before attending the RNCM, Jennifer was a
student at the
In 2001, Jennifer was the soloist for the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall where she performed for the Royal family and members of Parliament.
At the age of 11, Jennifer became a founder member of the
National Children's Choir of Great Britain and through the years progressed
into the National Youth Choir of Great Britain with whom she has toured
throughout
During her time at the RNCM, Jennifer has performed in many of the college's opera productions including, La Rondine (cover Gabriella), The Threepenny Opera (Vixen), The Cunning Little Vixen (Young Vixen), L’enfant et les sortileges (La cendre and cover La pastourella), and Eugene Onegin. In December Jennifer will be covering the role of Adele in the college’s forthcoming production of Die Fledermaus. Other roles include Kate in The Yeomen of the Guard and chorus in HMS Pinafore both for Phoenix Opera with whom she performs at Gawsworth Hall each summer.
On the concert platform, Jennifer has performed in many oratorios including Handel’s Dixit Dominus, Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, Cantata No 63 and Monteclair’s cantata La morte di Lucretia with the RNCM Baroque ensemble.
Jennifer France appears by kind permission of the Royal Northern College of Music.
Carolina Krogius was born in
Before undertaking her music studies
Operatic roles that
She has also performed Ravel’s Trois poemes de Mallarmé at the RNCM Ravel Festival in April 2007.
Recent concert performance highlights include Sibelius’s Rakastava with the Hallé Youth Choir in the Hallé Orchestra’s concert series The Origin of Fire and James MacMillan’s Busqueda with Ensemble 10/10 (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic), Mozart’s Coronation Mass with Northern Sinfonia and Mahler’s 8th Symphony at The Sage, Gateshead.
Carolina Krogius appears by kind permission of the
Royal Northern
Mark
Duff Tenor
Mark
studied music at D.I.T, Conservatory of Music and Drama,
Mark has
been successful in many competitions. He has been awarded the William T. Watt
cup for tenor solo in
He has
participated in masterclasses given by Mark John Ainsley, Ugo Benelli, Julius
Drake, Eric von Ibler, Denis O’Neill and Ian Bostridge.
At D.I.T
Mark performed regularly in operatic excerpts annually presented at the National
Concert Hall,
Following
five consecutive seasons with Opera Ireland he sang the role of Don Basilio in
a Bite-Size production of The Marriage of Figaro under the direction of
Dieter Kagei at the Gaiety Theatre,
Professional opera engagements have included Don Curzio, (Le
Nozze di Figaro) Lyric Opera, Spiridione, (Il Campanello) Anna Livia
Opera and Dancairo, (Carmen) Mananan International Opera Festival.
Mark sings
regularly on the concert and oratorio platform. His recordings include Faith
of our Fathers (R.T.E 1996) and commissioned works Amore by composer
Rosemarie Taylor. Mark recently performed the role of Eisenstein, (Die
Fledermaus) at the RNCM. Mark’s studies are being supported by Dunnes
Stores Ireland and The Liverpool Opera circle.
Mark Duff
appears by kind permission of the
Royal
Northern
Matthew Duncan
Baritone
Matthew graduated in music from the
Before commencing at the RNCM, he studied on the Morley
College Opera course in
He recently sang the title role in Britten’s Billy Budd at the RNCM, also singing Guglimo (Cosi fan Tutte) and Falke (Die Fledermaus) with European Chamber Opera.
In 2007 he sang the role of Masetto (Don Giovanni) with Opera Anywhere and earlier that year appeared in Strauss’s The Bat's Revenge with Alternative Opera Company.
Roles performed at the
Matthew recently sang the role of Frank in the RNCM’s production of Die Fledermaus and future engagements include a performance of Bach’s Cantata No 82 Ich hab Genug.
Matthew Duncan appears by kind permission of the Royal Northern College of Music.
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ACS is grateful to the following for their continued
support this season:
|
|
Platinum Sponsors Beryl
Collins MBE Gold Sponsors John
Kennedy CBE, DL Lee
Bakirgian Family Trust Silver Sponsors Sir John Zochonis
|
Committed
Developments Ltd Ellis
Bor Faddies
Dry Cleaners of Hale Flowers
by Remember Me of Hale The
Shell Action Employee Fund The Wessex Group |
The
Society invites our supporters to become Patrons of ACS. Patrons receive
advance publicity, complimentary tickets and reserved seating for all
performances.
The
Society welcomes Sponsors for future concerts. Sponsors can support the Society’s
season or specific concerts, and receive acknowledgements in all publicity and
concert programmes. Sponsors also receive complimentary tickets and reserved
seating at performances. Please contact Christine FitzGerald 0161 928 8044.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s short life of almost thirty-six
years began in
For nine years the family relentlessly toured Europe, the children performing in a series of long and often gruelling exhibition concerts, from Hungary to Paris, London and finally to Italy. Mozart and his sister astounded audiences with their precocious skills, and by the time Wolfgang was fifteen and the family had returned to Salzburg, he had already composed numerous works and had his first music published.
Adolescence and early manhood proved a less satisfactory time for Mozart. Once the hullabaloo surrounding his early touring had died down, his genius was largely misunderstood and unappreciated. Indeed, Mozart’s greatest problems were perhaps his eccentric personality - he was considered to have a bumptious and boastful manner by some - and his sense of artistic isolation, about which he constantly bemoaned in letters to his father.
