Our MD, Catherine, writes:

‘In memoriam’, as its title suggests, focuses on our memory of loved ones who are sadly no longer with us. With Remembrance Sunday close in sight, I wanted to mark this occasion with some examples of repertoire that evokes the conflict and the hardship endured by those who sacrificed their lives in the world wars.

Douglas Guest’s ‘For the Fallen’ perfectly encapsulates this aesthetic in a miniature form whilst ‘Lux Aeterna’ vocalises the expressive lines of Sir Edward Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’, a piece which is often associated with British Remembrance.

This programme acknowledges that, for many, ‘in memoriam’ also extends beyond this theme. As such, each half is bolstered with works that evoke a sense of inner peace and contemplation without being explicitly linked to remembrance as we understand it in the British tradition.

Sit back and enjoy the lush harmonies of Edward Bairstow’s ‘Let all mortal flesh keep silence’ and Eric Whitacre’s ‘Sleep’ alongside the intricate polyphony of works by Renaissance masters Thomas Tallis, William Byrd and Tomás Luis de Victoria.

The concert culminates in Gerald Finzi’s narrative-driven ‘Lo, the full, final sacrifice’, which recalls themes of sacrifice and conflict. Musically, this work reimagines Renaissance polyphony over a more dissonant harmonic backdrop, which refuses to resolve until we are metaphorically put to rest in the most beautifully crafted ‘Amen’.

Read our detailed programme notes.

Programme:

Douglas Guest (1916 – 1996) – For the Fallen
Thomas Tallis (1505 – 1585) – Hear the voice and prayer
William Byrd (1540 – 1623) – Mass for four voices
Sir Arthur Somervell (1863 -1937) – ‘Adagio’ from Two Conversations about Bach
Sir William Harris (1883 – 1973) – Bring us, O Lord
Eric Whitacre (b.1970) – Sleep
Sir Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934) arranged by John Cameron – Lux Aeterna
Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548 – 1611) – Jesu, dulcis memoria
C.V. Stanford (1852 – 1924) – ‘Beati quorum via’ and ‘Justorum animae’ from Three motets
Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848 – 1918) – Chorale Fantasia on ‘O God, our help’
Sir Edward Bairstow (1874 – 1946) – Let all mortal flesh keep silence
Gerald Finzi (1901 – 1956) – Lo the full, final sacrifice

Conductor: Catherine Olver
With Mark Dancer, organ

Full price tickets £18 until and including Saturday 24 October, then £20.
Children/students: £3.
These are available either online, via One Tree Books or on the door.