|
|
|
GREAT MISSENDEN CHORAL SOCIETY with SARAH BARNES – Soprano VICTORIA GRAY – Mezzo Soprano ADRIAN WARD – Tenor PHILIP TEBB – Baritone and JOHN COTTERILL - Conductor DIAMOND
JUBILEE CONCERT Johann
Sebastian Bach - Chorales from Motet ‘Jesu,
priceless treasure’ Heinrich Schutz - The Christmas Story Benjamin Britten -
Hymn to St. Cecilia Johann
Sebastian Bach - Magnificat in D * * *
* * * * * The Parish By kind permission of the Vicar * * *
* * * * * PROGRAMME £1
Great Missenden Choral Society is a registered Charity - No. 802800 www.gmcsonline.co.uk
A message from Mr Bob Gerhardi, Honorary President of Great Missenden
Choral Society on the occasion of the Society’s Diamond Jubilee Season. I am very proud to be
singing in the Choir as the only Founding Member and as
the last survivor of the original Gerhardi
family membership. It is an honour to be able to continue
in my father’s footsteps as the Society’s
President. The Gerhardi
family was able to provide accommodation, support and
encouragement for the Choir in its early years. I am sure that they would be very pleased to know that it is
still thriving and is now celebrating its Diamond Jubilee. BG GREAT MISSENDEN CHORAL SOCIETY A SHORT HISTORY - 1949 - 2009 GREAT MISSENDEN
CHORAL SOCIETY’S foundations lie in a music appreciation course held
under the auspices of the Workers Educational Association during the autumn
of 1948. The class was led by Herta Grove who had come to Performances were given in the Gerhardy’s Hall off Great Missenden High Street, to packed houses and included a wide range of unaccompanied music, from madrigals to the Bach Motet, Jesu Priceless Treasure, which has remained a great favourite with Choir members, and is included in part in our Diamond Jubilee Concert. Four members of the Gerhardi family were founder members of the choir; Victor and his wife Lilian and their son and daughter, Bob and Pat. Mr Bob Gerhardi is now the Society’s Honorary President and remains an active and enthusiastic singing member.
In 1954 Herta decided to leave the Neil introduced many promising musicians who were destined to become well-known. John Shirley-Quirk sang many times with the Society in the period 1959 to 1966. Some of the other artists who took part in concerts during this period include Ian Partridge, Roger Norrington, Felicity Palmer, Bruno Schreker, Neil Jenkins, Geoffrey Burgon, Alan Harversen, Richard Drakeford, Janet Craxton and many others. By 1986 under Neil’s direction, the Choir membership had swelled to about 40. He then felt that as his hearing was beginning to fail a new Music Director may have more appeal to potential younger choir members. The Society was extremely fortunate to have for so long as their Musical Director a man so highly talented and highly respected in the musical world. Following auditions for the Music Director’s post, Gordon Fairbairn was chosen from four candidates. He introduced later and ‘bigger’ music to the repertoire. Gordon retired after 6 years when David Meacock, a young local man who was already the Society’s rehearsal accompanist, was appointed. At this time Choir numbers reached their peak at about 55. The repertoire continued to expand and included larger orchestral accompaniments. David stayed with the Choir until 1995 when the present Conductor and Musical Director, John Cotterill, was appointed. Since then the repertoire has expanded still further to include secular music such as John Rutter’s Sprig of Thyme but at the same time the Choir is once again performing unaccompanied works such as the Brahms’ Marienlieder as part of its concert programmes. John, in the early tradition of the Society, instils the importance of good voice production. Along with some outstanding concert performances, one that will stand in the memory of those members who took part, was a centenary performance of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius on Sunday 1 October 2000 which took place at the Royal Albert Hall, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by John Cotterill, joining with other choirs with which he had been associated and with three international soloists in aid of the charity Help the Aged. The Society has also had the privilege to sing on three occasions of the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. As is the case with all amateur music societies, continuing existence is a fine balance between funding and expenditure. Choir membership currently stands between 65 and 70, which is a tribute to the friendly and welcoming nature of the Society and to the pride we take in maintaining high standards and commitment. The support of the Society’s Friends is very much appreciated. This Diamond
