Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms; Harvey - Messages; Bruckner - Mass in E Minor

Huddersfield Town Hall - Friday 1st April 2011 - 7.30pmDesigned and Produced by Hayes Design & Media 07900 277889

HarveyStravinsky

Symphony of Psalms

Messages

BrucknerMass in E Minor

The Bruckner organ at St. Florian Abbey in Austria

2 0 1 0 / 2 0 11 S E A S O N

11 7 5 t h A n n i v e r s a r y S e a s o n 1 7 5 t h A n n i v e r s a r y S e a s o n

Symphony of PsalmsS T R AV I N S K Y

MessagesH A R V E Y

U K p r e m i è r e p e r f o r m a n c e

Mass in E MinorB R U C K N E R

MARTYN BRABBINSORCHESTRA OF OPERA NORTH

Chorus Master: JOSEPH CULLEN

FRIDAY 1 APRIL 2011

7 . 3 0 p . m . H U D D E R S F I E L D T O W N H A L L



Welcome to the third Subscription concert of this special 175thanniversary season. We are delighted to welcome ConductorLaureate Martyn Brabbins and Orchestra of Opera North for theUK première of Jonathan Harvey's Messages, with StravinskySymphony of Psalms and Bruckner E minor Mass.

In the 175 years since Huddersfield Choral Society was founded,it has performed in many of the world's great musical centres. Itsspecial quality is the unique 'Huddersfield Sound' - a thrilling full-bodied and firm blended tone, flexible enough for both the mostshattering climaxes and for the softest but focused pianissimos.The anniversary season is marked in a number of ways in additionto the regular Subscribers' and Public concerts, with an updatedhistory of the Society entitled And the Glory already beingpublished. The volume is available for sale tonight along withrecordings and other commemorative items marking thissignificant anniversary.

Messiah is perhaps one of the works most closely associated withthe Society, and this anniversary year has seen a number ofperformances throughout the UK. The final performance of theseason will be in London at the Barbican on Good Friday (April22nd 2011). Joseph Cullen will conduct the City of LondonSinfonia, with Elizabeth Watts (soprano), Catherine Wyn-Rogers(alto), Mark Le Brocq (tenor) and Christopher Purves (bass).Tickets are available from the Barbican (020 7638 8891) - or seethe advertisement in this programme for our special Supporters'package.

During the season the Society has also performed Messiah in TheSage Gateshead, in only the second sell-out concert for that hallon a very snowy day in December. In addition we joined theStratford-upon-Avon Choral Society - also celebrating their 175thanniversary during 2011 - in the first choral performance at thenewly-refurbished Royal Shakespeare Theatre in January. Thisseason's Huddersfield performances conducted by Jane Gloverwere recorded by Signum Classics for a new release - availablefor sale tonight (SIGCD246).

The anniversary season will conclude on 18th June 2011 with aperformance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius with the Hallé

conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Christine Rice (mezzo), PeterHoare (tenor) and Christopher Purves (bass) are the soloists in thisspecial concert, taking place on the nearest available date to thatof the Society's founding 175 years ago. Tickets are now availablefrom the Kirklees Box Office (01484 223200) - don't miss yourchance to share in this historic and memorable occasion.

A Society with a long and distinguished history, the Choral is alsokeen to encourage the young singers of the future. This season ourJunior Choirs also celebrate the milestone of their 25th anniversary,and an exciting range of concerts and other events have beentaking place through the season for our young people. In addition,a series of free workshops offered by the Society in partnership withKirklees Council and the Mrs Sunderland Music Festival have seensome 1600 children and young people from Kirklees discoveringand enjoying singing together. A choral conducting workshop, inconjunction with the Music Department at the University ofHuddersfield, saw chorusmaster Joseph Cullen inspiring eightconductors.

Plans for the 176th season include Beethoven Missa Solemnis withVasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, tobe performed both in Huddersfield and Liverpool; Mahler's 8thSymphony (Symphony of a Thousand) - again with Petrenko andthe RLPO, in Liverpool; and a French programme of Fauré Pavane(choral arrangement), Gounod St Cecilia Mass and DurufléRequiem conducted by Bramwell Tovey.

Details of all these concerts and other activities can be found atwww.huddersfieldchoral.com.

With a history spanning three centuries, the Choral is also firmly in the 21st at

www.facebook.com/huddersfieldchoral and on twitter(@HuddsChoral).

There will be two twenty minute intervals in tonight’s concert.

Please ensure that your mobile ‘phone isSWITCHED OFF


Composer Notes (Stravinsky, Harvey, Bruckner)


and celebrities. He even allowed Walt Disney to use The Rite of Spring inthe music-synchronized animated movie Fantasia. Stravinsky did not thinkDisney's feat particularly impressive, though.

With several other works, including The Symphony in Three Movements,Ebony Concerto, The Rake's Progress and Mass under his belt, Stravinskybasked in the attention paid to him and was able to embark on severalconducting tours with his newfound friend Robert Craft. Craft, a giftedconductor, became close friends with Stravinsky. In time, he becameStravinsky's sounding board for new ideas and compositions.

Stravinsky became interested in the music of Schoenberg's student AntonWebern. He began composing his own serial music, culminating in his finalcomposition, the Requiem Canticles.

Stravinsky passed away April 6, 1971 and he was buried in Venice on theisland of San Michele, near his friend Sergei Diaghilev.

Born in Warwickshire in 1939, JONATHAN HARVEYwas a chorister at St Michael's College, Tenbury andlater a major music scholar at St John's College,Cambridge. He gained doctorates from theuniversities of Glasgow and Cambridge and (on theadvice of Benjamin Britten) also studied privatelywith Erwin Stein and Hans Keller. He was aHarkness Fellow at Princeton (1969-70). Harvey has

also composed for most genres: orchestra as well as works for soloinstruments. He has written many widely-performed unaccompanied worksfor choir - as well as the large-scale cantata for the BBC Proms Millennium,Mothers shall not Cry (2000). His church opera Passion and Resurrection(l981) was the subject of a BBC television film, and has received seventeensubsequent performances. His opera Inquest of Love, commissioned byENO, was premièred under the baton of Mark Elder in 1993 and repeatedat Theatre de la Monnaie, Brussels in 1994. His third opera, Wagner Dream,commissioned by Nederlandse Oper and realized at IRCAM was premieredto great acclaim in 2007. 2008 saw the premiere of Messages (for theRundfunkchor Berlin and the Berlin Philharmoniker) and Speakings (co-commission with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, IRCAM and RadioFrance); Harvey is now in constant demand from a host of internationalorganisations, attracting commissions far into the future, and his music isextensively played and toured by the major ensembles of our time. Hismusic has been showcased at most centres and festivals for contemporarymusic. Some 150-200 performances are given or broadcast each year andabout 100 recordings of his music are issued on CD. He has honorarydoctorates from the universities of Southampton, Sussex, Bristol,Birmingham and Huddersfield, is a Member of Academia Europaea, and in1993 was awarded the prestigious Britten Award for composition.

In 2007 he was awarded the Giga-Hertz Prize for a lifetime's work inelectronic music.

