Beethoven

Mass in C

and music by Mendelssohn and Haydn

All Saints Church West Dulwich, London SE21 8JY

Saturday 2 December 2017, 7.30pm

www.dulwichchoralsociety.org.uk

BBrroocckkwweellll AArrtt SSeerrvviicceess Established 1979

QUALITY PICTURE FRAMING

232-234 Railton Road, SE24 0JT

Telephone 020 7274 7046 Open 11am-7pm weekdays 10am-6pm Saturday www.brockwellart.co.uk 35 years in Herne Hill

3

Saturday 2 December 2017, 7.30pm

All Saints Church

West Dulwich, London SE21 8JY DULWICH CHORAL SOCIETY ALISON ROSE soprano CATHERINE HOPPER mezzo soprano ANTHONY GREGORY tenor MARCUS FARNSWORTH baritone DULWICH FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA Lennox Mackenzie OBE Leader AIDAN OLIVER Conductor

MENDELSSOHN Hebrides Overture (‘Fingal's Cave’) Op 26 HAYDN Insanae et vanae curae MENDELSSOHN Verleih’ uns Frieden MENDELSSOHN Hear my prayer (‘O for the wings of a dove’) An interval of 25 minutes follows Refreshments are available in the Crypt LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Mass in C

PROGRAMME NOTES

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave) Op 26 Felix Mendelssohn once stated: ‘It is in pictures, ruins and natural surroundings that I find the most music’. Perhaps no work and no surrounding were as equally matched for compositional success as Mendelssohn’s trip to Scotland and the composition of his Hebrides Overture. Mendelssohn was a child prodigy who came from a wealthy family, and he was therefore able to travel often. He greatly enjoyed his various sojourns throughout Europe, and the 1829 walking tour of Scotland with his friend, Karl Klingemann, was no exception. Mendelssohn was only 20 years old when he and Klingemann travelled to the Hebrides Islands, off the west coast of Scotland, and later to Fingal’s Cave, on the Island of Staffa. After seeing the stunning scenery in the Hebrides, he composed the opening bars of his overture, sending it to his sister Fanny with the following note: ‘In order to make you understand how extraordinarily The Hebrides affected me, I send you the following, which came into my head there’. The following day

he and Klingemann ventured to Fingal’s Cave (named after the character Fingal, from a third-century Gaelic tale), having to row there in a skiff, and sat at the mouth of the awe-inspiring, sea-level, basalt-rock formation and marvelled. Mendelssohn completed the first draft of the work in 1830, but continued to revise the work for the next three years. Of particular distress to Mendelssohn was the middle section, about which he said: ‘The forte, D Major middle section is very silly and the entire so-called development tastes more of counterpoint than of whale oil, seagulls and salted cod’. Whale oil notwithstanding, the work was first performed on 14 May 1832. Still not happy with it, Mendelssohn continued to revise it further until it was finally published in 1833. The two titles (Hebrides and Fingal’s Cave) provide an interesting dilemma – it is believed that a publisher added the Fingal’s Cave title, thinking it would be a more recognizable name than The Hebrides. Further complicating matters, it seems the score and orchestral parts contain differing names, some indicating Fingal and some Hebrides.

4

Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture is not programmatic, in the sense that it does not follow a narrative or tell a story; but it is thoroughly evocative of the sea and the scenery Mendelssohn experienced during his time in the Hebrides and Fingal’s Cave. The opening motive that Mendelssohn sketched and sent to his sister after viewing the Hebrides, is a mysterious, arpeggiated fragment in B minor. The motive is repeated several times, rising higher and higher. The semiquavers that are present throughout most of the piece represent the ebb and flow of the sea, while dramatic crescendos and sforzandi evoke images of waves crashing upon the rocks.

‘Au-delà, l’horizon de ciel et d’eau …’ L Benett’s drawing of ‘La Grotte de Fingal’ from the original Hetzel edition of Jules Verne’s Le Rayon-Vert

The second theme is a more sprawling and soaring melody in the major mode, and as the always quotable Sir Donald Francis Tovey stated, is ‘the greatest melody Mendelssohn ever wrote’. This second theme is again introduced by the lower instruments (bassoons and cellos), maintaining the mysterious nautical tone of the overture before it is then transformed first into a martial rhythm and a somewhat jauntier section filled with dotted rhythms and

staccato statements. This section begins with very soft iterations of the opening fragment answered by militaristic figures from the winds. The work ends with a repeated, haunting statement of the opening motive in the clarinet, passed onto the flute that has the last word with its ascending B minor arpeggio, accompanied by pizzicato strings.

