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Details
St George's Church
1 Westbourne Crescent
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 3DQ
England
Tickets
Prices: £18
Book Tickets
Programme
Antonin Dvorak – Mass in D major, Op.86
Bob Chilcott – Requiem
Performers
Ed Harrison – tenor
Hannah Devereux – soprano
Darren Hogg – organ
Colin Baines – Conductor
Sonare wind ensemble
Birmingham Choral Union
Programme Note
Dvořák wrote the mass largely at his summer residence in Vysoká, surrounded by the natural scenery he loved so much and, despite the fact that he had been commissioned to write it, he worked above all for his own enjoyment. This fact is echoed in the work’s simple intimacy, fervour and sincerity, without any trace of ostentation. The mass clearly reflects the composer’s humble faith, his natural humility in the face of a higher Order, and his true joy of life. The Mass in D major is one of the most eloquent testimonies of Dvořák’s relationship to humankind, to God and to nature.
Bob Chilcott's Requiem opens with the Introit and Kyrie over a gently pulsing accompaniment, initially in the dark key of F minor, but moving into the major for ‘et lux perpetua’. The pace quickens slightly at the tenor soloist’s entry, ‘Te decet hymnus’, after which the opening material returns, with the addition this time of the soprano soloist. The tenors and basses of the choir introduce the Offertorio, which begins urgently, building to a climax at ‘Libera me’. A gentler tempo ushers in an extended tenor solo at ‘Hostias et preces tibi’. This eventually leads into the Pie Jesu, a simple, lyrical aria for the soprano soloist, supported by a subdued choral accompaniment. Jazz elements now come to the fore in the Sanctus and Benedictus, with its dissonant harmonies, irregular dancing rhythm and driving energy. The choir’s role in the Agnus Dei is again that of accompanist, this time to another expansive tenor solo. Chilcott next inserts a reflective setting for the choir of the prayer, Thou knowest, Lord, from the Book of Common Prayer. The Lux aeterna is a re-working of the music from the first movement, with the soprano soloist’s final phrase ascending heavenward and bringing the Requiem to a serene close.
