Concerts

Dammit, I should have blogged this a week ago!

I have three concerts coming up.

First, one with Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, tomorrow evening (Saturday, March 10th) at St Andrews – Plymouth’s main church.  I can do no better than repeat what I wrote here when I last sang in it – with a different choir:

a lovely and startlingly unique piece. Perhaps it takes a septuagenarian Old Master – as Rossini was in 1863 – to have the confidence to write something quite so cheekily uncharacteristic of its time. It certainly shows the complete mastery of a lifetime’s experience, together with a creative imagination undulled by age!

Second, next Sunday, March 18th, with my most regular choir at the Guildhall, Plymouth.  This is a concert of several shorter works from the English repertoire, amongst which Vaughan Williams’ Five Spiritual Songs are the highlight.  Also worth hearing are Rutter’s Gloria, and Stamford’s Songs of the Fleet.  Sadly there’s also some dreary muzak from Karl Jenkins.  This is with the band of the Royal Marines in place of our usual orchestra, and the podium will be shared by both their and our regular conductors.

The third concert is a programme on the theme of the Christian death and resurrection, to be given at Buckfast Abbey on Saturday, March 24th.  The pick of this chamber concert is probably some gorgeous works by Herbert Howells, and the programme also includes Fauré‘s Requiem and shorter anthems.