Lori Newman

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) Insanae et vanae curae

The beginnings of Haydn’s motet Insanae et vanae curae (Frantic and futile anxieties invade our minds) began in 1775 with the composition of his first oratorio Il ritorno di Tobia (The Return of Tobias). The work, written to an Italian libretto, was first performed in 1775 in Vienna and was a resounding success. However, by 1781 the public’s musical taste had changed so much that another performance planned in Vienna in 1781 failed to materialise. Haydn revised the work and, in 1784, a performance of the revision was performed in a benefit concert in Vienna. The oratorio had one more performance in 1808, after which Haydn took one of the choral numbers from the oratorio and rewrote it to a Latin text. While Il ritorno di Tobia was popular in its day, it could not compete with Haydn's two masterpieces in the form of The Creation and The Seasons. Perhaps that is why Haydn extracted this fine choral piece from it and revised it as a stand-alone work. The piece is in two contrasting sections. The first section is one of fear and dread; the second section is more lyrical. Each section is repeated. Mendelssohn Verleih’ uns Frieden Felix Mendelssohn wrote Verleih’ uns Frieden in 1831 after a visit to the Vatican. It was on this same visit to Italy that he was inspired to write his Symphony No 4, the Italian. The text is the traditional Latin hymn Dona nobis pacem, as translated into German by Martin Luther. By 1831, Mendelssohn had been studying the music of J S Bach for several

5

years and had led a famous revival of the St Matthew Passion in 1829. Verleih' uns Frieden is heavily influenced by the music of Bach. After an instrumental introduction featuring split cellos, the bass section of the chorus sings a simple, chorale-like melody. The altos then take up that melody, while the basses sing a counter-melody. The final, culminating section is a 4-part choral harmonisation of the initial theme with full orchestral accompaniment. It is a graceful and romantic prayer for peace. Mendelssohn Hear my prayer Although he is mainly remembered for his large-scale works, Mendelssohn also wrote some very fine church music, of which Hear my prayer is by far the most well known. As with all of Mendelssohn’s music, it is beautifully crafted, so that the interplay between accompaniment, choir and soloist provides great dramatic contrast and yet the piece remains an integrated whole. The text, a paraphrase of Psalm 55, was written by William Bartholomew, who provided the English translations or adaptations for most of Mendelssohn’s vocal and choral music, including Elijah. Hear my prayer was first performed in 1845 and became immensely popular following the 1927 recording made by Ernest Lough and the Temple Church Choir.

John Bawden

INTERVAL Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) Mass in C Op 86 Beethoven composed the Mass in C major, Op 86, to a commission from Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II in 1807 for the celebration of the name day of the prince’s wife, Maria Josepha. The mass was premiered that year by the Prince's musical forces in Eisenstadt. Beethoven performed parts of it in his 1808 concert featuring the premieres of four major works including his 5th Symphony. The mass was published in 1812 by Breitkopf & Härtel. While the Prince who commissioned the mass

was not pleased with the work, the contemporary critic E T A Hoffmann appreciated the ‘expression of a childlike serene mind’, while Michael Moore notes the music's ‘directness and emotional content’. The Mass in C was Beethoven’s first mass. His former teacher Haydn had provided six masses for the Esterházy prince but, on Haydn’s retirement from that household, the prince sought out other composers to provide celebratory masses. Beethoven was then in a highly productive and mature compositional phase: his output for 1806 included the three Razumovsky string quartets, the Appassionata piano sonata, both the 4th Symphony and the 4th Piano Concerto, as well as the Violin Concerto. Nevertheless, he was awed at the prospect of following in his former teacher’s footsteps and he approached the composition of his first mass with hesitancy. He wrote to the prince: ‘I shall deliver the Mass to you with timidity, since you, Serene Highness, are accustomed to having the inimitable masterpieces of the great Haydn performed for you’. Having procrastinated, Beethoven completed the mass only just in time to begin rehearsals for the scheduled performance.

