Leofric
From a series of 'Classical Journey' articles published Saturday 7 July 2012 . . .
Since the success of the Mozart Requiem, four familiar soloists from Counterpoint Choir have been working together to develop a concert programme for their new ensemble 'Leofric' (named after Exeter's founding Bishop). They delighted a Saturday lunchtime audience at the Chapter House with their wonderful a capela quartet singing and solo songs (with piano accompaniment by another Counterpoint singer - tenor Frazier MacDiarmid).
 |
| Soprano: Daisy Walford |
 |
| Tenor: Edward Woodhouse |
 |
| Alto: Harry Castle |
 |
| Baritone: Andrew Henley |
 |
| The 'Leofric' Quartet |
 |
| With Pianist Frazier MacDiarmid |
THE JOURNEY FROM MEDIAEVAL TO RENAISSANCE
- Part III
Buckfast Abbey Saturday 7 July 7.30pm
The third and final exposition of this 500 year period
Buckfast Abbey Saturday 7 July 7.30pm
The third and final exposition of this 500 year period
 |
| Soprano: Denise Kehoe |
 |
| Alto: Juliet Curnow |
The Programme:
1. St Anselm, Lucca c.1020 - Plainsong: 'Salve Regina' ('Hail, holy Queen')
2. Magister Petronius, Notre Dame c.1190 - 'Beata viscera Marie Virginis' ('Mary's blessed flesh')
3. Alfonso X ("El Sabio" - The Wise) Castille c.1260 - 'Virgen Santa Maria' ('Holy Virgin Mary')
4. York Mystery Plays c.1350 - 2 excerpts
5. John Dunstaple, Bedford c.1425 - 'Quam pulcra es' ('How beautiful you are')
6. Guillaume Dufay, Cambrai c.1460 - 'Alma redemptoris mater' ('Saviour's loving mother')
7. Josquin des Prez, Rome c.1490 - 'Ave Maria' ('Hail Mary')
8. John Taverner, Lincolnshire c.1520 - 'O Christe Jesu, pastor bone' ('Good shepherd, Jesus')
- INTERVAL -
9. Jacob Clemens non Papa, Belgium c.1530 - 'Ego Flos Campi' ('I am the flower of the field')
10. Thomas Tallis, London/Canterbury c.1540 - 'O sacrum convivium' ('O sacred banquet')
11. John Sheppard, London c.1550 - 'Media Vita' ('In the midst of life') - a 20 minute epic!
12. William Byrd, London c.1575 - 'Ave verum corpus' ('Hail true body')
13. Orlando Gibbons, London c.1610 - 'O clap your hands' (Psalm 47)
And, to return the Abbey to its proper purpose, the concert will be followed by:
Orlando Gibbons: 'Drop, drop, slow tears'
(Song 46 in Hymns and Songs of the Church, words by Phineas Fletcher, 1623)
Journey from the
Mediaeval to the Renaissance
- Part III
(Counterpoint Choir)
From a series of reveiws on 'Classical Journey', Tuesday 10th July 2012 . . .
This concert really was the highlight of the week! A concert in the true 'Classical Journey' tradition.
Each piece of glorious choral music succeeded the last by a few decades as we progressed from the eleventh to the sixteenth centuries.
With the side aisles closed off for some kind of repair work, the audience were restricted to the central nave, while the choir could range freely in the transepts and the quire.
The opening 'Salve Regina' from c.1020 was delivered with captivating clarity by a very special alto singer - Juliet Curnow. Juliet is a very special member of Counterpoint Choir, well known throughout the South West for her solo singing.
Next another alto, Harry Castle, sang the 'Beata Viscera Marie Virginis'. (Imagine for yourself.) Harry has recently risen to prominence - a founder member of our new Exeter choir 'Leofric'.
Another alto, Colin Avery, beat a tambourine to accompany the beautiful 'Virgen santa Maria' by the great Castillian King 'El Sabio'. (It's now the thirteenth century.)
Then came three 'York Mystery Plays' from the fourteenth century. Josie Walledge's voice - familiar from her many concerts with Laurence Blyth - was joined by another soprano. Mary O'Shea? - Not this time. The second voice was established 'Counterpoint' favourite, Daisy Walford (now an established 'Leofric' favourite!)
Fifteenth century and another alto performance - by Leofric pianist Frazier MacDiarmid. 'Quam Pulchra Est'. (Did I mention that there was a 'Virgin Mary' theme?)
Then came three 'York Mystery Plays' from the fourteenth century. Josie Walledge's voice - familiar from her many concerts with Laurence Blyth - was joined by another soprano. Mary O'Shea? - Not this time. The second voice was established 'Counterpoint' favourite, Daisy Walford (now an established 'Leofric' favourite!)
Fifteenth century and another alto performance - by Leofric pianist Frazier MacDiarmid. 'Quam Pulchra Est'. (Did I mention that there was a 'Virgin Mary' theme?)
