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Concert Programme for Summer 2024

Saturday 6 July 2024

7.00 pm I St Albans Cathedral

Mass in C Major (“The Coronation”) K317

Requiem Mass in D Minor K626

by Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART

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Mass in C Major (“The Coronation”) K317

Requiem Mass in D Minor K626

Saturday 6th July 2024 7.00 pm I St Albans Cathedral





Recent Reviews

St Albans Bach Choir & Sinfonia Verdi Rutter Magnificat and Requiem Saturday 11th November 2023

On Armistice Day we were treated to an enthusiastic performance of two of John Rutter’s more substantial works. The St Albans Bach Choir were joined by Sinfonia Verdi in what was a feast of loveliness and memorable tunes that have come to be the hallmark of Rutter’s compositions.

Fresh from performances of the challenging Dvorak and Berlioz Requiems, this was an opportunity for the choir to polish its voice production and perfection of phrasing as, one after another, this heavenly music transported us to a place of comfort.

The soprano soloist Lucinda Cox’s effortless singing, together with some outstanding oboe, flute and cello solos added a quality which lifted the whole performance to another level and left members of the audience silently nodding to their partners – Can this be any more beautiful? – particularly the soprano’s rising final phrases up to the stratosphere.

The Magnificat, conducted by Andrew Lucas, was lively from the start, with deft syncopations. Then, in a moment of quiet reflection, the 15th Century words “Of a Rose, a lovely Rose” demonstrated the fine sonority of the singers. The crash of cymbals and the loud organ played by Richard Pinel announced the Quia Fecit, each voice part singing the plainsong melody in turn. Then the soprano soloist took over in the Et Misericordia echoed by the choir in what was the first of the memorable tunes that the audience will recall later. Finally there is a recapitulation of the joyful Magnificat theme.

The cross rhythms of the Fecit Potentiam were menacingly delivered by the lower parts and the Esurientes in triple time set the soprano soloist alongside the choir with beautifully played flute and oboe solos. The Gloria Patri began with a choral fanfare before retreating into the more reflective Sancta Maria soprano solo, before building to a powerful conclusion to the work.

After the interval the mood changed as the foreboding chords and the steady drum beat introduced the Requiem conducted by the composer himself. The second movement Out of the Deep begins with a long cello solo played beautifully by Miriam Lowbury. The choral writing here definitely gives a sense that Rutter has drawn on various influences to make his Requiem a work with a great depth of passion. The choir were at their best with this story telling. It being Armistice Day and with so many continuing conflicts ongoing in the

world, the plea “Lord Hear my Voice” was doubly heartfelt.

Again, the soprano Lucinda Cox delighted the audience with her sensitively delivered Pie Jesu putting this sublime version surely amongst the greats of Fauré and Duruflé. The joyful Sanctus with sleigh bells ringing gave way to the foreboding Agnus Dei introduced by the tenors and altos.

The penultimate movement The Lord is my Shepherd is a pastoral pause where we were transported once more by the obligato oboe solo, beautifully played by Emma Feilding, with the rippling harp accompaniment.

As the work drew to a close we yearned to hear the soprano soloist just once more and, on cue, she soared above the choir in a full octave scale up to a top B flat – “They Rest from their Labours”. Finally, the Lux Aeterna and recapitulation of the initial Requiem theme brought this sumptuous work to a peaceful close and to rapturous applause.

Review: St Albans Bach Choir & Sinfonia Verdi Dvořák Requiem St Albans Cathedral, Saturday 25 March 2023

The word Requiem makes the average concert goer or avid listener to Classic FM leap for the exquisite sounds of the Fauré or the crashing drums of the Verdi, or the finely crafted movements of the Mozart. For singers too, these oft repeated works are like old friends. But here we were on a damp Saturday night in St Albans Cathedral presented with Dvořák’s seldom-performed Requiem.

To tackle this work was a bold decision by the conductor Andrew Lucas but one which he and St Albans Bach Choir will no doubt remember as a high point. Together with Sinfonia Verdi, an ensemble that draws from some of the finest instrumentalists in the area and top flight vocal soloists, we were treated to a memorable concert.

As soon as the choir sang their first phrases with effective and closely observed dynamics, we knew that we were in the presence of a well-rehearsed and responsive chorus.

The four soloists were Ailish Tynan (Soprano), Jess Dandy (Contralto), Sam Furness (Tenor) and Piran Legg (Bass). They shone in their solo numbers and the blend of their voices when they sang together was superb.

The Requiem was performed in two parts with a short interval in between. The first part is an image of the Last Judgement and has eight movements whilst the second part has five movements, conveying an atmosphere of solace and conciliation.

Especially notable moments in the first half included Ailish Tynan’s ringing voice filling the cathedral in a soulful and passionate rendering of the In Memoriam, and the reprise of the Dies Irae, Dies Illa – incredibly exciting as it thundered towards the satisfying E major resolution. This is choral writing at its most spectacular.

The complex and sprightly fugue Quam Olim Abrahae was a highlight of the second half,

and its repeat following the serene Hostias was even more exhilarating as it raced to its triumphant conclusion.

The powerful final movement Agnus Dei brought all the forces together as a fitting conclusion to the whole work and, following the brief Et Lux Perpetua climax, the work closed with a pianissimo woodwind chord. When the notes had died away there were a few moments of palpable silence before the enthusiastic applause .

This is a work that could not have been contemplated immediately after the Covid period when singers were lacking stamina after a long period without the opportunity to perform. It is a credit to the choir and to Andrew Lucas that they were able to keep their voices, their energy and concentration going right to the end for what was an elevating experience for the audience.

Tony de Rivaz

From the Herts Advertiser 22nd November 2018

From the Herts Advertiser 22nd November 2018