Chorale, a celebration of melody
For his first concert at the helm of New Cambridge Singers, James Potter has chosen a programme built around Chorales. The bedrock of much of Bach’s music and of Lutheran hymn singing, these famous and much loved tunes are not just the emotional heart of Lutheran hymn-singing, but the basis for a whole genre of glorious choral music. Bach and his contemporaries (and sons!) knew and loved these powerful songs, using them as the foundation for much of their devotional music, from the grandeur of the St Matthew Passion to smaller Cantatas. For Brahms, they were a way to connect his music to the baroque motets he so admired. Mendelssohn used one as the culmination of his Epiphany sequence describing the star above Bethlehem. Right up to the present day, English composers Philip Moore and John Rutter, and Norwegian Knut Nystedt use chorales respectively as a vehicle for prayer, a celebration of light, and a timeless meditation on the eternal. This concert will present a rich tapestry of colour which the listener will find deeply rewarding. James Potter: Music Director Organ: Will Mason |
Saturday 16 March, 7.30pm
St John the Evangelist Church, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8RN Tickets: £18, students £9, Under 18s free Tickets for companions of anyone with long-term disability are offered free of charge. Saturday 23 March, 7.30pm
St Mary the Virgin Church, Church Lane, Linton, CB21 4JX Tickets: £14, students £6 via Sue Ellis on 01223892257 or Charlotte Dodd on events@stmaryslinton.org.uk or on the door. |
The Lark Ascending
music from nature, for choir, cello & violin The natural world has inspired composers for centuries. Few more so than Vaughan Williams, whose The Lark Ascending is one of the most enduringly popular pieces of music of all time. Paul Drayton’s expressive arrangement brings new colours (and words) to this timeless favourite. Plainscapes might well be the Latvian equivalent, its dream-like texture of wordless choir, cello and violin evoking the native birds of Peteris Vasks’ homeland. More birds round out the programme, with Stanford’s miraculous and poised The Bluebird, in its original context of the Op.119 folksongs, and celebrating the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death. James Potter: Music Director Violin: Freya Goldmark Cello: Chris Terepin |
Saturday 22 June, 7.30pm Downing Place United Reformed Church, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EL Tickets £18, students £9 Under 18’s free Saturday 29 June, 7.30pm All Saints Church, High Street, Cottenham CB24 8SA Tickets £14, students £6 Box Office: to be confirmed |