Continued on page 7

IGOR FEDOROVICH STRAVINSKY was born atOranienbaum on the Gulf of Finland oppositeKronstadt on 5 June 1882 or 17 June. He yielded tohis father's wish for him to study law, but laterblossomed as a composer under the guidance ofRimsky-Korsakov, one of the famous Russian Five.Stravinsky met Rimsky-Korsakov's son, and hisinterest in composition grew as he spent more time

composing on his own. Up till then, he had taken private lessons in harmony,and he intended to enter the Russian Conservatory. It was in this mood thathe brought his works before Rimsky-Korsakov, head of the Conservatory.Sensing the talent in the young man, Rimsky-Korsakov invited Stravinsky totake private lessons from himself. Stravinsky was delighted and readilyaccepted.

Rimsky-Korsakov had arranged for his students to perform their works.Stravinsky chose to exhibit Fireworks. His music sparked the interest ofSergei Diaghilev, who knew that Stravinsky would be the ideal composer towrite ballet music for his Russian Ballet. Diaghilev commissioned his threefamous works The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring.With the outbreak of war, Stravinsky and his family moved to Switzerland,but after the end of the war, he found that he was too isolated from the maincentres of musical activity in Europe. He made France his home in 1920.

With the death of Diaghilev the Russian Ballet was disbanded andStravinsky lost one of his last links to his native land. He had not seenRussia since 1914, and instead had emerged as the leading musical figurein France. After all, Diaghilev's troupe was based in Paris, and many ofStravinsky's works had received their premières in Paris.However, he was only to receive only one commission for a work to beperformed in France, namely Persephone. Greater interest was shown bythe Americans and the Germans. Even critical writings were more favorablein these countries than in France.

Stravinsky played the solo part of his Capriccio on its first performance atthe Salle Pleyel, Paris, with Ansermet conducting. It proved to be a success,and his services were highly sought. Over the next five years, he performedit in many of Europe's important cities.

It was during this period that he was commissioned by his old friendKoussevitzky, who was now the permanent conductor of the BostonSymphony Orchestra, to supply a symphonic work to commemorate theirfiftieth concert season in 1930. This was the Symphony of Psalms.

Stravinsky found France's influence on his music was beginning to decline.After taking on French citizenship in June 1934, he applied to the Académiedes Beaux-Arts, which was met with a humiliating denial. Feeling that hismusic was underappreciated in France, and with more commissions arrivingfrom America, he decided to move to America. Amid this occurred thedeaths of his mother, his wife, and his daughter Mika. He married hismistress Vera de Bosset and they arrived in America in September 1939.Stravinsky regained his composure in America, feeling that his music wasonce again being appreciated and being able to associate with intellectuals


Composer Notes - continuedANTON BRUCKNER was born in Ansfelden onSeptember 4, 1824. His father was a villageschoolmaster, as was his grandfather. It was ameagerly paid but respected position in the ruralenvironment. Music belonged to the schoolcurriculum, and Bruckner's father was his first musicteacher. Bruckner learned to play the organ as achild. He entered school when he was six, and

proved to be a hard-working student, and was promoted to upper classearly. While studying, Bruckner also helped his father in teaching the otherchildren. After Bruckner received his confirmation in 1833, Bruckner's fatherdecided to send him to another school in Hörsching. The schoolmaster,Johann Baptist Weiß, was a music enthusiast and respected organist. Here,Bruckner completed his school education and learned to play the organ to avery high standard.

His father died in 1837, when Anton was 13 years old. The teacher's positionand house were given to a successor, and Bruckner was sent to theAugustinian monastery in St. Florian to become a choirboy. In addition tochoir practice, his education included violin and organ lessions. Brucknerwas in awe of the monastery's great organ, which was built during the latebaroque era and improved in 1837, and he sometimes played it duringchurch services. Later, the organ was to be called the "Bruckner Organ".Despite his musical giftedness, Bruckner's mother decided that her son'sfuture profession remained as a teacher, and in 1840 Bruckner was sent toa teacher’s seminar in Linz. After completing the seminar with an excellentgrade, he was sent as a teacher's assistant to a school in Windhaag.Prelate Michael Arneth noticed Bruckner's intolerable situation in Windhaagand awarded him a teacher's assistant position in St. Florian, sending himto Krohnstorf an der Enns for two years.

In 1848 he was appointed an organist in St. Florian and in 1851 this wasmade a regular position. In St Florian, most of the repertoire consisted of themusic of Michael Haydn, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Franz JosephAumann. In 1855, he took up a counterpoint course with Simon Sechter. Helater studied with Otto Kitzler, who introduced him to the music of RichardWagner, which Bruckner studied extensively from 1863 onwards. Brucknercontinued his studies to the age of 40. Broad fame and acceptance did notcome until he was over 60. A devout Catholic, Bruckner was out of step withhis contemporaries. In 1861 he had already made the acquaintance ofFranz Liszt who, like Bruckner, had a strong Catholic religious faith and whofirst and foremost was a harmonic innovator, initiating the new Germanschool together with Wagner. Soon after Bruckner had ended his studiesunder Sechter and Kitzler, he wrote his first mature work, the Mass in DMinor.

In 1868, after Sechter had died, Bruckner hesitantly accepted Sechter's postas a teacher of music theory at the Vienna Conservatory, during which timehe concentrated most of his energy on writing symphonies. Thesesymphonies, however, were poorly received, at times considered "wild" and

"nonsensical". He later accepted a post at the Vienna University in 1875,where he tried to make music theory a part of the curriculum. Overall, hewas unhappy in Vienna, which was musically dominated by the critic EduardHanslick. At the time there was a feud between advocates of the music ofWagner and Brahms; by aligning himself with Wagner, Bruckner made anunintentional enemy out of Hanslick. However, he was not withoutsupporters; Deutsche Zeitung's music critic Theodor Helm, and famousconductors such as Arthur Nikisch and Franz Schalk constantly tried to bringhis music to the public, and for this purpose proposed 'improvements' formaking Bruckner's music more acceptable to the public. While Brucknerallowed these changes, he also made sure in his will to bequeath his originalscores to the Vienna National Library, confident of their musical validity.Another proof of Bruckner's confidence in his artistic ability is that he oftenstarted work on a new symphony just a few days after finishing the previousone.

In addition to his symphonies, Bruckner wrote masses, motets and othersacred choral works, and a few chamber works, including a string quintet.

Numerous anecdotes abound as to Bruckner's dogged pursuit of his chosencraft and his humble acceptance of the fame that eventually came his way.Once, after a rehearsal of his Fourth Symphony, the well-meaning Brucknertipped the conductor Hans Richter: "When the symphony was over," Richterrelated, "Bruckner came to me, his face beaming with enthusiasm and joy. Ifelt him press a coin into my hand. 'Take this' he said, 'and drink a glass ofbeer to my health.'" Richter, of course, accepted the coin, a Maria Theresathaler, and wore it on his watch-chain ever after.

