Birkenhead Choral Society - registered charity number 1004202

BCS Diary Dates

FAMILY CAROLS with children from Christ Church CE Primary School

and the Wirral Schools Brass Band 7.30pm, Sat 15th December 2012

Christ Church, Bessborough Road,

Birkenhead, CH43 5RW

JOINT CONCERT

with FORMBY CHORAL SOCIETY

& MERCHANT TAYLORS’ SCHOOL, CROSBY

Jenkins’ - The Armed Man

Walton - Belshazzar’s Feast

7.30pm, Saturday March 16th

2013

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

SUMMER CONCERT

Chilcott - Little Jazz Mass

Chilcott - Requiem

Mendelssohn - Ave Maria

& highlights from Elijah

7.30pm, Sat 15th June 2013

St Hilary's Church, Claremount Road,

Wallasey, CH45 3NH

For further details please visit

www.birkenheadchoral.org

or ring 0151 677 1129

£££111

David Holroyd

Conductor and Director of Music

David was born in Wallasey in 1961, and started his musical life when he sat alongside his father in the back row of the choir stalls of St Hilary's Parish Church at the age of seven. Piano lessons followed, and organ lessons began when he was 12, with Timothy Lawford at Birkenhead School, and then with Roger Fisher at Chester Cathedral. He spent five years at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying organ with Ronald Frost and Gillian Weir, and choir training with John Bertalot. He gained both the Graduate of Music, Honours Diploma, and the prestigious Diploma in Professional Performance at the RNCM. On leaving College in 1984, he was Assistant Organist at Chester Cathedral before taking up his position at Merchant Taylors' School, in 1986, where he is now Director of Music, and Director of Public Relations. David has been conductor of Birkenhead Choral Society since 1985, and of Formby Choral Society since 1991. He has acted as guest conductor for choral societies from Fleetwood to Chester, occasionally accompanies choirs, and still gives the odd organ recital.

Jon Barton

Organist and Rehearsal

Accompanist Jon Barton studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, organ with Matthew Evans and Kevin Bowyer, piano with Paul Jones and harpsichord with David Francis. Whilst there, he was awarded a scholarship to continue his studies abroad and so took lessons from Zsigmond Szathmary and Bernard Haas in Germany, and Yanka Hekimova in Paris. In January 2009 he came to try out as accompanist to Birkenhead Choral Society and was immediately acclaimed as a find, and confirmed in the post. Jon has also taken rehearsals at short notice. We hope he will be with us for a long time to come.

BCS Members Friends of BCSSopranos

Marcia Alldis Sylvia Beasley

Eileen Bell Valerie Burn

Hilary Burrows Margaret Callaghan

Eleri Cleaver Julia Clement Val Daglish Jane Elliott Sue Evans

Diana Farley Anne Galtrey Maura Gray

Bernadette Hamilton Liz Haslam

Chris Hayward Audrey Henderson

Dorothy Jordan Irene Joyce Susan Lee

Brenda Losekoot Brenda Maddox

Lesley McClellan Helen Merritt

Peta Mills Christine Potts

Elaine Ray Deirdre Romaniuk

Sue Shaw Elaine Smith

Val Smith Gill West

Elizabeth White Alex Winney

Altos Kathy Anstey Laura Arnold Collette Byrne

Rachael Campbell Sue Chadwick

Jenny Dodd Rosemary Earp

Julia Hedo Valerie Hogarth

Sue Horton Patricia Igoe Jane Ithell Jean Jeans Hâf Jones

Christine Koop Lis Lane

Dilys Lewis Jane Marriott

Norah Murphy Valerie Parr

Caroline Romer-Keating Hilary Skinner Margaret Storr

Sarah Stuart-Gill Judith Thomas Audrey Walton Alison Welding

Vera West Susan White Claire Willis Gill Wilson

Tenors Stephen Cottam

John Cottrell Marcus Darby Alastair Dow

Richard Haswell Tom Jordan

John Mansley Rod Platt

Allan Stewart Claire Tomkinson

Martin Wallas Ian Whitehead

Richard Wilberforce David Williams

Basses Lawrie Brown

Richard Blundell Simon Cleaver Hugh Daglish

Ben Darby Bruce Douglas Vic Edwards Peter Hicks

Dave Horton Gary Koop

Scirard Lancelyn Green Ian Riordan

Peter Russell Frank Taylor Peter Turner

David Walton David Willis

The choir is most grateful to the following people

for their support. If you are interested in becoming a Friend please ring 0151 638 2340

