Psalms, Songs and Saxes

ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH

PLYMOUTH

8 August  2000

7.30pm

&

TRURO CATHEDRAL 9 August 2000 7.30pm

Somerset Chamber Choir

with the young,

Award-winning saxophone quartet,

 SAXPLOITATION

PLYMOUTH tickets available from EVENTIX

01752 266104.

TRURO tickets available from

HALL FOR CORNWALL 01872 262466

 

TICKETS: £10
All major credit cards accepted.

 

400 years of musical riches from

8 countries in 90 minutes! 

For its Millennium Concert Tour the choir breaks exciting new ground by joining forces with the young, award-winning saxophone quartet, SAXPLOITATION and virtuoso organist, Richard Pearce, to present Psalms, Songs and Saxes, a fresh and innovative programme of choral and instrumental music from five centuries and eight countries.

As well as marking Bach's 250th anniversary, the programme contrasts different settings of the same texts and includes movements from two 20th-century classics: Rachmaninov's Vespers and John Rutter's Requiem. Brahms's passionate Geistliches Lied, Fauré's mellifluous Cantique de Jean Racine and Parry's My soul, there is a country, from his magnificent Songs of Farewell, provide additional touches of Romanticism.

 

Famous Choral and organ music by Monteverdi, J.S. Bach, Rachmaninov, Faure, Brahams, Pärt & Parry

SOMERSET CHAMBER CHOIR

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1003687



This colourful musical tapestry stretches from the uplifting Exultate Deo (1584) by the 16th -century Italian composer, Palestrina, to the hauntingly beautiful Magnificat (1989) by the contemporary Estonian, Arvo Pärt. In between, stimulating new perspectives on a number of well-known 17th and 18th - century works, provided in new transcriptions for choir and saxes: Gibbons's celebrated verse-anthem, This is the record of John, Monteverdi's famous Beatus Vir and Bach's radiant motet, O Jesus Christ, meins Lebens Licht all appear in delightful and intriguing new guises.


 

 SOMERSET CHAMBER CHOIR one of the South West's leading young choirs, continues to receive ecstatic reviews: "[the choir's] consistent high quality is a thing of wonder", "a memorable evening", "the perfect example of intelligent programme planning for both choir and audience".

 

‘Music making as it should be – as fine a performance as could be wished for’ (Somerset County Gazette), ‘One of the finest examples of mixed professional amateur performers in the country’ (Taunton Times)  are samples of the critical acclaim which greeted the choir's performance in Wells Cathedral last summer.

 

Saxploitation play exhilarating new pieces by Graham Fitkin and Alasdair Nicolson plus a lively tango by Piazzolla and join the choir to provide a jazzy finale in a close-harmony arrangement specially commissioned for this concert.