Music – Coming Up! 3rd January 2012

This term’s programme of musical services and events has just been published here. The Director of Music’s Around the World recitals continue on the first Thursday of each month at 1:10pm; admission is free with a retiring collection supporting our programme of building maintenance, focusing especially on our windows. Over the next five months he will explore repertoire from The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Russia and Finland; recitals then continue on Thursday 7 June with visiting recitalists each week for eight weeks. The Boys’ Choir tours through Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and The Netherlands during the February half-term break, and the choirs make two Cathedral visits (St Edmundsbury Cathedral on 14 January and St Alban’s Abbey on 19 February).     At St Edmundsbury the Boys’ Choir will sing works by Judith Bingham and Adrian Self alongside giving the first performance of our 2012 commission, the Third Service by Michael Finnissy. Our Director of Music recently visited Brighton to work on the score with Professor Finnissy, and the choristers and organist are enjoying the challenges of this setting. On Friday 20 January at 7:00pm the termly choral concert is given this time, for the first time, by the Girls’ Choir, who perform Britten’s A Ceremony  of Carols, accompanied by harpist Rowena Bass. They are joined by the Choral Scholars and Lay Clerks to perform the remainder of the programme which includes works by Britten, Charpentier and Howells. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please click here.     Over the term the Girls’ Choir bring into repertoire a number of works by Herbert Howells scored for upper voices and piano accompaniment (January 9/16/20/23, February 27 and March 12), in advance of their next recording. The Girls & Men and Boys & Men respectivey explore the music of James MacMillan (March 18 and April 7) and Henry Purcell (March 9/11/30), in advance of a joint concert scheduled for later in 2012. Other highlights include performances of Allegri’s Miserere mei, Deus (February 22 and April 4), Mendelssohn’s Hear my prayer (February 26), Schubert’s Mass in G and Stabat Mater (March 18), and double organ Masses by Malcolm Archer, David Briggs, Langlais and Vierne (February 5 and April 1/7/8).