Jubilee season marks another milestone in the Choir’s history and there
will be plenty of future challenges in the face of reduced funding and
increasing costs to sustain the values of the Society. The season will close with a performance of
Haydn’s Nelson Mass on More details about the Society may be found on our website at www.gmcsonline.co.uk MILESTONES IN THE
HISTORY OF GREAT MISSENDEN CHORAL SOCIETY 1959 First public performance by John Shirley-Quirk 1961 Choir performed in the first Little Missenden Festival 1963 First performance of Festival Jubilate - Richard Drakeford 1963 Choir took part in WEA 50th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Festival Hall 1964 First performance in England of Vivaldi’s Gloria 1965 First performance in England of
Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri 1969 First performance Jubilate Deo - Neil Saunders 1970 First performance Missa Brevis - Geoffrey Burgon 1972 First performance Worlde Blisse - Geoffrey Burgon 1974 First performance in England of Delalande’s Cantemus Domino 1974 First Performance Benedic anima mea - Neil Saunders 1976 First performance Valediction for tenor, chorus and organ - Richard Benger 1979 First performance Cantata di requiem - Neil Saunders 1980 First performance Incantations for solo oboe - Neil Saunders, performed by Janet Craxton 1991 First performance Beloved in Christ and Stand Up and Praise the Lord Your God -David Meacock 1995 First performance Easter Cantata - David Meacock 1998 Golden Jubilee Concert including Geoffrey Burgon’s The Fall of Lucifer and Musick’s Jubilee by Andrew Carter 2000 Centenary Performance of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius at the Royal Albert Hall 2004 A rare performance of Dyson’s 2007 Large performance of Brahms’ German Requiem in 2007 One of the early performances of Mary’s Song by Ronald Corp JOHN COTTERILL (Conductor) was appointed Musical Director of Great Missenden
Choral Society in September 1995. He was born in Hertfordshire, but later
moved to Surrey where at Farnham he founded the Waverley Singers and the
Waverley Orchestra, both of which he conducted until 1981. From 1965 to 1981
he was also conductor of the RAE Symphony Orchestra at Farnborough. He now
lives in Maidenhead, Berkshire, where he was Conductor and Music Director of
Maidenhead Chamber Choir from 1983 to 2001, and where he is now conductor of
the Norden Farm Festival Chorus and Director of
Music at St. Luke’s Church. John is a trustee of the Josephine Baker
Trust which supports young singers entering the music profession as soloists
by offering financial assistance towards their fees from paid engagements.
John has also conducted the Runnymede Festival Chorus and Maidenhead Symphony
Orchestra. His early tuition in conducting came from Alan Fluck,
Meredith Davies, Myers Foggin, Sir Adrian Boult and Sir Charles Groves. At various times he has
directed the Farnham Wind Ensemble, the Haslemere
Choir and Orchestra, the Woking Choral Society and the Grove Choral Society, SARAH BARNES (Soprano) is Canadian and holds a
Licentiate in Early Music Vocal Performance and is a Bachelor of Music in
Trumpet Performance from VICTORIA GRAY ( Mezzo Soprano) is aged 21 and her
major passion in life is singing and performing. A scholar at the Royal
College of Music in ADRIAN WARD (Tenor) was born in PHILIP TEBB (Bass-Baritone) studied Music at ST JOHN'S CHAMBER
ORCHESTRA was
founded by Nigel and Jay Wilkinson in 1980 and is based in Maidenhead where
it gives regular concerts ranging from the Baroque to the present day. Major