Bruckner was a renowned organist in his day, impressing audiences inFrance in 1869, and England in 1871, giving six recitals on a new HenryWillis organ at Royal Albert Hall in London and five more at the CrystalPalace. Though he wrote no major works for the organ, his improvisationsessions sometimes yielded ideas for the Symphonies. Indeed, theorchestration in his symphonies often involves abrupt switches and call-and-response between multiple groups of instruments, much like switchingmanuals on an organ.

Bruckner never married; he was attracted to teenage girls, who turned downthe proposals of the older man. One such was the daughter of a friend,called Louise; in his grief he is believed to have written the cantata"Entsagen" (Renunciation). His unsuccessful proposals to teenage girlscontinued into his seventies; one potential relationship that might have beensuitable when he was older came to nothing because the girl would notconvert to Catholicism.In July 1886, the Emperor decorated him with the Order of Franz Joseph.

Bruckner died in Vienna in 1896, of natural causes. He is buried in the cryptof St. Florian monastery church, below his favourite organ.




IntroductionTonight's programme of choral works must be one of the mostenterprising in the long history of the Huddersfield ChoralSociety. Although the trio of works come from different musicaltraditions, they share some unusual features: they offer nomusic for solo voices, and if their instrumentation is far fromconventional, there are deliberate echoes in each work of muchearlier polyphonic music. Bruckner's Mass in E minor wascomposed for a small wind band and 8 part chorus, and whileStravinsky also used a wind band in his Symphony of Psalms,he added two pianos, a harp, timpani, cellos and basses, but noviolins or violas. The chorus remains in 4 parts during all threemovements. Jonathan Harvey's Messages is scored for a widerange of percussion, as well as the standard orchestralinstruments, with the chorus in 8 parts throughout. This newchoral work received its première in Berlin in 2008, and it isfitting that in its 175th Anniversary Season the HuddersfieldChoral Society is giving the first UK performance of Messagesthis evening.

Messages - J. HarveyMessages was commissioned by the Rundfunkchor Berlin andits Chief Conductor, Simon Halsey(Commissioner I) andFundacion Patronata de la Semana de Musica Religiosa deCuenca (Commissioner II).

The text of Messages consists entirely of the names of Judaicand Persian angels. The choir can be thought to invoke angels,as in the great Renaissance and Baroque pictures of angelchoirs, many of whom not only sing but play Baroqueinstruments. Equally the choir can be imagined as being angels,bringing their spiritual messages to mankind. There is an echoof late Renaissance/early Baroque instrumental style to beheard in the opening 'continuo' flourish.The nine hierarchies of angels are situated in the sevenheavens, the seventh where the throne of God is usually said toreside, according to tradition. The music moves through theseven heavens in order.In the second heaven, St.Paul's comment in the Letter to theHebrews (1:7) “He maketh the winds his angels” is allowed tosuggest a musical closeness to this force of nature, and to theinvisible mobility of angelic beings. In the fifth heaven distant

brass call to each other from 'outer space', mirroring the role ofseveral angels who 'announce' with trumpets.

Jonathan Harvey

Symphony of Psalms - I. StravinskyThe work was commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversaryof the founding of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930, buta deeper inspiration is revealed in the dedication to theorchestra: “ This symphony is composed to the glory of God….”,as Stravinsky had only recently rejoined the Russian OrthodoxChurch. Although his music has a highly distinctive sound, thereare echoes, as in Bruckner, of earlier polyphonic music,especially in Stravinsky's fugal counterpoint. The composerchose the words from the Latin version of three Psalms ofDavid, 39, 40 and 150.

1st movement - 'Hear my prayer, O Lord' (Psalm 39)Stravinsky declared that this movement “was composed in astate of religious and musical ebullience”. The chorus enterswith a kind of plainsong chant, and the woodwindaccompaniment is echoed later in the fugue in Part 2 and in thethematic design of the final movement. At the climax, theplainsong is still strong in the sopranos and tenors.

2nd movement - 'I waited patiently for the Lord' (Psalm 40)There is a double fugue for instruments and voices, with thetheme of the instrumental fugue started by the oboes and thentaken up by the flutes. The subject of the choral fugue beginswith the sopranos at 'Expectans expectavi Dominum'. In themiddle there is a short passage for the chorus unaccompanied,and the movement ends quietly with the chorus in unison at 'Etsperabunt in Domino'.

3rd movement - 'O Praise God in his holiness' (Psalm 150)The composer wrote: “Psalm 40 is a prayer that a new canticlemay be put into our mouths. The Alleluiah is that canticle.” Unlike in other settings of this psalm, Stravinsky's Alleluiahdoes not burst forth with a shout of praise, but it is muted andunaccompanied. The composer described the rest of the slow-type introduction, the Laudate Dominum, as “a prayer to theRussian image of the infant Christ with orb and sceptre”.Stravinsky claimed that the allegro was inspired “by a vision of

Continued on page 11

Programme Notes


Elijah's chariot climbing the heavens”. Just as the final hymn ofpraise reaches its climax it suddenly becomes piano at 'LaudateEum in cymbalis'. There is a repeat of the Alleluiah whichushers in a quiet ending to the symphony.Tonight's performance is the fourth by Huddersfield ChoralSociety.

Mass in E Minor - A. BrucknerWhile two of Bruckner's Masses are symphonic in their use of afull orchestra, soloists and chorus, his Mass in E minor is on amuch smaller scale, with no roles for strings or the organ. Thecomposer was commissioned to write a Mass for theconsecration of the Votive Chapel in Linz Cathedral, in UpperAustria, where he was the organist. Its first performance,conducted by Bruckner, took place outside the cathedral inSeptember 1869.In all six movements (the Benedictus is separate from theSanctus), there are no introductory passages for the windinstruments, and only occasional short pieces of transitionalaccompaniment between the choral sections. Unlike his other

Masses, this one was strongly influenced by Bruckner's study ofearlier polyphonic music, in particular, the counterpoint ofPalestrina (1525-1594). In fact he used a melody from the Italiancomposer on which to build an 8 part canon in the Sanctus.

In the opening Kyrie the women's voices enter on a subduedhomophonic setting of the words, which is then taken up by themen's voices. In other movements, such as the Benedictus, theharmony is more chromatic, with huge vocal jumps in some ofthe parts. The Gloria ends in a fugue, reminiscent of the earlierclassical Masses, while the setting of the words in the Crucifixussection of the Credo focuses exquisitely on their meaning. Thework combines Bruckner's radiant harmonic settings with hisintense spirituality.

Tonight’s performance is only the second by HuddersfieldChoral Society.John Brown

Programme Notes - Continued


The Huddersfield Choral Society’s success overrecent years has been greatly assisted by the

support of our Sponsors and their valuedcontribution to The Society’s wellbeing. We arefortunate indeed in having a number of faithful

Sponsors of many years standing and we are verypleased when new Sponsors are able to join us.Opportunities do exist for further support and a

share in the life of The Choral.

