Viva Lewes April 2015 Issue #103

on this month: music
Classical round-up
From Paul Austin Kelly
The Brighton Festival Chorus offers us St
John’s Passion on Good Friday. This semi-staged
version of JS Bach’s Easter masterwork was last
performed by BFC in 2009 to high acclaim.
Presenting it at Brighton Dome, with the characters
moving in and out of the audience, should
provide an intimate experience. James Morgan
will conduct the Chamber Domaine, and the
Evangelist will be sung by Robert Murray.
Fri 3, 3pm, tickets from £15 (£5 proms area) at
Dome Box Office or on 01273 709709.
Local soprano Sue Mileham-Paine will give a
song recital as part of St Michael’s First Sunday
recitals on the second Sunday this month. With
pianist Nicola Grunberg she will perform Richard
Strauss’s Morgen, Elgar’s The Shepherd Song, a
set by Henri Duparc, an Italian set with songs by
Bellini and Donizetti, and several other songs.
Sun 12, 3pm, St Michael’s Church. Admission free
with a retiring collection in aid of church repairs.
St Laurence Church in Falmer is hosting an all-
English recital by baritone Stefan Holmstrom,
cellist Angie Wilson and pianist/composer Basil
Richmond. Mr Holmstrom will sing three of the
Songs of Travel by Vaughan Williams and Three
Songs of Shakespeare by Brighton’s own Roger
Quilter. Also on the menu is piano music by
Delius and two compositions by Basil Richmond:
Three English Songs and the first performance of
his Cello Sonata.
Sat 18, 5.30pm, Admission free with a retiring collection
in aid of church repairs.
East Sussex Bach Choir and The Baroque Collective
are bringing us Samson, Handel’s powerful
oratorio, at Lewes Town Hall. Sometimes
performed as an opera, this three-act work
features at least two oft-excerpted arias: Total
Eclipse for the tenor and Let the Bright Seraphim
for the soprano. It was given its premiere in 1743
at London’s Covent Garden. Here conducted by
John Hancorn with Baroque Collective leader
Alison Bury and a fine quintet of singers, this
promises to be a memorable evening. A ‘don’t
miss’, in my opinion.
Sat 25, 7.30pm, tickets from £12, under 16s free.
Finally, at St Pancras Church in Lewes, the
Corelli Ensemble present an all-French
programme featuring dramatic tenor Marcel
Xerri (pictured). Also on the bill are Bizet’s
L’Arlesienne Suite No. 1, Debussy’s Clair de
Lune, Meditation from Massenet’s opera Thaïs,
Faure’s Pavane Op. 5, and two pieces by Rameau.
Sun 26, 4pm, tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the
door, children free
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