Willibrod Josef Mahler (1778–1860), portrait of Beethoven, c 1804

Beset by hearing loss, Beethoven is reputed to have been churlish during rehearsals, and the

6

chorus master Johann Hummel, taking advantage of Beethoven’s disability, led a rebellion of the singers: some simply stopped attending rehearsals! Esterházy had to intervene and insist that all the singers attend the final rehearsal. Beethoven conducted a private performance of the Mass in C in the church at Eisenstadt on 13 September 1807, for Prince and Princess Esterházy. It was, by all accounts, a failure. At a reception afterwards, and in the presence of the other musicians, the prince is reputed to have said: ‘But my dear Beethoven, what is this you have done now?’, at which Hummel snickered, according to Beethoven’s biographer, Anton Schindler.

Nikolaus II Esterházy, who commissioned the mass and arranged its première, by Josef Lanzedelli (1803)

Esterházy subsequently wrote of the mass that the music was ‘unbearably ridiculous and detestable’ and Beethoven dedicated the work, not to its commissioner, but to Prince Kinsky, one of Beethoven’s patrons. The mass was heard by a wider public just over a year later when, in December 1808, it was part of a concert of Beethoven works given at the Theater an der Wien, where it was more successfully received. But it took several years of negotiations before Beethoven was able to secure its publication. Perhaps some of the circumstances of its early history have tainted and dogged the Mass’s

acceptance by concert audiences. Certainly, the work has not achieved the same resounding popularity as its big sister, the Missa Solemnis, composed 15 years later, or the choral movement of the 9th Symphony. But this is a loss for concert audiences, because the work is decidedly inspired and magnificently crafted, combining classical formal elements with romantic expressivity. The music’s structure follows the traditional liturgy and is scored for the standard forces of soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor and bass soloists, orchestra and chorus. However, the solo parts do not stand alone and are integrated with the choir throughout. The writing combines progressive orchestration, bold harmonic and rhythmic language, and striking textual tone painting. Typically, Beethoven uses the inherited formal classical models and infuses them with a revolutionary, romantic, deeply affective musical content. Perhaps it was simply more than Prince Esterházy could grasp.

Shulamit Hoffmann

__________________________________

__________________________________

7

TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS

Insanae et vanae curae Insanae et vanae curae invadunt mentes nostras, saepe furore replent corda, privata spe. Quid prodest, O mortalis, conari pro mundanis, si coelos negligas? Sunt fausta tibi cuncta, si Deus est pro te. Verleih’ uns Frieden Verleih’ uns Frieden gnädiglich, Herr Gott, zu unsern Zeiten. Es ist doch ja kein andrer nicht, der für uns könnte streiten, denn du, unser Gott, alleine. Hear my prayer Hear my prayer, O God, incline thine ear Thyself from my petition do not hide. Take heed to me! Hear how in prayer I mourn to Thee! Without Thee, all is dark. I have no guide. The enemy shouteth, the godless come fast! Iniquity, hatred upon me they cast! The wicked oppress me! Ah, where shall I fly? Perplexed and bewildered, O God, hear my cry! My heart is sorely pained within my breast, My soul with deathly terror is oppressed. Trembling and fearfulness upon me fall, With horror overwhelmed, Lord, hear my call! Oh for the wings of a dove! Far away, far away would I rove. In the wilderness build me a nest And remain there forever at rest.

Frantic and futile anxieties invade our minds; they often fill our hearts with madness, depriving them of hope. What is the use, O mortal man, of striving after earthly things, if you neglect heaven? All things turn out well for you, if God is on your side. Mercifully grant us peace, Lord God, in our time. There is none other Who can struggle for us But you alone, our God.

8

Mass in C Kyrie Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Gloria Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus sanctus, tu solus Dominus tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris, Amen. Credo Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, et ex patre natum ante omnia saecula, Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri; per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines et propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace to men of good will. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, We adore Thee, we glorify Thee. We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory. O Lord God, heavenly king, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Thou who takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For Thou only art holy, Thou only art the Lord, Thou only art most high, Jesus Christ. With the Holy Ghost in the glory of God the Father, Amen. I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages: God of God, light of light, true God of true God; Begotten, not made; being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven.