- o -

Tony Booth: Sponsorship SecretaryBarn End, Binns Lane

Holmfirth HD9 3JUTel: 01484 682858

SPONSORSHIPThe Society is extremely grateful for the support

from the following organisationsover this season:

• UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD •P r i n c i p a l P a r t n e r

• SYNGENTA • SS COMPONENTS LTD • • HUDDERSFIELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL •

• THE GREENBANK GROUP UK • • CHADWICK LAWRENCE •

• INCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED •• G2 CONSULTING • COUNTRY CLASSICS •

• MR W CURRIE • MR G BUCHAN •- o -

We also express our sincere gratitude for thecontinuing personal sponsorship of

Mrs. Catherine Osborne and Mrs. S. A. Brennan.


Martyn Brabbins - conductorBritish conductor Martyn Brabbins is in his second season asPrincipal Guest Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic inAntwerp. Artistic Director of the Cheltenham InternationalFestival of Music 2005-2007, he was Associate PrincipalConductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 1994-2005. After studying composition in London and then conductingwith Ilya Musin in Leningrad, hiscareer was launched when hewon first prize at the 1988Leeds Conductors' Competi-tion. Since then Brabbins hasregularly conducted all themajor UK orchestras and ismuch sought-after in Europe,Scandinavia, Australia andmore recently Japan.

Known for his Elgar, Britten, andWalton, Brabbins also has astrong affinity for the great 19thcentury Romantics, and for theRussian and French repertoire.Brabbins is also one ofEurope’s leading interpreters of contemporary music. Conductorof choice for the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern and theBirmingham Contemporary Music Group, from 1999-2004 hewas the Philharmonia Orchestra's Music of Today SeriesConductor. He has also conducted the Bavarian RadioSymphony in their Musica Viva series 9 times.

In 10/11 he returns to the St Petersburg Philharmonic (forDelius' Mass of Life); to the Residentie Orkest, NetherlandsRadio Chamber, Lahti Symphony, Klangforum Wien, NagoyaPhilharmonic, and conducts in Bern (Debussy and Stravinsky)and Düsseldorf (Mahler's Das Klagende Lied). He conducts thePhilharmonia Orchestra at the Three Choirs Festival, the BBCScottish Symphony in a Walton symphony project (alsorecorded for Hyperion), the BBC Symphony for theirFernyhough weekend at the Barbican Centre, and makes his

annual Proms visit. He takes the Royal Flemish Philharmonic onan extensive tour of China.

Brabbins has always conducted opera alongside symphonicconcerts, and last season was particularly busy in this regard.Highlights of 09/10 included a much-feted Wozzeck at the

Flemish Opera, andcollaborations with RichardJones (a new work by DavidSawer for Birminghamcontemporary Music Group)and Simon McBurney ofTheatre de Complicite(another world premiere, thistime by Raskatov forNetherlands Opera where heis also a regular visitor). Healso returned to the HamburgOpera to conduct Death inVenice. Since his early daysconducting Mozart at theKirov, Brabbins has alsoconducted for the Deutsche

Oper Berlin, Opera de Lyon, English National Opera and OperaNorth, and is a regular visitor at the Frankfurt Opera where hereturns in Spring 2011 for Pizetti's Murder in the Cathedral.

Brabbins is much in demand as a recording artist. He hasrecorded over 30 discs with the BBC Scottish Symphony onHyperion, and is now recording also with his Antwerp orchestrafor this label, whilst maintaining an ongoing relationship alsowith Chandos Records. He has recorded Birtwistle, DavidBedford and Finnissy for NMC; Rachmaninov and Scriabin forCollins Classics and made a notable live recording of Britten'sWar Requiem for Naxos. His recording of Korngold's Die Kathrinwith the BBC Concert Orchestra for CPO won the Opera Awardat Cannes.


Credit: Sasha Gustov


JOSEPH CULLENChorus Master

Joseph Cullen has been Chorus Master of the HuddersfieldChoral Society since 1999 and his trilogy of CDs conductingthe Society is now complete with the recent issue of TheCrucifixion (John Stainer) on the Signum label. He conductedthe opening concert in the rebuilt Royal Shakespeare Theatrein Stratford-upon-Avon in January with the Choral Societyappearing as a guest chorus. His choral direction hasconsistently brought glowing critical acclaim and he has beenawarded two Grammys for his work as Director of the LondonSymphony Chorus on the LSO Live and Chandos labels. Hehas directed the City of London Sinfonia from the keyboard in aseries of concerts featuring Bach Cantatas in the City ofLondon Festival and has made his début with the NorthernSinfonia as director and soloist.

Joseph has worked closely with some of the world’sleading conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, SirNeville Marriner, Sir Mark Elder, Mariss Jansons,Valery Gergiev, Michael Tilson Thomas, MartynBrabbins, Gianandrea Noseda, Vasily Petrenko,Yan-Pascal Tortelier, Bernard Haitink, RichardHickox and, in particular, with Sir Colin Davis. Hehas appeared as a guest conductor with the BBCConcert Orchestra, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Grant Park Festival Orchestra inChicago.

Joseph maintains a national profile as an organistand a continuo player. He has held musical postsin the RC Cathedrals of Glasgow, Leeds andWestminster and has inaugurated the new organsat the Abbeys of Pluscarden and Ryde and acts as vocalconsultant to the monastic choirs of several Benedictine

monasteries. Joseph is committed to mentoring youngmusicians as they emerge onto the professional scene. He hasestablished choral conducting scholarships with both theLondon Symphony Chorus and the Huddersfield Choral Societyand gives masterclasses at the Orkney conductors' course,which is part of the St Magnus Festival, and at the RoyalAcademy of Music. Joseph Cullen has coached manydistinguished singers and gives the next generation a platformwith his ensemble, London Chamber Voices. He is also amember of the vocal ensemble, Tenebrae, with whom he toursinternationally.



Orchestra of Opera NorthMusic Director - Richard Farnes

ViolasDavid Aspin Vivienne CampbellAnne TrygstadElizabeth WylyVince ParsonageSarah Heartfield Raymond LesterKatie StablesJim SwainsonIan FairJosephine GoynesRobert Guy

CellosSally PendleburyAnna MowatJudith BurginAndrew Fairley*Edward Furse Zoë LongSimon DentonDamion BrowneSally LaddsEsther Harriott

BassesPaul Miller*Peter FryClaire SadlerDiana MilnerSiân HollandMhairi SimpsonChristina Cooper

FlutesKevin GowlandDavid Moseley*Fiona Slominska Amina Hussain

PiccoloJennifer George

Alto FluteFiona Slominska

OboesRichard HewittCatherine Lowe Emmet Byrne Lisa Osborne Hazel Cropper

Cor AnglaisCatherine Lowe

ClarinetsColin HonourJohn RobinsonMatthew Dunn

BassoonsDavid BakerBen HudsonAnthea Wood

Contra BassoonLuke Whitehead

HornRobert Ashworth*John PrattAndrew LittlemoreMax GarrardAlan Tokeley

TrumpetsMurray GreigMichael Woodhead*David HooperTracey RedfernJim Bulger

Piccolo TrumpetMurray Greig

Trombones*Robert Burtenshaw*

Bass TromboneDaniel West

TubaBen Thomson

TimpaniMarney O'Sullivan

PercussionChristopher Bradley*Graham HallMark WagstaffMark ConcarToby KearneyGareth Ceredig

CimbalomChristopher Bradley*

HarpsRhian EvansMaxine Molin Rose

PianosIan Buckle Darius Battiwalla

CelesteIan Buckle

Douglas Scarfe: Chorus & Orchestra DirectorHelen Wilson: Orchestra ManagerAndrew Fairley*: Library ManagerVictoria Bellis: LibrarianChristopher Ladds: Stage ManagerJordan Senior Orchestra AttendantHelen Stephens*: Music Secretary

* Opera North Company member for 25 years or more

The Orchestra of Opera North holds a unique place amongstBritish orchestras. Universally praised by audiences and criticsalike, the Orchestra is the only ensemble in the country to havea year-round dual role in the opera house and concert hall.