As he grew up he came to be regarded as just another
professional in the market for a job. His marriage in 1782 to Constanze Weber
did nothing to forward his career financially, socially or musically. His
attempts at finding work in Southern Germany and also
The last five years of Mozart’s life was the climax of his creative output. During this time he produced a stream of masterpieces. His early death could be said to be one of the greatest tragedies in the history of music. The precise nature of his death from a feverish illness has given rise to much speculation.
Veni Sancte Spiritus KV47
Come Holy Spirit – a sequence for Whitsunday, bears
the date 1768 in Leopold Mozart’s list of works composed by his son from the
age of seven. Thus it was undoubtedly written in
Ave Verum Corpus K618
Ave Verum Corpus was Mozart’s final completed
sacred work. His wife had travelled to Baden, a spa town just outside
Dmitri Shostakovich
(1906 – 1975)
Dmitri Shostakovich, unlike his compatriots Prokofiev and Stravinsky, worked entirely under the influence of the communist regime, and struggled throughout his career with his genuine wish to create art for the state and the state’s inability to accept any art it did not understand.
Born in
He studied with Glazunov at the Petrograd Conservatory and made his first mark in the musical world with his diploma work, the Symphony No.1, in 1926. After graduation he initially embarked on a dual career as a concert pianist and composer, but soon began to concentrate on composition.
His music was at first highly successful, but the development of a more conservative attitude on the part of the Soviet government, coinciding with his own development of a more experimental outlook, led to official criticism. His relationship with the Soviet government was complex and difficult. He suffered two official denunciations of his music, in 1936 and 1948, and the periodic banning of his work. At the same time he received a number of accolades and state awards. Despite the official controversy, his works were popular and well received.
Shostakovich visited
He died in
Piano
Concerto No. 2 in F major
Shostakovich wrote his second piano concert in 1957 as a birthday gift for his 19 year old son Maxim. The piece is full of a light-hearted energy that may owe as much to the composer’s relief at the demise of Stalin as to his cheerful wishes for his son. The eager, brilliant tone and brisk tempos coupled with repeated notes similar to a bugle’s call in the first and third movements are likely the reason for the Disney artists having chosen to use excerpts from this concerto for Hans Christian Andersen’s the ‘Steadfast Tin Soldier’ section of the movie Fantasia 2000.
(Franz) Joseph Haydn
(1732 – 1809)
The one composer who was truly Mozart’s equal and who
earned his unstinting admiration was Joseph Haydn. He followed a career that
was mostly spent away from the bright lights of
Haydn was born the son of a wheelwright in Rohrau,
His father, who was musically inclined, must have been
delighted when his eight year old son gained a place in the choir of St
Stephen’s Cathedral,
There, Haydn received good practical experience as a singer and violinist, but because of his family’s modest circumstances, had to pick up his training in musical theory where he could.
Haydn was mainly self-taught and as a young man scraped a living accompanying and teaching. He had the good fortune to meet the famous singer Porpora, who, in return for the performance of menial tasks, gave him instruction in composition. His first permanent appointment came at the age of 26, as director of music and composer to Count Morzin, a Viennese nobleman.
In 1760 Haydn married Maria Anna Keller (the sister of a pupil with whom he had fallen in love, but who had become a nun). The match was long lasting, but turned out unhappily in most respects. About this time, began Haydn’s famous connection with the Esterházy family.
He became Kapellmeister in 1766 and for some thirty years directed the musical establishment of this enlightened and wealthy family. He worked with some first-rate instrumentalists and singers, but compared with the orchestras and opera houses of the major European cities Haydn’s resources were very modest. He was to a considerable extent isolated, but not forced to compose popular works, as he might have been had he had a larger public to please.
In 1781 Haydn met Mozart and familiarity with his music brought a new technique and style to Haydn’s compositions.
When the establishment was disbanded in 1790 Haydn was
allowed to retain the title Kapellmeister and was paid a handsome pension. Some
years later the music of Esterházy was restored and Haydn returned to his post.
During the intervening years he had made full use of his independence,
travelling to
The second period at Esterházy was distinguished by a remarkable late flowering of the composer’s talent. During this time he composed his greatest masses and the two oratorios, The Creation and The Seasons.
Imperial ‘Nelson’ Mass
When Haydn returned to the service of Prince Nikolaus II
Esterházy in August 1795 after his second
His main task was to compose a mass each year for the name day of the Prince’s wife. Between 1796 and 1802 Haydn wrote six masses for the Princess. They rank amongst the greatest and most uplifting of accompanied mass settings. The third and most famous of these masses, the D minor Missa in angustiis (‘Mass in time of trouble’) was composed in July and August 1798, and first performed in Eisenstadt parish church the following month.
The title by which the work is usually known, Nelson
Mass, dates from 1800, when Nelson, having routed the French at Aboukir,
visited Prince Esterházy on his return journey to
Haydn’s masses have often been classed as ‘sacred music of the concert hall’ rather than as liturgical, suitable for use in a service.
To this criticism he is said to have replied: ‘I do
not know how to write otherwise. When I think of God, my heart is so full of
joy that the notes flow like a fountain: and, since God has given me a joyous
heart, He will pardon me for having served Him joyfully’.
Programme notes: Elizabeth Jones.
Sources: The
ACS …..Making Music Count