9

Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto, ex Maria virgine; et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas, et ascendit in coelum, sedet ad dexteram Patris, et iterum venturus est cum gloria, judicare vivos et mortuos, cujus regni non erit finis. Et in Spiritum Sanctum Dominum, et vivificantem, qui ex Patre Filioque procedit, qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur, et conglorificatur, qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum, et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum, et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen. Sanctus Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis. Agnus Dei Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. He was crucified also for us, under Pontius Pilate, He suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven. And sitteth at the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified; who spoke by the Prophets. And in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. And I look for the resurrection of the dead. and the life of the world to come. Amen. Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

10

ALISON ROSE

Alison Rose is the winner of the 2015 Maggie Teyte Prize and a 2017 Leonard Ingrams Award. She studied on the Opera course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and was a National Opera Studio Young Artist for the 15/16 season. Concert highlights include Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music at the BBC Last Night of the Proms 2016, Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall, Iain Burnside’s musical play Shining Armour with Roderick Williams and Victoria Newlyn, Britten’s Les Illuminations at the Southwell Music Festival and solo recitals at the Oxford Lieder Festival and the Royal Opera House Crush Room. Operatic roles include Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro (Garsington Festival Opera); Vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen (Grimeborn Festival/Arcola Theatre); Frasquita in Carmen (understudy for Glyndebourne Festival Opera); Lady in Waiting Gloriana (St Endellion Festival); Miranda in Arnold’s The Dancing Master (GSMD); Bětuška in Dvořák’s The Cunning Peasant (GSMD); Die Fledermaus (Clonter Opera); and Servilia in La Clemenza di Tito (RNCM). Performances at the National Opera Studio included residencies with Opera North, Welsh National Opera and a performance of Contemporary Opera Scenes at Sadler’s Wells. Future engagements include performing the role of Barbarina in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in

her debut with English National Opera. Alison continues her studies in London with Gary Coward.

CATHERINE HOPPER Catherine Hopper studied music at the University of Leeds and the Franz Liszt Hochschule in Weimar, Germany, graduating with a BMus Hons. She subsequently graduated from Royal Academy Opera with a distinction and the Vice Principal’s prize, before completing her studies at the National Opera Studio. Roles include Suzuki in the revival of David Freeman’s production of Madame Butterfly at the Royal Albert Hall, Ottavia in L’Incoronazione di Poppea for Opera North, Dido in Dido and Aeneas at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon with Os músicos do Tejo, and the roles of Mum/Mad Hatter in the revival of Will Todd’s Alice in Wonderland for Opera Holland Park. In concert, she has toured Australia with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in performances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, as well as a performance of Handel’s Messiah in Budapest with The King’s Consort. Highlights include the role of The Page in a concert performance of Salome with the Orchestre National de Lyon conducted by Leonard Slatkin, a recital with the pianist James Baillieu at the Oxford Lieder Festival, performances of Messiah with the Hallé Orchestra under Laurence Cummings, and the Orchestra of Granada under Daniel Reuss,

11

Irene in Tamerlano for the Buxton Festival and Litaniae de Venerabili Altaris Sacramento with David Hill and the BBC Singers, broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Most recently, she gave the UK premiere of Goose Daughter with the Linos Piano Trio at King’s Place. Future engagements include a performance of Mozart’s Requiem with Westminster Cathedral Choir and Orchestra, performances of Handel’s Messiah with Daniel Reuss in Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela and with the Orquestra y Coro de Radio Televisión Española, conducted by Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez in Madrid. In the New Year, she is looking forward to performing the role of Cornelia in Handel’s Giulio Cesare for Bury Court Opera.

ANTHONY GREGORY Acclaimed for the beauty and quality of his tone, stage presence and musicality, British tenor Anthony Gregory is in demand internationally for baroque to contemporary repertoire. Highlights in the 2017/18 season include his debut for Den Norske Opera as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Ouardo in Ariodante for Les Arts Florissants and the title role in Rameau’s Dardanus for English Touring Opera. Most recent highlights include Vafrino in Hipermestra for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Oronte in Alcina at the Teatro Real, Madrid, Florizel in the world premiere of The Winter’s Tale for English National Opera and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni for Glyndebourne on Tour. Gregory’s recent engagements also include Flute in Peter Hall’s acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Shepherd in L’Orfeo for the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Ferrando in Così fan tutte for Opéra de Limoges, Peter Quint and Prologue in The Turn of the Screw for Glyndebourne on Tour, Oronte in Katie Mitchell’s production of Alcina for the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Lucio Silla for the