The Orchestra plays a significant part in the major concertseries of the region, appearing with numerous internationalguest conductors and soloists. An important relationship withLeeds International Concert Season sees the Orchestraperforming regular concerts of major symphonic repertoire, aseries of gala concerts, and combining with the region's choralsocieties. It is also the resident Orchestra for the LeedsConductors Competition.

The Orchestra has developed a groundbreaking collaborationwith Kirklees Cultural Services running the concert series inHuddersfield and Dewsbury Town Halls. This work which hasalso forged new relationships with groups across the Kirkleesarea including performing ensembles and educationalinstitutions was nominated for the 2006 Royal PhilharmonicSociety Awards.

A strong commitment to educational and communityprojects is a feature of the work of the musicians,collectively and also in collaboration with Opera NorthEducation. There are a number of fine chamberensembles within the Orchestra, including Arcturus,The Café Band, Mirage, Music Serenade andYorkshire Classic Brass, all of whom give regularconcerts throughout the region and further afield.Many of the players are outstanding teachers withseveral holding professorships at the Royal NorthernCollege of Music and at Universities within theregion.

The Orchestra has received international recognitionfor its recordings, with releases on ASV, Chandos,Collins Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI,Hyperion and Nimbus. A close relationship withNaxos has produced a series of highly acclaimedrecordings of William Walton's orchestral musicconducted by former Opera North Music Director

The Orchestra of Opera NorthPaul Daniel and works by Bliss, Delius, Lambert and VaughanWilliams conducted by the Orchestra's founder conductor DavidLloyd-Jones. In the operatic field Opera North has madeseveral important recordings, including Walton's Troilus andCressida conducted by Richard Hickox, which won theprestigious Gramophone Award for best opera recording,Nabucco conducted by David Parry Bartók's Duke Bluebeard'sCastle and Verdi's Don Carlos, conducted by the Company'scurrent Music Director, Richard Farnes.

Outside the region, the Orchestra has toured abroad both withthe whole Company - Opera North was the first foreigncompany to visit Barcelona's rebuilt Teatro del Liceu; inDecember 2004 it took part in the Monaco Dance Forum, July2005 saw its first visit to the prestigious Ravenna Festival, andin August last year the Company visited the Bregenz Festivalfor the first time - and independently in concert (ContemporaryMusic Festivals in Vienna and Strasbourg) and in this countryhas regularly performed in London (Sadler's Wells, the BBCProms, South Bank and at the Hampton Court Festival).



MADE TO MEASUREbecause you’re unique!

Your cloth or oursLAURIE HOPKINS MENSWEAR

18/20 Acre Street Lindley Huddersfieldwww.lhmw.co.uk

Tel: 01484 511088

LegaciesIncluding a legacy to The Huddersfield Choral Society in your Will is a practical way to make a lasting

contribution to our future. Please help us remain one of the most inspiring and vibrant Choral Societies in Britainfor the next generations.

The Society is a registered charity, Number 1100851.

Enquiries may be directed tothe Society’s Treasurer Mr. Adrian J. Lee:

-∞-72 Benomley Road, Almondbury, Huddersfield, HD5 8LS

Telephone: 01484 450321 Email: [email protected]


Hear my prayer, O Lord, and with Thine ears consider mycalling: hold not Thy peace at my tears.For I am a stranger with Thee: and a sojourner, as all myfathers were.O spare me a little that I may recover my strength: before I gohence and be no more seen.

I waited patiently for the Lord: and He inclined unto me, andheard my calling.He brought me also out of the horrible pit, out of the mire andclay:and set my feet upon the rock, and ordered my goings.And He hath put a new song in my mouth: even athanksgiving unto our God.Many shall see it and fear: and shall put their trust in the Lord.

Alleluja.O praise God in His holiness:praise Him in the firmament of His power.

Praise Him in His noble acts:praise Him according to His excellent greatness.Praise Him in the sound of the trumpet:praise Him upon the lute and harp.Praise Him upon the strings and pipe.Praise Him upon the well-tuned cymbals.Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms1. (Psalm 38, verses 13 and 14)Exaudi orationem meam, Domine, et deprecationem meam.Auribus percipe lacrimas meas. Ne sileas, ne sileas.Quoniam advena ego sum apud te et peregrinus, sicut omnespatres mei.Remitte mihi, prius quam abeam et amplius non ero.

2. (Psalm 39, verses 2, 3 and 4)Expectans expectavi Dominum, et intendit mihi.Et exaudivit preces meas; et exudit me de lacu miseriae, et deluto faecis.

Et statuit super petram pedes meos: et direxit gressus meos.Et immisit in os meum canticum novum, carmen Deo nostro.

Videbunt multi et timebunt: et sperabunt in Domino.

3. (Psalm 150)Alleluia.Laudate Dominum in sanctis Ejus.Laudate Eum in firmamentos virtutis Ejus.Laudate Dominum.

Laudate Eum in virtutibus EjusLaudate Eum secundum multitudinem magnitudinis Ejus.Laudate Eum in sono tubae.Laudate Eum in timpano et choro,Laudate Eum in cordis et organo;Laudate Eum in cymbalis bene jubilantionibus.Omnis spiritus laudet Eum.

