2 April 2022  7 pm

St Philip’s Cathedral

Birmingham Bach Choir

Conductor: Paul Spicer

Organist: Martyn Rawles

Baritone: Ed Ballard

Trumpeter: Matthew Hampton

A beautiful programme for remembering

Vaughan Williams:
Lord, thou hast been our refuge

Prayer to the Father of Heaven

Five Mystical Songs

Holst:
Turn back O Man

Spicer:
Sound the Invisible Trumps (Premiere)

Finale from Suite for Organ

Parry:
Blest Pair of Sirens

Ticket prices:

 Central Nave: £18 (concessions £16)

 Nave Aisles or Gallery £14

BUY TiCKETS HERE

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Select Seat Area/Price

Central Nave £18.00 GBP Central Nave Concession £16.00 GBP Side Nave or Gallery £14.00 GBP

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Ed Ballard

"seductive and magnetic at all times” Bachtrack.

Ed will be performing Vaughan Williams ‘Five Mystic Songs'

About this programme

In addition to the occasion of the premier ( see below), 2022 is the 150th anniversary of Vaughan Williams’ birth.

As possibly the greatest composer of his era it is entirely appropriate that we join in the national celebration of his life, work and influence.

We are performing three of his choral works which represent him at his best: the Five Mystical Songs (with soloist Ed Ballard, see above) the beautiful Prayer to the Father of Heaven, and the thrilling anthem Lord, thou hast been our refuge which ends in a blaze of sound with organ and trumpet.

RVW’s mentor and colleague Hubert Parry is represented by his equally thrilling Blest pair of Sirens, and RVW’s close friend and fellow walker, Gustav Holst, joins in marching mode with his own anthem Turn back O Man which is as exciting a journey as any of these pieces.

Together with the premier of Sound The Invisible Trumps this will be a concert to remember and for remembering

Background to Sound The Invisible Trumps:

This new work was commissioned by the choir during the pandemic having been generously funded by our past President, the late Pauline Round in her will.

It stands as a testament to this very moment in time of pandemic crisis and to Pauline’s close relationship with us.

Each movement uses a different poem for the libretto (including anonymous texts from the 12th century,  the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, Walter de la Mare, and Pauline Round).

The title, Sound the Invisible Trumps is from the poem by Walter de la Mare.

 Paul says of the work:… "it is essentially a ‘darkness to light’ theme with the pandemic as the backdrop.

     A very big and satisfying job resulting in 7 movements and 23 minutes of music.

     I am particularly happy with the final movement which really dances its way through and should be quite exciting.

     These quick, upbeat movements are always the hardest to do and it was very important that this one should be a complete release from all that has gone before.

     Pauline is the overall dedicatee of course, and I am very pleased to have been able to use two of her poems.

     These are what I call the ‘sorbet’ courses between bigger, fully-fledged pieces. They are both unaccompanied."

Mike Lloyd is the sub-dedicatee of the second movement, husband to Merryn, soprano, and close friend of the Choir, who tragically did not survive the covid virus.

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Visiting St Philip’s Cathedral,

Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2QB

St Philip's was originally built as a parish church (by Thomas Archer, 1709-25), exceptional in what was then a modest C18 town.

It was redesignated as Birmingham Cathedral in 1905.

Small for a cathedral, only 150 ft. long, it has been described as "a most subtle example of the elusive English Baroque” (Alexander Wedgewood).

It’s a most elegant building with it’s Corinthian columns & fine galleries, exceptional collection of Burne-Jones glass windows ( added in the 1880s/90s & removed to protect them during WW2 ) and a fine acoustic, ideal for choral music.

Within easy walking distance of cafes/bars, all Birmingham train stations, and many bus stops, there is also public parking nearby (Town hall car park or on street).

For more info about the cathedral visit: http://www.birminghamcathedral.com

Lux Aeterna - A Summer Concert

Saturday 25 June St Paul’s Birmingham (Jewellery Quarter) 7pm

&

Saturday 2 July Malvern Priory, Malvern,  Worcs. 7pm

Tickets available here from late March

Birmingham Bach Choir

Conductor: Paul Spicer

Organist: Martyn Rawles

Programme of British music, and Bach!

Bach:

Lobet den Herrn

O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens licht

Komm, Jesu, komm

Britten:

Te Deum in C

 Finzi:

Lo, the full final sacrifice

 Gibbons:

O clap your hands

Joubert:

O Lord, the maker of al thing

This is the Gate of the Lord

MacMillan:

Lux aeterna

Benedicimus Deum Caeli