Covent Garden Chorus – Symphony of Psalms – 7:30pm
Stravinsky, Boulanger, Ravel. Three giants of the 20th Century in our biggest orchestral concert yet, with The Academy of St Mary-le-Bow.
By
Covent Garden Chorus
About this event
Igor Stravinsky
Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Written in memory of Claude Debussy, this vibrant and energetic explosion of sound and rhythm was not directly inspired by the sounds of the famous French composer’s music, but was rather a homage to the composer, written in Stravinsky’s own unique language.
Maurice Ravel
Trois Chansons
One of the only works written by Ravel for unaccompanied choir, the Trois Chansons are simultaneously satirical, gymnastic, and profoundly beautiful.
Lili Boulanger
Vieille Prière Bouddhique
The ‘Old Buddhist Prayer’ is a daily prayer for the whole universe. Scored here for tenor, mixed choir and large orchestra, it took composer Lili Boulanger four years to finish, over the course of the Great War.
Igor Stravinsky
Symphony of Psalms
Symphony of Psalms is an extraordinary work, which continues to fascinate because it so thoroughly plays against expectations. The Symphony of Psalms was a commission to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1930. The orchestra wanted something symphonic, and Stravinsky’s publisher wanted something popular. Stravinsky gave them both – but not in the way either party could possibly have envisaged! The work is scored for very unusual orchestral forces, with a heady concentration of certain sounds (flutes, trumpets, and pianos) and complete omission of others (clarinets and high strings). Hearing it should be on every music-lover’s bucket list!
with
Conductor: Tori Longdon
Assistant Conductor: Robert Brooks
and
The orchestra of the Academy of St Mary-le-Bow
Upcoming Events
Canticum – Gloria in Excelsis – 7.30pm
Canticum’s joyful summer concert focuses on Austrian sacred music of the 18th and 19th centuries, accompanied by two violins, cello, bass and chamber organ.
A work of the composer’s maturity, Haydn’s Little Organ Mass is remarkably succinct, while Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F is more festive and an astonishing achievement for an 18 year-old in its handling of motifs and counterpoint.
Canticum will also perform Mozart’s deeply moving Ave verum corpus, composed less than six monthsbefore his death.
Interspersed with these Classical masterpieces are five of Bruckner’s Motets. These beautiful a cappella choruses, composed over nearly a quarter of a century, hark back to Gregorian chant and Palestrina, the liturgical prince of the Counter-Reformation.
Crouch End Festival Chorus – Reimagined: Monteverdi to MacMillan – 7.30pm
Reimagined: Monteverdi to MacMillan
A captivating evening of sacred and reimagined choral works, blending Renaissance masters with modern voices. Featuring Crouch End Festival Chorus and the Ferio Saxophone Quartet.
David Temple MBE, Music Director of Crouch End Festival Chorus says
When I first heard the Ferio Saxophone Quartet perform last summer, I immediately got in touch and asked if they would like to work with CEFC and me. What is extraordinary is the amazing variety of musical colours produced by this excellent quartet.
This palette of colours works brilliantly for early music, as they could easily pass for cornetts and sackbuts - hence our collaboration performing works by Monteverdi and Schütz.
They are equally at home with contemporary works by James MacMillan, Roderick Williams and Sarah Rimkus. Our concert will be a delicious mixture of ‘reimagined’ works from Monteverdi to MacMillan.
London City Philharmonic Emerging Soloists Gala Concert – 7:30pm
Join the London City Philharmonic for a spectacular evening celebrating the brilliance of our featured soloists. Set in the stunning acoustics of Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Square, this programme showcases a thrilling variety of instrumental concertos, ranging from Vivaldi's fiery Summer (uniquely arranged for saxophone) to the sweeping romanticism of Rachmaninoff and Saint-Saëns.
Read More