CONCERT SUMMARY
19-Oct-08 | Pre Polish Tour Concert including works by Panufnik, Górecki and Vaughan Williams | Polish Church, St Paul's, Wakerley Road, Leicester, LE5 4WD |
01-Nov-08 | Polish Connections including works by Panufnik, Górecki and Vaughan Williams | St Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham |
02-Dec-08 | 'Belvoir by Candlelight' | Belvoir Castle |
14-Dec-08 | Christmas Concert | Patchings Farm Art Centre, Calverton |
16-Dec-08 | A Family Carol Concert on behalf of the Alzheimer's Society, Nottingham Branch | St Mark's Church, Woodthorpe, Nottingham |
07-Apr-09 | Bach's St Matthew Passion | Southwell Minster |
04-Jul-09 | American Concert with Alistair Parnell | West Bridgford Methodist Church |
St Mary's Church, Krakow
The 2008-9 season started with a trip to Krakow, preceded by a pre-tour concert at the Polish church, St Paul's, Leicester and followed by Polish Connections a concert on 1 November at St Barnabas Cathedral. Music by two Polish composers, Panufnik and Górecki, and (in the 50th anniversary year of his death) the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams were included. William Ruff's write-up of the concert in the Nottingham Evening Post can be found on the Polish Connections page. Pictures of the trip can be found from the 'Visit to Poland' page.
To begin the Christmas season we took part in 'Belvoir by Candlelight' at Belvoir Castle on Tuesday 2nd December. Then, as well as the traditional Patchings Christmas Concert on 14 December, we presented a Christmas concert on behalf of the Alzheimer's Society at St Mark's Church Woodthorpe on 16th December.
The 17th January 2009 brought our third 'Come and Sing' in Bramcote. This time we explored Domenico Scarlatti's Stabat Mater
On the Tuesday of Holy Week, 7th April 2009, we returned to Southwell Minster with a performance of JS Bach's great St Matthew Passion. Grahame Whitehead, of the Nottingham Evening Post, wrote: " ... Bach's fusion of dramatic narrative with personal spiritual reflection was recreated with a simple directness which always left space for quiet reflection. ... The choir's well-balanced, disciplined sound was equally at home in the chorale melodies and in the dramatic interjections which punctuate the narrative ...".
A summer concert on an American theme, as befits its date of the fourth of July, was performed in a new venue for us, the West Bridgford Methodist Church. Alistair Parnell joined us with is his expressive saxophone playing. As well as a miscellany of American items, the concert also contained new pieces by Richard Roddis and Tom Zadik.