Mr & Mrs B Beard Anglesey Mrs J L Carter Weaverham Mr & Mrs A Chadwick Upton Mr V Edwards Birkenhead Mr J Gibson Thingwall Mrs M E Hayward Greasby Mrs M Lane Prenton Mrs D Mason Wallasey Mrs N Mansley Prenton Mr D Norris Wallasey Mrs T J Parr St Helens Mrs A Poulter Norfolk Mr & Mrs P Revans Wallasey Mrs S Ross Wallasey Mr & Mrs J A Sargent Bebington

Printed by The Wirral Press

Tel: 0151 638 2763

Dame Lorna Muirhead:

Birkenhead Choral Society are pleased to

announce that Dame Lorna Muirhead,

DBE, Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside has

agreed to be our Patron.

Many of you will have heard the

supportive speech she made at our last

concert.

Dame Lorna was appointed Lord-

Lieutenant of Merseyside in 2006 after a

lifetime of contribution to the midwifery

profession, delivering thousands of

Liverpool's babies over an almost 40

year career in the city. As the Queen's

representative in the County it is an

honour to have her as our Patron and we

look forward to welcoming her at some

of our concerts in between her many

other engagements.

Casella. It is this version which you hear today. This was by no means an authentic edition (he described it as an "elaborazione”), as he made many changes to the orchestration and cut out several sections. Accordingly there is quite a load on the choir librarian in making sure we all get the correct copies!

This work is now so well known that extracts can be heard in films, television productions and adverts in one form or another and its joyful sound makes it particularly popular around Christmas. Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

Cantique de Jean Racine - Op 11 This work for mixed chorus and piano or organ was written by the nineteen year old composer in 1864-5, the piece won Fauré the first prize when he graduated from the École Niedermeyer and was first performed the following year on August 4, 1866, with accompaniment of strings and organ.

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

Requiem - Op 48

Introit - Kyrie (chorus) / Offertorium (Baritone and chorus) / Sanctus (Chorus) Pie Jesu (Soprano) / Agnus Dei & Lux Aeterna (Chorus) Libera Me (Baritone and chorus) / In Paradisum (Chorus)

Fauré had an intense dislike of the large-scale effects and lack of religious feeling in Berlioz's Requiem. His own setting avoided the dramatic 'Dies irae' poem, which so dominates the Requiems of Mozart, Berlioz and Verdi. It was even smaller in scale, with only five movements, when it was first performed at the Madeleine in Paris on 16 January 1888. The occasion was the funeral of a member of the congregation, but the impetus for the work had been the death of Fauré's mother on the last day of the previous year. This performance lacked the 'Offertoire', which was not composed until 1889. It was included in a performance on 21 January 1893, along with a setting of 'Libera me' which had been written as an independent piece in 1877. Both new movements included sections for a baritone solo: the original five movements were for choir only, except for a boy singing the solo 'Pie Jesu'. The 'Libera me' brings in a few lines of 'Day of terror, day of Judgement', but Fauré handles it with great restraint and the music remains within the scale of the rest of the work. For the most part, the tone of this timeless piece is elegiac and calm, and the key word is 'requiem', 'rest': the work begins and ends with it. This Programme Note by Clifford Bartlett, supplied through Making Music.

Birkenhead Choral Society

Patron: Dame Lorna Muirhead DBE,

Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside

Chair - Collette Byrne

Accompanist - Jon Barton

Conductor - David Holroyd

Welcome to our Autumn concert in the presence of The Mayor

and Mayoress of Wirral, Councillor and Mrs Ellis. We are

grateful to St Saviour’s Church, for once again hosting the

occasion and hope you will all have an enjoyable evening.

