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14
PASSIONTIDE CONCERT BY
THE WHITEHALL CHOIR
The Whitehall Choir are to present a
very special Passiontide concert in the
great church of St. Margaret,
Westminster, in the shadow of the Abbey
on Thursday 6 April at 19.30.
The first half of the concert presents
smaller-scale works by a variety of
composers beginning with plainchant,
moving through beautiful polyphony by
the Spanish composer, Victoria, the
Italian, Antonio Lotti, the English Tudor
composer, Richard Farrant, the 19th
century Austrian, Anton Bruckner, and
the 20th century organist of Gloucester
Cathedral, John Sanders. Of these,
Lotti’s deservedly famous 8 part
Crucifixus piles up agonising
suspensions one after another until one
is emotionally wrung-out by the end of
the second page! But it is hugely
effective and he knew exactly how to
extract maximum tension from the music
mirroring Christ’s agony on the cross.
Bruckner’s large-scale motet Christus
factus est takes this art to an altogether
higher plane with the benefit of two
further centuries of musical exploration.
He was used to working in a cathedral
with a very reverberant acoustic and the
spaces he leaves in the music for his
echoes to die away cause breathtaking
effects, especially at the great climax of
the motet. An unforgettable experience.
The main work in the programme,
after the interval, is Maurice Duruflé’s
remarkable and beautiful Requiem. It
was commissioned in 1941 by the
collaborationist Vichy Regime but
Duruflé didn’t complete it before its
collapse in 1944. He went on to finish it
in 1947 and dedicated it to the memory
of his father.
When it was commissioned Duruflé
was working on an organ suite based on
Gregorian chant themes and he
incorporated these sketches into the
Requiem which is largely based on
Gregorian themes and especially those
from the Missa Pro Defunctis or Mass
for the Dead.
There are nine movements and Duruflé
uses both mezzo-soprano and baritone
soloists. The mezzo has the Pie Jesu to
herself whilst the baritone punctuates the
3rd and 8th movements. Duruflé was truly
inspired in this work. Who can fail to be
deeply moved by the power of his writing
in the Kyrie second movement?
Duruflé was incredibly self-critical,
like his master, Paul Dukas. He only
allowed 12 opus numbers to be
published of which the Requiem is no.9.
This concentration of excellence is a rare
and wonderful thing where so many
composers, even the greats, often write
far too much which is almost inevitably
of variable quality.
So do join The Whitehall Choir for
their Passiontide concert at St Margaret’s
Church, Westminster. It is sure to be a
memorable evening. Tickets at
www.whitehallchoir.org.uk or at the door.
SADLER’S WELLS FAMILY WEEKEND
Family Weekend, Sadler’s Wells’
annual two-day festival of family-friendly
events, returns on 14 and 15 April. It
takes over the building, offering
something for all ages with fun
activities, arts and crafts and workshops
complementing the show on the Sadler’s
Wells stage – Aracaladanza’s Vuelos.
Multi award-winning company
Aracaladanza returns to the UK with
Vuelos, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s
quest to make man fly. Choreographer
Enrique Cabrera uses Aracaladanza’s
trademark style to make dancers canter
like horses, make a mess at the dinner
table, play with fluttering birds and grow
wings of their own.
In the Lilian Baylis Studio, the stage
will be transformed into a mystical world
by Vanessa Woolf, a professional
storyteller. Woolf takes listeners on an
adventure with a story inspired by da
Vinci’s wish to make man fly. This
interactive and engaging story will
demonstrate the value of hard work,
supported by the loving family bond.
In the foyers, there will be lots of
activities to entertain before and after the
show. Arts and crafts activities include hat
making, origami birds, decorating wooden
spoons, stained glass and screen printing
sessions. The Fox Garden Court café at
Stage Door will be open all day serving
family-friendly food.
For tickets, telephone 020 7863 8000.
Photo: Pedro Arnay.
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