Almost the whole Leofric ensemble - alto Harry Castle, tenor Edward Woodhouse and baritone Andrew Henley, joined forces for Gillaume Dufay's great 'Alma Redemptoris Mater'.
Finally the choir polished off the fiftteenth and edged into the sixteenth century with Josquin des Prez' 'Ave
Fifteenth century and another alto performance - by Leofric pianist Frazier MacDiarmid. 'Quam Pulchra Est'. (Did I mention that there was a 'Virgin Mary' theme?)
Then came three 'York Mystery Plays' from the fourteenth century. Josie Walledge's voice - familiar from her many concerts with Laurence Blyth - was joined by another soprano. Mary O'Shea? - Not this time. The second voice was established 'Counterpoint' favourite, Daisy Walford (now an established 'Leofric' favourite!)
Fifteenth century and another alto performance - by Leofric pianist Frazier MacDiarmid. 'Quam Pulchra Est'. (Did I mention that there was a 'Virgin Mary' theme?)
Almost the whole Leofric ensemble - alto Harry Castle, tenor Edward Woodhouse and baritone Andrew Henley, joined forces for Gillaume Dufay's great 'Alma Redemptoris Mater'.
Finally the choir polished off the fiftteenth and edged into the sixteenth century with Josquin des Prez' 'Ave
Maria' and Taverner's 'O Christe Jesu, Pastor Bone'
No great interval entertainments take place at the Abbey. The audience are more than happy to chat amongst themselves while the choir take a short break . . .
Then . . . the great 'Ego Flos Campi' (I am the Flower of the Field) by Jacob Clemens ('non Papa') for SIX voices - sopranos Josie Walledge and Mary O'Shea (it was definitely Mary this time!), alto Juliet Curnow, tenors Jason Bomford and Edward Woodhouse, and basses Matt Cann and Michael Vian Clarke. What a combination!
Almost the whole Leofric ensemble - alto Harry Castle, tenor Edward Woodhouse and baritone Andrew Henley, joined forces for Gillaume Dufay's great 'Alma Redemptoris Mater'.
Finally the choir polished off the fiftteenth and edged into the sixteenth century with Josquin des Prez' 'Ave Maria' and Taverner's 'O Christe Jesu, Pastor Bone'
No great interval entertainments take place at the Abbey. The audience are more than happy to chat
No great interval entertainments take place at the Abbey. The audience are more than happy to chat amongst themselves while the choir take a short break . . .
Then . . . the great 'Ego Flos Campi' (I am the Flower of the Field) by Jacob Clemens ('non Papa') for SIX voices - sopranos Josie Walledge and Mary O'Shea (it was definitely Mary this time!), alto Juliet Curnow, tenors Jason Bomford and Edward Woodhouse, and basses Matt Cann and Michael Vian Clarke. What a combination!
Almost the whole Leofric ensemble - alto Harry Castle, tenor Edward Woodhouse and baritone Andrew Henley, joined forces for Gillaume Dufay's great 'Alma Redemptoris Mater'.
Finally the choir polished off the fiftteenth and edged into the sixteenth century with Josquin des Prez' 'Ave Maria' and Taverner's 'O Christe Jesu, Pastor Bone'
No great interval entertainments take place at the Abbey. The audience are more than happy to chat
amongst themselves while the choir take a short break . . .
Then . . . the great 'Ego Flos Campi' (I am the Flower of the Field) by Jacob Clemens ('non Papa') for SIX voices - sopranos Josie Walledge and Mary O'Shea (it was definitely Mary this time!), alto Juliet Curnow, tenors Jason Bomford and Edward Woodhouse, and basses Matt Cann and Michael Vian Clarke. What a combination!
Having fully justified the price of admission, David Acres and Counterpoint proceeding go give the audience more that they could possibly expect or hope for. After a gentle rendition of Thomas Tallis's 'O Sacrum Convivium', the choir launched into a twenty minute expedition into John Sheppard's 'Media Vita' (In the Midst of Life).
So many positive comments from audience members:
'We were sent to another (and better) place'.
'It was beautiful'.
'It flowed in waves that flowed and came back'.'The waves flowed up and over and back'.
'The music rose and sank like a ship'.
'It was mesmeric'.
'It was all-absorbing and all-encompassing'
'It was so much more than we expected - more and more!'
What made it so special was the combination of not four or six, but EIGHT different voices. The altos were constrained to sing abnormally low at times - while the tenors reached to their highest notes. This piece is rarely attempted (because of its complexity), but David Acres and the Counterpoint Choir were the ones to attempt it - a soaring success!
Almost as a footnote - but quite up to the superlative standard we expect from Counterpoint - the last two pieces brought the audience gently back down to earth. Byrd's 'Ave Verum Corpus' and Gibbons' 'O Clap Your Hands'. After that gentle wind-down, David Acres closed the concert in his traditional way - bringing the Abbey back to its proper purspose. Jason Bomford's beautiful tenor voice rang out from the second row of the choir with another even more familiar song by Orlando Gibbons - 'Drop, Drop, Slow Tears'.
