A terrific thank you to everyone who came along to the ‘Flashmob’ carols yesterday, as we surprised visitors to the University’s Open Day in Rutherford dining-hall with a choice selection of carols.
They really got into the spirit of it: as you can see, they worked hard to sneak onto the balcony in Rutherford dining hall unobserved before springing up with a chord of Bb in their hearts to begin with a rousing ‘Ding Dong Merrily On High!’ which was greeted with warm applause from an enthusiastic crowd of visitors.
Shh!
With members of the University community gathering in the evening for ‘Carols Round the Tree,’ the campus truly was alive with festive singing!
Tomorrow’s concert sees the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus showcasing twentieth-century music from England and Russia: Parry’s enduringly-popular I Was Glad, a rare chance to hear Finzi’s For St Cecilia, Lyadov’s The Enchanted Lake, and the programme comes to a triumphant conclusion with Mussorgsky’s mighty Pictures at an Exhibition.
The concert begins at 7.30pm in Eliot Hall: further details and ticket-bookings on-line here.
The Chamber Choir is travelling across boundaries in a cosmopolitan rehearsal, as it looks at repertoire for the February Crypt concert as well as prepares for Monday’s Carol Service in the Cathedral…
The Medway Choir is about to make its debut in the Universities of Medway Carol Service, also next Monday, which also features music, drama and readings by various Societies as well, in what promises to be a vibrant festive celebration.
The University Camerata and Cecilian Choir teamed up for yesterday’s final lunchtime concert of the term, with Vivaldi’s Winter and Purcell’s ‘Frost Scene’ from King Arthur.
University Camerata with Jeremy Ovenden
Soloist in the Vivaldi, Jeremy Ovenden brought out the brittle, biting aspect of the piece in a strong, confident reading, and the Camerata responded with suitable fragility in the sul ponticello passages.
Making her debut at the Gulbenkian, Music Scholar Paris Noble cast a bright flame as Cupid, scolding the Cold Genius (a welcome return for alumnus Piran Legg) and bringing on a chorus of Cold Revellers to warm them up and spread love throughout the arctic countryside.
In rehearsal: Piran Legg (bass), Paris Noble (soprano) with the Camerata and Cecilian Choir
The Cecilian Choir, looking suitably chilly in winter hats and coats (there had been a fire-alarm that morning, so the musicians ended up waiting outside the Theatre for a while – true method-acting, as one of the altos wryly observed), shambled on before casting aside their winter attire for a heroic closing chorus.
Pictured also is the fine harpischord brought in for the concert (Christmas truly came early for me this year), a Ruckers-Hemsch copy by Ian Tucker, based on an instrument from 1763, which had a soundboard decorated identically to one owned by Handel. Many thanks to Edmund Pickering for delivering and tuning the instrument.
Tucker, after Ruckers-Hemsch
Bravo to all involved: a concert to ‘warm’ the heart…
Over on ‘Cantus Firmus,’ the University Cecilian Choir is in preparation for Monday’s ‘Cold’ lunchtime concert, as it rehearses Purcell’s ‘Frost Scene’ from King Arthur.
Mightier than the sword...
There’s also no time for the Chamber Choir to rest on its laurels, as it heads straight from its Advent concert last Friday into rehearsals for the Carol Service in Canterbury Cathedral on Monday week.
And, unrelated to the University’s musical life but of interest nevertheless, Alex Ross reports over on ‘The Rest is Noise’ on an interesting time at the Met, Philip Glass, protest and the police…
With their ears still resonating from their ‘Music for Advent’ concert at Blean Church last Friday, news arrives that the Chamber Choir’s first concert this year raised £570.
You can read the review on the choral blog, ‘Cantus Firmus.’ The Choir are now getting into shape to participate in the University Carol Service in Canterbury Cathedral on the 12 December, always a highlight of their performing calendar.
Next Monday, the University Camerata and Cecilian Choir join forces to perform Vivaldi and Purcell in the last of this term’s Lunchtime Concerts.
François Morellon la Cave: portrait of Vivaldi
The Red Priest’s enduringly-popular Winter, a vivid depiction of the season in its brittle textures, moves in its three movements from shivering amidst winter’s harsh wind to the warmth of sitting by the fire, whilst the last movement portrays racing across the ice before it cracks, seeking refuge behind a bolted door whilst winter’s chill fingers reach through the cracks. The violin soloist will be Jeremy Ovenden, leader of the Symphony Orchestra.
The Cecilian Choir will then join the Camerata for the ‘Frost Scene’ from Purcell’s King Arthur, in which Cupid (sung by second-year Music Scholar and soprano, Paris Noble) battles the Cold Genius (baritone and alumnus, Piran Legg) and his wintry revellers to bring warmth and dance to the frozen scene.
The concert begins on Monday 5 December in the Gulbenkian Theatre at 1.10pm; admission is free, with a suggested donation of £3.
Here’s a little taster of the Vivaldi, featuring a live performance by the Trondheim Soloists…
The concert begins at 7.30pm in Eliot Hall: further details and ticket-bookings
