Spiritual Sounds
Saturday 18 May 2013 at 7.30pm
Clifton Cathedral, Bristol
with Alexei Winter tenor, Jeremy Little percussion
and Richard Johnson organ
In the vibrant acoustic of Clifton Cathedral, City of Bristol Choir presents a concert that explores a mystical and ethereal sound world. The choir is joined by professional percussionist Jeremy Little for this concert of music for choir, organ and percussion in works by Morten Lauridsen, James Whitbourn, Edward Bairstow, Anton Bruckner and John Rutter.
The choir performs Agnus Dei, Samuel Barber's own arrangement for choir of his Adagio for Strings, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. In the resonant acoustic of Clifton Cathedral this promises to be a memorable performance.
The choral music of James Whitbourn has explored the wonderful effects of adding solo instruments to the traditional choir and organ sound. His powerful setting of the Evening Canticles Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, written for King's College Cambridge, is for choir and solo tenor but adds a resounding tam-tam that is struck at various times during the piece to highlight important parts of the text. Another of his works, Luminosity is an exotic and mystical sequence of pieces on the theme of light for choir, organ, viola, and percussion and, tanpura, an Indian violin.
John Rutter's Psalmfest contains some of his most beautiful and personal music including the lyrical powerful setting of Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd with its haunting oboe solo and The Lord is my Light and Salvation for choir, organ, harp and clarinet.
Completing the programme are several unaccompanied motets by Anton Bruckner and Colin Mawby and Evelyn Glennie's Prayer - a beautiful piece for solo Marimba.
Programme
Barber Agnus Dei
Motets by Anton Bruckner:
Locus iste
Christus factus est
Ave Maria
Bairstow Let all mortal flesh keep silence
James Whitbourn Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, Collegium Regale for choir, organ and tam-tam
James Whitbourn Luminosity for choir, viola, tanpura and percussion
Colin Mawby Ave verum
Morten Lauridsen O nata lux
John Rutter Excerpts from Psalmfest for choir, organ, flute, oboe, clarinet, harp, percussion and organ
A Prayer - Evelyn Glennie
Tickets
£15 for adults, £5 for under 18s
• Tickets are available on the door from 7pm (cash and cheque)
• or telephone 01454 778477 to reserve your tickets
• or buy tickets from Providence Music shop on 0117 927 6536 or at 1 St George's Road, College Green, Bristol (card payments accepted)
Directions
From the M4
Exit at J19, taking the M32 into Bristol. Stay on the M32 until the end (Newfoundland Street), keeping in the 2nd lane from the right.
At the traffic lights follow the road right into Bond Street and move into the middle lane (next to the bus lane).
Take 1st exit from roundabout (Debenhams and House of Fraser will be on your left) and follow the main road until you get to Colston Avenue/City Centre. Once on the centre, get into the right lane, following signs to Park Street. You will pass the Hippodrome on your right.
Go up the short hill (the Marriott Royal Hotel, College Green and Bristol Cathedral will be on your left), and up Park Street (steep hill, with shops either side). At the top, go straight on and get into the right hand lane. Go straight on through one set of traffic lights then follow the road round to the right, getting into the left hand lane as you do so. Follow the road, bearing left through another set of traffic lights. Stay in the left hand lane and bear left in front of the large building with fountains in front of it (Victoria Rooms). At the double mini-roundabouts, go straight over the first and turn right at the second into Pembroke Road. The Cathedral is on the left hand side just after a zebra crossing. Turn left for the car park.
From the M5
If travelling from the North, take the M4 from the interchange, and come into Bristol on the M32 as above.
If travelling from the South, come off at Gordano Services, following signs to Clifton/Bristol.
As you near the city, take the left turning via the Clifton Suspension Bridge (You will need 50p in silver coins). Once over the bridge, turn right at the first mini-roundabout, and take the left turning after Tesco Express (Merchant Road). Follow the road to another mini roundabout and turn left into Pembroke Road. The Cathedral is on the left hand side just after a zebra crossing. Turn left for the car park.