Then . . . the great 'Ego Flos Campi' (I am the Flower of the Field) by Jacob Clemens ('non Papa') for SIX voices - sopranos Josie Walledge and Mary O'Shea (it was definitely Mary this time!), alto Juliet Curnow, tenors Jason Bomford and Edward Woodhouse, and basses Matt Cann and Michael Vian Clarke. What a combination!
Having fully justified the price of admission, David Acres and Counterpoint proceeding go give the audience more that they could possibly expect or hope for. After a gentle rendition of Thomas Tallis's 'O Sacrum Convivium', the choir launched into a twenty minute expedition into John Sheppard's 'Media Vita' (In the Midst of Life).
So many positive comments from audience members:
'We were sent to another (and better) place'.
'It was beautiful'.
'It flowed in waves that flowed and came back'.'The waves flowed up and over and back'.
'The music rose and sank like a ship'.
'It was mesmeric'.
'It was all-absorbing and all-encompassing'
'It was so much more than we expected - more and more!'
What made it so special was the combination of not four or six, but EIGHT different voices. The altos were constrained to sing abnormally low at times - while the tenors reached to their highest notes. This piece is rarely attempted (because of its complexity), but David Acres and the Counterpoint Choir were the ones to attempt it - a soaring success!
Almost as a footnote - but quite up to the superlative standard we expect from Counterpoint - the last two pieces brought the audience gently back down to earth. Byrd's 'Ave Verum Corpus' and Gibbons' 'O Clap Your Hands'. After that gentle wind-down, David Acres closed the concert in his traditional way - bringing the Abbey back to its proper purspose. Jason Bomford's beautiful tenor voice rang out from the second row of the choir with another even more familiar song by Orlando Gibbons - 'Drop, Drop, Slow Tears'.
What a beautiful end to a very special concert.
What made it so special was the combination of not four or six, but EIGHT different voices. The altos were
What made it so special was the combination of not four or six, but EIGHT different voices. The altos were
constrained to sing abnormally low at times - while the tenors reached to their highest notes. This piece is rarely attempted (because of its complexity), but David Acres and the Counterpoint Choir were the ones to attempt it - a soaring success!
Almost as a footnote - but quite up to the superlative standard we expect from Counterpoint - the last two pieces brought the audience gently back down to earth. Byrd's 'Ave Verum Corpus' and Gibbons' 'O Clap Your Hands'. After that gentle wind-down, David Acres closed the concert in his traditional way - bringing the Abbey back to its proper purspose. Jason Bomford's beautiful tenor voice rang out from the second row of the choir with another even more familiar song by Orlando Gibbons - 'Drop, Drop, Slow Tears'. What a beautiful end to a very special concert.
More wonderful choral music at the Abbey? - Not long to wait! Matthew Cann has been preparing another glorious celebration of the Virgin Mary, to be performed by sixteen superlative vocalists, including Lay Vicars from around the country, in four voices - with the addition of one new soprano voice - Mary O'Shea! What could be better? The music will include the renaissance music of Domenico Gabrielli, and also the contemporary compositions of John Tavener, Arvo Part - and Matthew Cann himself. Include Daisy Walford, David Acres, Rachel Mitchell, Michael Vian Clarke - it will be fabulous! 'Antiphon' Choir, Saturday 4th August 7.15pm at Buckfast Abbey. Not to be missed! See the Antiphon facebook page or 'Classical Journey Concerts' for details.
Counterpoint will be at the Abbey again on Saturday 13th October with the the Divertimento String Ensemble for a celebration of the music of George Frederick Handel - with the priceless counter-tenor singing of 72 year old solo counter-tenor James Bowman. It gets better and better!
Counterpoint will also be getting together in August to record a CD of carols for sale in the Christmas season - and for a live carol service at the Abbey on Saturday 15th December. Several more concerts are already planned for 2013 - all in the wonderfully aesthetic and acoustic Abbey at Buckfast. Full details on theCounterpoint website.
Almost as a footnote - but quite up to the superlative standard we expect from Counterpoint - the last two pieces brought the audience gently back down to earth. Byrd's 'Ave Verum Corpus' and Gibbons' 'O Clap Your Hands'. After that gentle wind-down, David Acres closed the concert in his traditional way - bringing the Abbey back to its proper purspose. Jason Bomford's beautiful tenor voice rang out from the second row of the choir with another even more familiar song by Orlando Gibbons - 'Drop, Drop, Slow Tears'. What a beautiful end to a very special concert.
 |
| Matthew Cannconducts Antiphon |
 |
| Soprano: Mary O'Shea |
 |
| Counterternor: James Bowman |
Counterpoint will also be getting together in August to record a CD of carols for sale in the Christmas season - and for a live carol service at the Abbey on Saturday 15th December. Several more concerts are already planned for 2013 - all in the wonderfully aesthetic and acoustic Abbey at Buckfast. Full details on theCounterpoint website.
No comments:
Post a Comment