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Details
St David's Church
Queen's Terrace
Exeter
Devon
EX4 4HR
England
Programme
Marc-Antoine Charpentier – Messe de Minuit Pour Noël
~ Interval ~
Heinrich Schütz – The Christmas Story
Performers
Andrea Brown – Conductor
Peter Adcock – piano
Exeter Festival Chorus
EFC Voices
Programme Note
This year’s Christmas programme combines joyous seasonal baroque music with carols that the audience will be invited to sing. The main feature of the first half of the concert is Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit pour Noël.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier held the important post of Maître de Musique at the great Jesuit church of St-Louis in Paris. Dating from around 1690, the Messe de Minuit is an inspired and masterful blend of melodies drawn from traditional French carols and new music composed by Charpentier. It was once a custom in France for carols to be an integral part of the celebration of Midnight Mass, despite their secular origins. This Mass is made up of eleven noëls, most of which are dance-like in character, reflecting the traditional folk-song nature of the carols.
We will then be joined by the audience to sing some popular Christmas music together.
The work in the second half of the concert is Christmas Story by Heinrich Schütz. A musical setting of the Nativity in German, it was intended to be performed during a service in place of a Gospel reading. It was probably first performed at a Christmas service in 1660 at the court of the Elector of Saxony, Dresden, where Schütz was the Kapellmeister. A solo tenor voice narrates the story in the role of Evangelist. Other well-known and traditional characters of the Nativity story are also featured: hosts of angels, shepherds, the three wise men, priests and scribes, King Herod and an angel who appears to Joseph. All these roles will be sung by members of EFC Voices. The soloists are accompanied by a six-part choir with the score revealing some unexpected dramatic musical turns to emphasise particular events in this seasonal story.
Doors open at 7pm. Total running time 90 minutes plus 20-minute interval, during which refreshments will be available.
“The choir’s love of singing was clearly communicated to everyone and the conductor, Andrea Brown’s, encouraging conducting and ability to draw out a fine array of colours alongside precision and vivacity were a joy to listen to.”