INTERVAL 20 MINUTES

NoteThere will be two twenty minute intervals during tonight’s concert

ServingIndustry, Commerce& the Private Client

13 STATION STREET • HUDDERSFIELD • HD1 1LYTELEPHONE (01484) 519519

E-MAIL: [email protected] • FAX (01484) 518085



Messages - HarveyANGELS'S NAMES(First Heaven) SHARHABIIL MICHAELKHABIEL SHUMNU GAVRIELGABRIEL BUHAIR URIELSURIA BAHRUN RAPHAELDAHARIEL SHUMBARNU CHAYOASHRULYAI SARTARSABRIEL SARWAN (Seventh Heaven)SHOEL PYHAHIL CASSIELSHEVIEL ZAHARI'IL ISRAELADNACHIEL RABIA YAHELSHOKAD TARWAN CHUSCHAJEKUSIEL TALIA TEHOMNAHURIEL DENUTH SCHIMUELZAHABRIEL HIIA ZAWARTUTRECHIEL RAM CHAMYELPHALEG RUD HASEHAFANUEL SRAOSHA SCHADDYLSARAKIEL SHURBAI ACHUSATONTUFIEL MOAKKIBAT THRONUSTUTRUSIAI ANHAR SCHAWAYTMUFGAR BAHRAT UZRIELTASHRIEL QINTAR ZAPHKIELZORTEK NURAITHA RAZIELDEHEBORYN HABSHABA ORIFIEL

OPHANIEL(Second Heaven) (Fifth Heaven) ZOFIELTAGRIEL TECHIEL CHERUBIELZACHARIEL RAGUEL ZABKIELARFIEL SANDALPHON SERAFIELSAHRIEL GARIEL BARKIELSAKRIEL DRIAL KEMUVELARFIEL JEREMIEL NATHANAELSAHRIEL SHATQIEL KWANYINRAGIEL MICHAEL ZEBURIALRAPHAEL BARBIEL SHAMSIELISRAFEL NISROC ADONAIOS

TARSHISH METATRON(Third Heaven) REQUEL HAYATSHEBURIEL GRIAL ITMONANAHEL AMAEL VERUAHSAVRIEL URIEL TSATSEHIYAHRETSUTSIEL BATSRANJABNIEL (Sixth Heaven) MIDRASHHARHAZIEL ZACHIEL YAHSIYAHADRIEL ZEBUL TATRIELDALQUIEL RUMIAL OZAHBEZRIEL KATZFIEL HADRANIELRABACYAEL RABACYEL ESTESURIEL REMIEL HANIEL

CHAMUEL ANIEL(Fourth Heaven) HANIEL A-ELPACHDIEL HAMALIEL a - eZAHRUN VERCHIELZUHAIR HASHMAL

INTERVAL 20 MINUTES


Choir MembersSOPRANO:Louise AlpMargaret Atkinson**Susan BainesSheila Baker**Jill Bamford Esme BarberLydia BaylissRuth BeattieCharmaine Beaumont**Jill BennPatricia Berry*Janet BoothElly BosworthElizabeth BoyleDorothy Bradbury Christine Broadbent Louise BrownSarah BrownColleen BrownDerrianne ByrneMary Cadwaladr Barbara Carroll Joanna Cole Gwyneth CooperRosemary Cooper Eleanor Davies Jenny EllisSue EllisTrish EllisLindsey FawcettLinda Fellows Sheila Garside* Katherine HallJulia Harvey* Margaret Henry**Hilary Hibbin Kate Hyland-CollierCaroline JonesGeorgia KatsiroumpaHelen KettlewellEmma KilroyYuki KondoFiona Law Elaine Lee* Anne Lockwood

Liz MarshallHelen Martin Pamela MasihAnjuli MehtaWendy MooresCath MurgatroydMegan NelsonJean Parker*Carol Randerson* Christine Roberts Katrina Robinson-BrownJane Sargent* Hannah SaxonSue ShepherdThelma Simpson Debbie SkipperSusan SmithDoreen SmurthwaiteNan Steinitz*Catherine StephensonRuth Stones*Marilyn SutcliffeSarah WickhamDenise Wilkes Ann WilkesGlynis WilkinsonSusan Wilkinson*Mary Wilson

ALTO:Ruth AldredHelen Ashley-Taylor Anna BaileyThelma BatemanRuth BostockAnn BoswellBarbara Brook*Ken BrownRowena Burton Sandy Cole**Margaret Collison Jean Collison* Cynthia Daniel** Janet Dransfield* Christine Durham** Winifred Ellis*

Janet GabanskiJulie Hale Gaynor HalidayRichard HallasAndrea Hindson Pam Hird** Jane Hobson* Sue Hornby Susan KirbyHilary LaurieSylvia McGee** Hilary McLean Elizabeth MortimerKath Northern* Marjorie Norton* Audrey O'Hara Alison Owen - MorleyJayne Preston** Frances PriestnallCaroline Robinson Jennifer SandersonSusan SandfordKatie SaundersVicki Scurrah Eileen Sheller Suzanne SmeltAlexandra SodenMarjorie Swift**Pam SykesVera Thompson Anna ThompsonLettice Thomson* Susan TurnbullSandra TwitchettAlex VickersMichelle Walker Jean Walters* Rebekah WheelerSue Wilman**Jenni WohlmanGlenda Wray

TENOR:Michael Benn*Jonathan BriggStephen Brook*

Tom ChiltonDavid Croft**Malcolm Fairless* Chris FawcettGraham Fearnley* Jeremy Garside Ronald Gee David Gee Malcolm Hinchliffe Roy Hirst Norman HirstMartin Jenkins Martin Kettlewell Gregory KnaggsChris KnightAlex KyleTimothy Lewis**David Lunn Richard Myhill Arthur Quarmby* Philip Ratcliffe Stuart RuddGerald Savage* Philip ShergoldIan SmithAlan Stephens Charles R. SykesDavid VickersHarvey WalshDavid WardMichael Widdall Tim Wilkes

BASS:Richard AinleyChristopher Arnold** David Atkinson James BeattieGareth Beaumont** John Brown* David Burgess Peter ChaseMike CorneyJim Cowell Martyn Crossley* James Curran**

Ian Daniel* Peter DawsonP.J. DoddGranville Dransfield* Raymond Ellis Daniel FieldsJohn HarmanDavid Hartley*** David Hoddle Dennis Holmes Keith Horner William KirbyMartin LukeKenton MannAndrew MarslandJohn McGahey Barrie Mortimer Robin Owen - MorleyAngus Pogson** Geoffrey Priestley David Robinson Howard Sandford John Sandland* Graham SmeltTerry SmurthwaitePaul SpencerJim Stafford*Alan StirkNeil StonesMark TaylorRichard Thompson Lyndon Wilkinson** Barrie Williams Conrad Winterburn**

* Holder of 25 year badge

** Holder of 40 year badge

*** Holder of 50 year badge


Mass in E Minor - Bruckner

Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonaevoluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te,glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriamtuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Pater omnipotens.Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.

Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi,miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipedeprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,miserere nobis.

Quoniam tu solus sanctus. Tu solus Dominus. Tu solusaltissimus, Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris.Amen

Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, goodwill towardsmen. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, weglorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory, O LordGod, Heav’nly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the onlybegotten Son, Jesus Christ.

O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest awaythe sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takestaway the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou thattakest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou thatsittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.

For Thou only art holy, Thou only art the Lord, Thou only, OJesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory ofGod the Father. Amen

Gloria

Kyrie

Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison,Kyrie eleison.

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.

CredoCredo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli etterrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium.

Et in unum Dominium Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum,et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo; Lumende Lumine; Deum verum de Deo vero; genitum non factum;consubstantialem Patri per quem anima facta sunt.

Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem, descenditde coelis.

Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto, ex Maria Virgine; et homofactus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis; sub Pontio Pilato passuset sepultus est.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven andearth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light ofLight, very God of very God, begotten not made, being of onesubstance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven.

And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, of the Virgin Mary; andwas made man. He was crucified also for us; He suffered underPontius Pilate, died and was buried.

