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Bridgwater Choral Society will be combining forces with the Cleeve Chorale of
Cheltenham on 9 May to perform Mozart’s Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore
and Mass in C Minor. Mozart composed the Mass in thanksgiving for his marriage.
Although never completed, it was first performed at St Peter’s, Salzburg in 1783,
with his wife Constanze singing the soprano solos. The solos are exuberant,
the orchestration rich and colourful, with use of the contrapuntal style favoured
by Bach and the polyphony of Palestrina. See Listings page 27.
SOMERSETCHAMBER JOOLSHOLLANDINVIVARYPARK
CHOIRCELEBRATES25 ON4JULY...NOWBOOKING!
YEARSOFCHORALMUSIC Jools Holland is returning to Vivary Park
25 July 2009 is set to be a very
in central Taunton on Saturday 4 July
special day for Somerset Chamber
with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra for
Choir – it is the date of their
another night of pure boogie-woogie.
25th anniversary concert at
Gates open at 5pm, the Concert begins
Wells Cathedral. Entitled Brilliant
at 7.30pm with a Firework Finale at
Baroque! it will feature Emma
10.30pm. Jools will be on stage with his
Kirkby (pictured below) plus four
17-piece Orchestra and special guests
other outstanding soloists (Sophie
Dave Edmunds and Ruby Turner. The
Rhythm & Blues Orchestra has evolved
Bevan, Tim Mead, Thomas Hobbs, Derek
from the initial seeds in 1985, when
Welton) and top baroque orchestra Canzona.
Jools and his drummer Gilson Lavis
On this special occasion, the choir’s conductor,
began touring as a duo, into a disciplined
GrahamCaldbeck, will direct a programme
18-piece band capable of selling out
of baroque ‘classics’: Handel Dixit Dominus,
all over Britain and Europe - from
Vivaldi Gloria, Charpentier Te Deum, plus a
Canterbury Cathedral and Kew Gardens
short work The Angels by Jonathan Harvey.
to the Glastonbury Festival - and filling
In 1984 a group of friends, then members of
the Albert Hall each Christmas in what
Somerset Youth Choir, ceased to qualify as
has become an annual ritual. You’ll need
‘youth’ anymore, but wanted to continue
to book now to secure your tickets.
singing together – as a result, Somerset
Seepage34formoredetails.
Chamber Choir was established and over the ensuing 25 years, the choir has
expanded and continued to recruit talented singers who have links with the county.
The core of the choir still comprises many of those who formed it, and despite
university, careers and new lives all over the country, the members resolve to return
to Somerset for five or six week- ends every year to rehearse intensively for two
annual concerts in Taunton and Wells Cathedral. The choir is particularly praised for
its purity of tone, fine balance, musicality and innovative programming. The choir has
a long performing association with Dame Emma Kirkby; Chairman and founding
member, Anthony Leigh explains: ‘a significant turning point for the choir was our
1988 performance of Bach’s St John Passion in King’s College Taunton with Emma
- it was a big financial risk for us at the time, but the concert sold out.’ So it is
appropriate that Emma should be joining the choir again for its 25th anniversary
celebration. Tickets for the 25 July concert (£10 - £25) are available from MusicBox
on 01275 349010. Public booking opens on 18 May, Friends of the Choir (£10 member
ship fee) have priority booking from 20 April. www.somersetchamberchoir.org.uk.
FANCYANIGHTINACARAVAN?
FollowingaFringe FirstAward,wide criticalacclaimandaselloutrun atThe Edinburgh
Fringe in 2008, TheCaravan,adocumentarytheatre performance byLook LeftLook
Rightaboutthe UK floods ofsummer 2007willbe openingatThe Brewhouse in April
for aweek’s run.Butnot in The Brewhouse. TheCaravan willbe performed,quite
literally,in acaravan which willbe positioneddirectlyoutside the theatre.Over 2000
households were stilllivingin caravans ayear after the 2007floods andLook LeftLook
Right’s intense andattimes humorous halfhour piece replicates the conditons by
puttingboth performers andaudience in a20-footcaravan givingan insightinto how
people cope in acrisis.The venue,therefore,is
integral to the piece,anormaltheatre just
wouldn'twork.The audience are sittingwith the
performers,maybe onlyafootapart,havingtea
with them,beingaskedto make space,or
budge up.Each performance is limitedto eight
audience members so it’s auniquelyintimate
andpowerfulexperience. SeeListingspage24.
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