projects have included the complete Piano Concertos of Mozart in 12 concerts
and other shorter series devoted to the concertos of Brahms, Mendelssohn and
Schumann, as well as semi-staged performances of Mozart's ‘The Magic Flute’, ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, ‘Don
Giovanni’, ‘Cosi fan Tutte’ and Bizet’s
‘Carmen’. The Orchestra
has played for Great Missenden Choral Society in previous concerts including
Mozart's ‘Requiem’,
Bach's ‘Christmas Oratorio’
Handel’s ‘Messiah’, Mendelssohn’s ‘Elijah’, Monteverdi’s
‘Christmas Vespers’, Dyson’s ‘The Canterbury Pilgrims’, Haydn’s ‘The Seasons’, Bach’s ‘St. John Passion’, Brahms’s German Requiem and in a previous
season's Golden Jubilee concert. For some years the orchestra worked with
John Cotterill and the Maidenhead Chamber Choir;
performances included the Bach ‘Passions’
and ‘B Minor Mass’,
Monteverdi's ‘Vespers of
1610’ in Eton College Chapel, a concert in December 1995 for John Rutter's 50th birthday conducted by the composer, in 2000
a special performance of Dyson's ‘The
Canterbury Pilgrims’, and in 2001 the world première of a newly
commissioned work by Jonathan Willcocks. THE
COUNTESS OF THE
JOSEPHINE BAKER TRUST offers
financial assistance under its Young Singers Scheme towards concert fees paid
to the most promising post-graduate singers studying at PROGRAMME FOUR CHORALES (from Motet: Jesu, priceless treasure) J.S.
BACH (1685-1750) arr. John Cotterill This well-known Motet was written in 1723 and is
founded on the hymn ‘Jesu, meine Freude’ with words
by Johannes Franck. The melody which
Bach used as the main feature of the work is the one set to Franck’s
hymn by Johann Crüger. The whole motet was first sung by Great
Missenden Choral Society on Jesu,
priceless treasure, source of purest pleasure Truest
friend to me; Ah,
how long I’ve waited, and my heart hath fainted, Thirsting,
Lord, for Thee! Thine I
am, O spotless Lamb, I
will suffer nought to hide Thee, Nought
I ask beside Thee. In
Thine arm I rest me; foes who would molest me Cannot
reach me here; Though
the earth be shaking, every heart be quaking, Jesus
calms my fear. Fires
may flash and thunders crash, Yea,
and sin and hell assail me; Jesus
will not fail me. Hence
with earthly treasure, Thou art all my pleasure, Jesu,
all my choice. Hence
Thou empty glory, nought to me Thy story, Told
with tempting voice. Pain,
or loss, or shame, or cross, Shall
not from my Saviour move me, Since
He deigns to love me. Hence,
all fears and sadness, for the Lord of gladness, Jesus
enters in; They
who love the Father, though the storms may gather, Still
have peace within. Yea,
whate’er I here must bear, Still
in Thee lies purest pleasure, Jesu,
priceless treasure. THE
CHRISTMAS STORY
HEINRICH SCHUTZ (1585-1672) ed. Arthur
Mendel pub. Heinrich Schütz was born
in Köstritz, Saxony and in 1608 was given a
generous grant to travel to
INTERVAL (Drinks available in the Church) HYMN TO
ST. CECILIA
BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-1976) Words by W.H. Auden This wonderful choral work was
written in 1942 and was performed by the Choral Society on In a garden shady this holy lady With reverent cadence and subtle psalm, Like a black swan as death came on Poured forth her song in perfect calm: And by ocean’s margin this innocent virgin Constructed an organ to enlarge her prayer, And notes tremendous from her great engine Thundered out on the Roman air. Blonde Aphrodite rose up excited, Moved to delight by the melody, White as an orchid she rode quite naked In an oyster shell on top of the sea; At sounds so entrancing the angels dancing Came out of their trance into time again, And around the wicked in Hell’s abysses The huge flame flickered and eased their pain. Blessed
Cecilia, appear in visions To all
musicians, appear and inspire: Translated
Daughter, come down and startle Composing
mortals with immortal fire. I cannot grow; I have no shadow To run away from, I only play. I cannot err; There is no creature Whom I belong to, Whom I could wrong. I am defeat When it knows it Can now do nothing By suffering. All you lived
through, Dancing because you | |||||||||||||||||||||