Classical Opera Company, and Grimoaldo in Rodelinda at the London Handel Festival conducted by Laurence Cummings. On the concert platform, Gregory has performed Bach’s Mass in B Minor at the Edinburgh International Festival, Mozart’s Requiem with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bach’s St John Passion with the Oxford Bach Choir, Handel’s Messiah at the Cadogan Hall, Wells Cathedral and with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Schubert’s Rosamunde with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Haydn’s St Nicholas Mass and Britten’s St Nicholas for the St Luke’s Music Society, Monteverdi’s Vespers with the Armonico Consort. Previously a Harewood Artist at English National Opera, roles here included Nankipoo in The Mikado, Young Sailor in Julietta, 1st Armed Man in Die Zauberflöte, Borsa in Rigoletto and Haemon in Thebans. Gregory was also previously a Jerwood Young Artist at Glyndebourne, a student of the National Opera Studio and a winner of many notable awards including the ‘Breakthrough Artists’ category by What’s On Stage in 2015, the Ian Fleming Award and the Lies Askonas Prize.

MARCUS FARNSWORTH Marcus Farnsworth was awarded first prize in the 2009 Wigmore Hall International Song Competition and the Song Prize at the 2011 Kathleen Ferrier Competition. He was a chorister at Southwell Minster and studied at Chetham’s School of Music. Marcus read music at the

12

University of Manchester and is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, where he completed his postgraduate studies. He is Founder and Artistic Director of the Southwell Music Festival. Highlights of the 2017/18 season and beyond include a performance and recording of Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony conducted by Martyn Brabbins and a performance of John Adams’ The Wound Dresser, both with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. On the opera stage, he returns to ENO for Iolanthe, in a new production by Cal McCrystal and will make his debut at the Teatro Real Madrid in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. Recently, he appeared as Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream on tour with the Aix en Provence Festival, and Eddy in Turnage’s Greek for Boston Lyric Opera. Other roles include Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, English Clerk in Death in Venice and Novice’s Friend in Billy Budd, all for ENO, and Lance Corporal Lewis in the world premiere of In Parenthesis for WNO. In concert, he performed Hubbard in Doctor Atomic conducted by John Adams with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Ned Keene in Peter Grimes at the Bergen Festival and Edinburgh International Festival with Edward Gardner. A strong supporter of contemporary composers, he has sung works by John Tavener, Sally Beamish, Thomas Larcher, Peter Maxwell Davies and David Sawer. For the 2017 BBC Proms, Marcus performed Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, conducted by Sian Edwards. Marcus lives in East London with his wife Alison. He enjoys cycling and long walks exploring the British and Irish countryside. He is also a keen cook and amateur wine enthusiast.

AIDAN OLIVER Aidan Oliver pursues a diverse career at the heart of London’s musical life, working in a wide range of roles with organisations including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Opera House and Westminster Abbey. One of the UK’s most experienced chorus masters, he has worked with many of the country’s leading choirs, including the BBC Singers, the BBC Symphony Chorus and Huddersfield Choral Society. He is the founder and director of Philharmonia Voices, a professional chorus which collaborates with the Philharmonia Orchestra on many of its high-profile projects. Working particularly closely with the orchestra’s Principal Conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen, he has also collaborated frequently with conductors including Ashkenazy, Maazel, Dohnányi and John Wilson. Philharmonia Voices featured prominently in the Philharmonia’s 2016 major series Stravinsky: Myths and Rituals, which won a South Bank Sky Arts Award, and the choir has in recent years made three successive appearances at the BBC Proms.

A regular guest on the music staff of the Royal Opera, Aidan has also worked as guest chorus master for several English National Opera productions, including Beethoven’s Fidelio and Britten’s Peter Grimes. Since 2003, he has been Director of Music at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey, where the organist is Thomas Trotter and services include many high-profile occasions connected with Parliament. Recently, he has also formed strong relationships with Orchestra North East, conducting several concerts in Durham, and with Huddersfield Choral Society, with whom he recorded a CD of British choral music released in 2017 on the Signum label. He is also Associate Conductor of the St Endellion Festival in Cornwall and musical director of Dulwich Choral Society. In 2018, he will be working for the first time as guest chorus master of the prestigious RIAS Kammerchor in Berlin, and directing a new choral summer school in the Dolomites, Italy, for Music Academy International

Dulwich Choral Society

Sopranos Nicola Alexander, Margaret Bailey, Ann Blackburn, Nicola Blaney, Jackie Bowie,