Continued on page 25



Mass in E Minor - Bruckner continued

And the third day he rose again according to the scriptures; andascended into heaven; and sitteth at the right hand of theFather; and He shall come again with glory to judge both thequick and the dead; of whose Kingdom there shall be no end.

And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life; whoproceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Fatherand the Son together is worshipp’d and glorified, who spake bythe Prophets.

And I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins, and I lookfor the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world tocome. Amen

Et resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas; et ascendit incoelum; sedet ad dexteram Patris; et iterum venturus est cumgloria judicare vivos et mortuos; cujus regni non erit finis.

Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem; qui ex PatreFilioque procedit, qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur etconglorificatur, qui locutus est per Prophetas.

Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam.

Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum, etexpecto resurrectionem mortuorum et vitam venturi saeculi.Amen

SanctusSanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni suntcoeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full ofThy glory. Hosanna in the highest.

BenedictusBenedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis. Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in

the highest.

Agnus DeiAgnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, havemercy upon us.O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, havemercy upon us.O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, grant usThy peace.


Future Concerts

Saturday 18 June 2011175th Anniversary Celebration Concert

Huddersfield Town HallTHE DREAM OF GERONTIUS - Elgar

Conductor Martyn BrabbinsTickets now available via Kirklees Box Office

Tel:01484 223200

Saturday 1 October 2011Liverpool Anglican CathedralMahler - SYMPHONY No 8 Conductor Vasily Petrenko

Friday 4 November 2011 - Subscribers' ConcertHuddersfield Town Hall

Beethoven - MISSA SOLEMNISRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Vasily Petrenko - conductor

Saturday 5 November 2011Philharmonic Hall Liverpool

Beethoven - MISSA SOLEMNISRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Vasily Petrenko - conductor

Friday 9 December 2011Huddersfield Town Hall

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Tuesday 20 December 2011Huddersfield Town Hall

Handel - MESSIAHNorthern SinfoniaGrant Llewellyn

Wednesday 21 December 2011 - Subscribers' ConcertHuddersfield Town Hall

Handel - MESSIAHNorthern SinfoniaGrant Llewellyn

Good Friday 22 April 2011Barbican, London

Handel - MESSIAH Conductor Joseph Cullen

See page 31 for travel and ticket information

27 1 7 5 t h A n n i v e r s a r y S e a s o n 1 7 5 t h A n n i v e r s a r y S e a s o n

With the complimentsof

The Wilkinson Building Co.,(Leeds) Ltd.

Apsley HouseLeeds

Concourse House

Telephone: 0113 284 26 31



Recordings

New ReleaseMESSIAH: £15.00

THE CRUCIFIXION: £12.00 THE HYMNS ALBUM: £12.00

Recordings are on sale tonight or can be obtained from:

David Lockwood (Telephone 01484 666827) E-mail: [email protected]

Recordings

AND THE GLORYA History in Commemoration of the 175th

anniversary of Huddersfield Choral Society

The book is on sale tonight or can be obtained from:

David LockwoodTelephone 01484 666827

E-mail: [email protected]

£15 plus £3.50 p&p

Bruckner: Mass in E MinorUntil the last few years Bruckner's choral works had been primarily represented by themuch liked Deutsche Grammophon recordings by the Chorus and Orchestra ofBavarian Radio conducted by that great Bruckner interpreter Eugen Jochum whichwere made between 1963 and 1972 and transferred to CD as a 4 disc set. These havenow been re-issued in DGs Originals series as two 2 CD sets, each set costing theprice of one full-price disc. One is devoted to the Motets and Te Deum and the other,that concerns us here, contains the 3 Masses. Jochum was a devout Catholic andthese performances are deeply devotional and prayerful with broad speeds whichcreate a feeling of vast spaciousness. I find a few of the tempi in the E Minor Mass,such as the Et incarnatus est, verge on the indulgent, but the overall effect is of greatseriousness and sincerity. The recordings have transferred very well to CD and thesound is warm but with plenty of detail. The one major drawback to the set is that withthe 3 Masses on two CDs one has the inconvenience of changing discs after the Credoof the E Minor Mass, as it is split between the two discs.

There have been a number of recordings over the last 20 years with varying degreesof success, but one of the more recent has rather blown away the competition. Overthe last 15 years Stephen Layton's choir Polyphony has been garnering great criticalacclaim and their Hyperion recording of the E Minor Mass and 7 of Bruckner's Motetsachieved superlative reviews. The choral tone is wonderfully blended and sumptuousyet superbly focused and clean so that the texture in the 8-part polyphony remainsclear even in the Octagon Tower of Ely Cathedral, where the recording is given anappropriate sense of space without losing clarity. The 7 Motets contain some of the realspiritual gems of the choral repertoire and I cannot imagine more beautifulperformances. The disc opens with two of the motets, Ave Maria and Locus iste beforethe Mass and after hearing them again and again I still find myself thinking ... wow! Inshort, that rare thing; a recording that is richly rewarding and infinitely satisfying.

Stravinsky: Symphony of PsalmsUnfortunately, two of the recordings of the Symphony of Psalms that I was going tosuggest have been deleted; such are the vagaries of the record industry. Actually thatis not strictly true of the recording conducted by the composer, as it is available inSony's 22 CD set of the Complete Stravinsky with all but a few works at the end of hislife conducted by him. But even at budget price this is beyond inclusion. If you can finda copy of the 2 CD set (Sony SM2K 46294) it is well worth the search as it contains afine performance of the Symphony of Psalms with an affecting closing section alongwith excellent versions of the Symphony in Three Movements, the Symphony in C andthe composers early Symphony in E Flat, a very attractive and neglected workdedicated to, and sounding more like, his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov than himself. Theset which is well recorded in stereo also includes fascinating examples of thecomposer talking about himself and rehearsing sections of five of his works.

The other recommendation, recently deleted, offer first rate versions of the Symphonyof Psalms, Symphony in Three Movements and the Symphony in C by the LSO

Symphony of Psalms/Symphony in C/Symphony in Three MovementsLondon Symphony Chorus & OrchestraMichael Tilson ThomasSony SBK 87955(NB since preparing this note, research has shown that it appears to beavailable in the USA and also as a download.)