This Evening’s Programme

Pergolesi Stabat Mater

1st movement, Alexandria Wynn and Fiona Hymns

4th

movement - Eia Mater, Alexandria Wynn

Vivaldi - Gloria RV 589

Interval Refreshments will be available during the interval

(about 20 minutes)

Fauré - Cantique de Jean Racine

Massenet Baigne d'eau mes mains from Thais

- Jonathan Alley and Fiona Hymns

Fauré Chanson d'amour, Op27 No 1

- Alexandria Wynn

Fauré - Requiem Op 48

Tonight’s Soloists Fiona Hymns, Soprano - is a Dorset-born soprano, now studying towards an MMus in performance at the Royal Northern College of Music. Prior to this Fiona gained a BA(Hons) in History from the University of London and embarked on a career in the Museum sector. During this time the opportunities to sing were wide ranging; on the concert platform as a soloist for Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Handel’s Messiah, in opera playing the roles of Frasquita (Carmen), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Josephine (HMS Pinafore) and Leila (Iolanthe), and also in contemporary music. Fiona has worked extensively as a vocal animateur and choral director, for organisations such as the Southbank Centre, London Sinfonietta, Royal Academy of Music and Lambeth Music Service. Highlights since starting at RNCM have included masterclasses with Ryland Davies, David Owen Norris and Mark Shanahan, and a performance of the role of the Governess in Turn of Screw (RNCM Opera Scenes). Fiona is looking forward to her second and final year at the RNCM, where future roles include Dew Fairy/Sandman in Hansel and Gretel for Didsbury Arts Festival and Amore (cover) in the RNCM’s upcoming production of Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria. Alexandria Wynn, Mezzo Soprano - Alexandria is a mezzo-soprano in her first year of a Master's degree at the Royal Northern College of Music studying with Susan Roper. As an undergraduate student she was grateful recipient of an ABRM UK Undergraduate student scholarship which funded her undergraduate studies at the RNCM. Recent performances include performing as a backing singer for Andrea Bocelli in this year's Children in Need at Manchester's MEN arena. Alexandria sang the role of Argene in a performance of L'Olympiade at this year's York early music festival as well as the role of Amastre in the latest RNCM production of Xerse. Last year she had the privilege of singing the soprano solo in one of the first performances of Bob Chicott's new Requiem, conducted by the composer. Aside from singing Alexandria is a keen composer having had her composition recently used on the BBC's Songs of Praise.

Jonathan Alley, Baritone - Australian Baritone, Jonathan Alley is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. He has performed with both Opera Australia and Opera Queensland and in 2010, performed with Opera Australia’s Touring Company, Ozopera, singing the role of, Ricardo in The Sound Garden (Montgomery). In September of 2010, Jonathan was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Northern College of Music, under the tutelage of Peter Wilson. Roles at the RNCM include, Morales (Carmen), Mr. Gedge (Albert Herring) and Elviro (Xerxes). In March 2011, Jonathan was the winner of the, Joyce and Michael Kennedy Award for the Singing of Strauss at the RNCM. Jonathan has been a guest artist at the Mananan Festival Opera, performing the role of Dr. Dulcamara in the 2011 production of The Elixir of Love. Most recently, Jonathan has been selected as a member of the Mid Wales Opera Young Artists Programme for the 2012 season.

Programme Notes

Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)

Gloria - RV 589

Gloria in excelsis Deo (Chorus) / Et in terra pax (Chorus) Laudamus te (Sopranos I and II) / Gratias agimus tibi (Chorus) Propter magnam gloriam (Chorus) / Domine Deus (Soprano) Domine, Fili unigenite (Chorus) / Domine Deus, Agnus Dei (Contralto and Chorus) / Qui tollis peccata mundi (Chorus) / Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris (Contralto) / Quoniam tu solus sanctus (Chorus) / Cum Sancto Spiritu (Chorus) One of at least three settings of the Gloria by Vivaldi, RV 589 is the better known version. It is usually just known as the Vivaldi "Gloria" due to its outstanding popularity. It was composed by Vivaldi in Venice, probably in 1715, for the choir of the Ospedale della Pietà, a convent, orphanage and music school. During his lifetime Vivaldi enjoyed considerable success, though by the time he died in Vienna he was buried in a pauper’s grave.

This version of the Gloria was undiscovered until the late 1920s, when it was found buried among a pile of forgotten Vivaldi manuscripts. However, it was not performed until September 1939 in Siena in an edition by the composer Alfredo