Hull Bach Choir

Rejoice

Saturday 9 November 2024, 7.30 pm

St Mary the Virgin, Cottingham

performer image
Adoration of the shepherds by Jacob van Oostsanen, 1512

Rejoice in God, O ye Tongues;
Give the glory to the Lord; And the Lamb.

Opening text of Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb

Adults - £15
Students and Jobseekers - £5
Children up to 18 - FREE

Hull Bach Choir
String quartet
Matthew Collins, organ
Julian Savory, conductor

Gabrielle Awre, soprano
Berenice Lewis, alto
TBC, tenor
Kevin Ormond, bass

Music of Celebration from the 16th to the 20th Centuries, including works by THE THREE Bs: Bach, Buxtehude and Britten.

   
Victoria Jesu, dulcis memoria
Viadana Exsultata justi
Buxtehude Magnificat
Bach
 
Jesu, priceless treasure
(Motet: Jesu meine Freude BWV 227)
Britten Rejoice in the Lamb

Adults - £15
Students and Jobseekers - £5
Children up to 18 - FREE

The Three Bs

This concert is a celebration of THE THREE Bs: Bach, Buxtehude and Britten.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): Jesu Meine Freude

This motet was probably written for the funeral of the wife of one of Bach’s musical colleagues in 1723. It has eleven movements of great variety. Some are sung by soloists, others by the choir in an English translation by W. Bartholemew. The accompaniment will be cello and organ continuo.

Dieterich Buxtehude (1637 – 1705): Magnificat

This charming one-movement work contrasts rhythmic block-chord choir passages with quite virtuosic solo sections. Our accompaniment is string quartet with organ. There is some doubt as to whether Buxtehude actually was the composer of this piece, but it is lively and interesting and deserves to be more well-known.

Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976): Rejoice in the Lamb

We are singing Rejoice in the Lamb in memory of long-time member choir member Maxwell Bird who left a legacy to the choir that we received last season. He loved the piece and was always asking if we could perform it.

The poem on which this festival cantata is based is by the eighteenth century poet Christopher Smart, written when he was an inmate in an asylum. Its curious text is set imaginatively and humorously by Britten. It is for choir and soloists with organ accompaniment and was written for the 50th anniversary of the consecration of St. Matthew’s Church, Northampton.

The concert will also feature renaissance music by Viadana and Victoria and additional instrumental solo items.