Concert Notes 2017-18

Another year of fantastic concerts has come and gone, encompassing established classical and romantic works by major composers, the first performance of a newly-commissioned work by Peter White, a terrific tour to Spain and culminating in the huge fun that we had with jazz and spiritual musical idioms (as well as singing unaccompanied Whitacre) in our June concert.

But now a new season beckons and the fare awaiting us is just as varied and tasty. First up will be one of many people’s favourites (singers and audience alike – if not percussionists who have to limber up to aim mighty swipes at a large bass drum!) Verdi–Requiem. For this concert on Remembrance Day, November 11th, we have a terrific team of soloists lined up – led by one of our very favourite singers, soprano Claire Seaton.

At Christmas we return to St. Paul’s Church for a concert of seasonal music, including Christus natus est, which the politically correct amongst us will be delighted to see is not only a contemporary work but also by a female composer, Cecilia McDowall! To support our singing in this concert, we will have the lovely soprano Harriet Eyley and the assorted twenty fingers/thumbs and four feet of Richard Barnes and Tony Froggatt – the former now fully re-equipped with new joints and raring to go.

Our March 2018 concert combines the much-loved music of Handel with the truly beautiful and expressive mid-20 century setting of the Requiem words by Duruflé, and we have also found space in this programme to include a short work, Hear my words, ye people, by English composer Parry (he of Jerusalem and I was glad fame) to mark the centenary of his death in 1918.

On Saturday May 12 , we will be holding another Singing Day in Oving Jubilee Hall, which is an excellent chance for us all to have some choral fun and also introduce friends and acquaintances who do the choral thing to the joys of The Chichester Singers.

And then we really ‘go big’ for the culmination of our 2017-2018 season, with Walton–Belshazzar’s Feast, for which we will combine with my other choir, Guildford Choral Society, to perform in Guildford Cathedral. In addition to the great Walton masterpiece (which some of you may have heard at the Proms in early August) we will also sing Vaughan Williams–Five Mystical Songs and enjoy between these works Elgar–Cello Concerto,with Pavlos Carvalho as solo cellist. And (very temporarily) forsaking our very good friends the Southern Pro Musica for this grand concert, we will be accompanied by the very distinguished Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).

Get all the concert dates and key rehearsals into your diaries – you will so regret it if, for any reason, you find yourself unavailable for any of these lovely concerts.

Jonathan