Symphony of Psalmsc/w Lily Boulanger: Psalms 24, 129 and 130 and Vielle Priere BouddhiqueMonteverdi ChoirLondon Symphony OrchestraJohn Eliot GardinerBrilliant Classics 9015

conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. All three performances are veryrecommendable, with a fine contribution from the LSO Chorus. With a particularly welldone closing section of the Laudate dominum and an excellent Abbey Road recordingin which everything is very naturally and musically balanced, this may still be found inshops with a good stock (not that there are many of those left now!) At budget price onSony's 'Essential Classics' series (obviously not that essential then!) this is worth asearch. The good news is that a very recommendable version by the superbMonteverdi Choir and the LSO under John Eliot Gardiner, first issued by DeutscheGrammophon in 2002, has just been re-issued on Brilliant Classics at mid-price. Apartfrom a particularly fine performance of Symphony of Psalms, superbly sung and playedwith some of the most sweetly and subtly done Alleluia's around, this highlyrecommended disc comes with my 'discover something new and really fascinating'suggestion. The name Nadia Boulanger is famous throughout the musical world and,particularly in the 1920's and 1930's, pupils came to her from all over the globe; amongthem were Lennox Berkeley, Aaron Copland, Jean Francaix, Walter Piston, IgorMarkevitch and Nadia's younger sister Lily, who was a remarkable talent, being the firstwoman to win the Prix de Rome at the age of 19. She suffered from delicate healththroughout her short life but by the time of her death in 1918 she had written asubstantial quantity of work, the quality of which is arresting. Among her better knowncompositions are her three psalm settings which provide an appropriate coupling toGardiner's recording of the Stravinsky. The opening of Psalm 24, composed in 1916just 2 years before her death at the age of 24, may come as a shock in its elementalpower and boldness after the quiet close of the Stravinsky. The longest of the fourworks is her Psalm 130 De profundis, dedicated to the memory of her father. It is aremarkable work, powerful and sombre which in its 27 minutes moves from the depthstowards hope. If you want the Stravinsky do give this a try; it is well within the French,mainstream of the time.

A closing word of caution. In preparation for this review I also bought the recent EMIrecording of Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and Berlin Radio Choirin the Symphony of Psalms, Symphony in C and Symphony in Three Movements.Although I have seen the odd predictably enthusiastic review I found this disc adisappointment, most notably in the Symphony of Psalms. The choir, prepared byRattle's old CBSO chorus-master Simon Halsey, is good but discipline is not as tightas the Monteverdi Choir and the basses are ill-focused and lacking in weight. Therecording is not as well balanced as on the Tilson Thomas or Gardiner and disturbinglyalthough the composer expressly states at the beginning of the score that 'the threeparts of this symphony are to be played without a break' (repeating this instruction atthe ends of Parts 1 & 2) there is a disastrous gap of 6 seconds between Parts 2 & 3.Rattle adopts too slow a tempo for the final hauntingly beautiful section of the work,which does not produce the usual elevating conclusion despite wonderful sounds fromthe BPO woodwind and brass. It meanders to a close and there is no sense of quietexultation and the 'calm of praise' (Stravinsky). If you would like these threesymphonies together on one disc try to find the Tilson Thomas, it wins hands down.

Recommended Recordings

Mass No 2 in E Minor & 7 Motets including Ave Maria, Locus iste, Christus factus est and Os justiPolyphonyBritten SinfoniaStephen LaytonHyperion CDA 67629

Mass No l D Minor, No 2 in E Minor, No 3 in F MinorBavarian Radio Chorus & Symphony OrchestraEugen JochumDG 447 409-2

Graham D Bennett



Messiah at the Barbican, Good Friday (22nd April) 2011 -S u p p o r t e r s ’ P a c k a g e

Joseph Cullen will conduct Huddersfield Choral Society and the City of London Sinfonia in this special performanceof Messiah with Elizabeth Watts (soprano), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo),

Mark Le Brocq (tenor) and Christopher Purves (bass).

We have put together a package for £55 per person, including coach travel to and from London and your concertticket (prime stall seats). Details are still to be arranged, but the coach is likely to leave Huddersfield at around

8.30am, arriving in London at 1.00pm. The concert begins at 6.00pm and the coach will leave after the concert ends,around 9.30pm.

-o-

We anticipate that this package will be popular, so don’t delay - contact Cynthia Pratt on 01484 600352 by Monday 4th April or [email protected] to book your tickets today!

-o-Concert tickets also available from Barbican Box Office on 020 7638 8891

Order forms will be available in April 2011 - but if you wish to reserve yours sooner. Contact: Jenny Lockwood on 01484 666827

email:[email protected]

The Huddersfield Choral Society RoseA beautiful new rose has been bred specifically for

us by Mr R. Rawlins of Fixby to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Society.

-o-

It is a floribunda in a deep mauve with a silver underside. We expect delivery of the first 60 shrubs in October 2011, and

these will retail at £10. The second growing of some 60-80will be available in 2012. From 2013 it will be available on a

commercial basis from Rogers of Pickering.


F R I E N D S

The cost of membership of The Friends is £18 joint membership,£12 single membership.

Further details and an application form can be obtained from:Cynthia Pratt

Chapel House, Slant Gate, Highburton,Huddersfield HD8 0QN

Telephone: 01484 600352E-mail [email protected]

‘The Friends of the Huddersfield Choral Society’ wasestablished in 1995 and provides a link with TheSociety, support of The Society’s activities and benefitsfor its members.

BENEFITS INCLUDE:• Priority booking for Public Concerts at the Town

Hall (limited in the case of Public Messiahtickets).

• Subscriber Friends who are unable to attend theballot given priority in the subsequent allocationof tickets.

• Priority on returned tickets for subscription concerts.

• Regular Newsletters covering the life of TheSociety.

• Prize Draws.

• Discounted recordings of the Huddersfield ChoralSociety.


Huddersfield Choral Society

OFFICIALS AND COMMITTEEPresident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CONRAD WINTERBURN

Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JENNY LOCKWOOD

General Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JIM COWELL

Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ADRIAN LEE

Choir Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID BURGESS

Subscribers’ Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JULIE HALE

Sponsorship Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . .TONY BOOTH

Programme Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID LOCKWOOD

Recruitment Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . GAYNOR HALIDAY

Publicity Officer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SARAH WICKHAM

Joint Librarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HOWARD SANDFORD

Joint Librarian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SUSAN SANDFORD

Associate Members’ Secretary . . . . . . JEAN PARKER

Archivist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MALCOLM HINCHLIFFE

Chairman 175 Committee . . . . . . . JENNY LOCKWOOD

Members’ RepresentativesJanet Booth David Croft

Hilary McLean Barrie Mortimer Jane Sargent Vicki Scurrah Mark A Taylor Sue Turnbull

Subscribers’ RepresentativesHelen Marshall Cynthia Pratt

Honorary Life MembersMr. R. Barraclough DL Mr. H. CloughMr. D. Hartley Mr. J. D. Haywood DL

Mr. K. Rothery Mr. G. Slater

HUDDERSFIELD CHORAL SOCIETY PO Box B30, 35 Westgate, Huddersfield HD1 1PA

Telephone: 01484 536968www.huddersfieldchoral.com

Conductor Laureate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARTYN BRABBINS

Chorus Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOSEPH CULLEN

Deputy Chorus Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DARIUS BATTIWALLA

Accompanist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DANIEL GORDON

Deputy Accompanist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MALCOLM HINCHLIFFE

Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PATRICK GARVEY (Tel 01904 621222)



CELEBRATING 175 YEARSThese items are on sale tonight or can be obtained from:

David Lockwood Telephone 01484 666827 E-mail: [email protected]


Designed and Produced by Hayes Design & Media 07900 2778892010

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Sea

son

The grave of Stravinski, San Michele Cemetery

Documents

Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms; Harvey - Messages; Bruckner - Mass in E Minor