Your events at Classical Events
Details
Wells Cathedral
Cathedral Green
Wells
Somerset
BA5 2UE
England
Programme
John Rutter – Gloria
James Whitbourn – Son of God Mass
James MacMillan – Responsary: Summae Trinitati
Cecilia McDowall – Ave Regina
Paul Mealor – Ubi Caritas
Gerald Finzi – God is gone up, Op.27 no.2
Performers
Andrea Brown – Conductor
Rachel Parvin – Saxophone
Simon Hogan – organ
Bones Apart
Somerset Chamber Choir
Programme Note
Sir John Rutter will be 80 this year! There is surely no better time, therefore, to celebrate the music of this much-treasured English composer, once described by Sir David Willcocks as “the most gifted composer of his generation”, with a performance of his exultant Gloria. Rutter’s music, with its singable melodies and satisfying key-changes, invariably goes straight to the listeners’ hearts and, since its first performance in 1974, the Gloria has been enormously and justifiably popular due to its brass fireworks and jubilant choral writing.
James Whitbourn, who sadly passed away relatively young last year, was known for his ‘boundless breadth of choral imagination’ (The Observer) resulting in compositions of brilliance and power. His ‘Son of God’ Mass is a gem; uniquely scored for choir, organ and soprano saxophone, it is a work that enables appreciation of the saxophone as a compelling, wordless soloist, often contemplative and mysterious, sometimes soaring and exuberant. The music is tellingly written throughout to suit the mood and meaning of the texts, and the final climactic Amen will leave no doubt as to the sincerity of this exceptionally moving music.