Molly Bretton, Sue Chandler, Jennie Clough, Melissa De Haldevang, Marie-Pierre Denaro, Didi Edwards Greig, Edith Fehrenbach, Sophie Fender, Honor Gay, Cecilia Hill, Sian Howell,

Juliana Kirby, Asha Last, Denise Lawson, Heidi Lempp, Emily Lodge, Kassy Luto, Morven Main, Teresa Marshall, Vanessa Mitchell, Diane Pengelly, Carmo Ponte,

Emma Putt, Hilary Putt, Fleur Read, Jane Tippett, Gracita Woods

Altos Zina Boykova, Marilyn Checkley, Helen Chown, Miranda Collinge, Lucy Corrin, Julia Field,

Joanna French, Helen Graham, Gill Hancock, Jill Harris, Sarah Hughes, Gemma Hunt, Jenny Kay, Jo Merry, Karen Mills, Sue Newell, Jane Palmer, Nicola Prior, Rosemary Publicover, Amelia Putt, Lynne Ramsay, Sue Ramsden,

Susan Robinson, Rebecca Sloane, Elisabeth Smithson, Frances Steele

Tenors

Roger Atkins, Nick Bolt, Richard Fergusson, Robert Foster, Peter Frost, John Greig, Steve Harrison, Jon Layton, Michael Palmer, Iain Saville, Peter Swift, Nick Vaisey, Jack Wensley

Basses

Alec Barton, Christopher Braun, Ian Chown, Guy Collins, Michael Faulkner, Malcolm Field, Stephen Frost, Alan Grant, Bruce Gregory, Paul Kinnear, Adrian Lambourne, Mike Lock, Peter Main, Aziz Panni,

Duncan Pratt, Barney Rayfield, Mike Shepherd, Peter Smith, Trenton Williams

Dulwich Festival Orchestra

Violin I Lennox Mackenzie OBE Hazel Mulligan Colin Renwick Mario Basilisco Caroline Davis Lynn Cook Violin II Alison Kelly Susan Kinnersley Lois Oliver Margaret Jackson Viola Robert Turner Caroline O’Neill Claire Maynard

Cello Alexandra Mackenzie Kim Mackrell Victoria Harrild Bass Emre Ersahin Chris Hill Flute Lynda Coffin Christine Hankin Oboe Christopher Hooker Ruth Berresford Clarinet Elliott DeVivo Joseph Shiner

Bassoon Julie Andrews Damian Brasington Horn Kevin Elliott Jane Hanna Trumpet Paul Sharp Martin Rockall Timpani Scott Bywater Organ Riccardo Bonci

Dulwich Choral Society

Honorary President Dame Emma Kirkby

Vice President Roger Page Musical Director Aidan Oliver

Chairman Guy Collins Treasurer Michael Faulkner

Accompanist David Elwin Membership Secretary Jane and Michael Palmer

Friends of Dulwich Choral Society

Dulwich Choral Society gratefully acknowledges the financial support it receives from its valued

Friends:

Jenny Thomas

June Cleall-Harding Charlotte Townsend

Denise and John Lawson Carmo Ponte

Iain Saville and Jo Merry

Christine Shepherd Judy Clark

Friends of Dulwich Choral Society comprises a group of people who enjoy coming to our concerts and social events whenever possible and who are interested in ensuring the future stability of the

choir. Supporters of the choir (and current choir members) will be warmly welcomed as new Friends. Benefits of membership of the scheme include: reserved seats (on request); mailings of details of future programmes; and a free interval drink with each ticket bought (at certain concert venues).

Dulwich Choral Society is a registered charity with number 264764. Donations made under Gift Aid

will enable the income tax to be recovered as an additional benefit.

For more information, please contact: Mike Shepherd

27 Lovelace Road, London SE21 8JY hi@mikeandchris.plus.com

Forthcoming DCS concerts Christmas Carols Come and sing with us! Monday 14 December 2017, 7.30pm DCS will host a workshop day to explore All Saints Church, West Dulwich Mendelssohn’s Elijah in St Barnabas

Church, Calton Avenue, London SE21 7DG Handel Samson on Saturday 24 March 2018 Saturday 28 April 2018, 7.30pm For enquiries email: All Saints Church, West Dulwich membershipdcs@gmail.com