Upcoming Performances
Saturday 9 November
7.30pm
St Martin’s Church, Church Street, Epsom KT17 4PX
Fauré’s Requiem & Haydn’s Nelson Mass & Little Organ Mass
This concert is offered in support of the Royal British Legion 2024 Poppy Appeal. After the interval the Last Post and Reveille will be performed and the Kohima Epitaph will be read by the Chair of Epsom & Ewell Royal British Legion. A retiring collection will be made for the Poppy Appeal.
Perhaps the most gentle and consoling of all Requiems, Gabriel Fauré achieved some of his most beautiful melodies in this popular choral work. Fauré himself described his Requiem as “a lullaby of death,” and it was almost certainly inspired by the death of his parents in the 1880s. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Fauré had no clear religious beliefs and thus, in place of the sombre nature of many requiems that had gone before, Fauré’s is noted for its calm, serenity and peace. Here we find musical solace in a work that focuses not on the morbid, but on the supposedly restful and fear-free nature of death, brought to us with the most glorious, rich and soulful melodies.
Haydn’s Nelson Mass is one of the six masses written near the end of his life and it has been suggested to be his greatest single composition. Originally entitled ‘Mass for Troubled Times’, Haydn’s mighty choral work is now forever associated with Admiral Horatio Nelson’s victory over Napoleon. So, despite the menacing opening which leads into the dramatic depiction of danger and agitation, the prevailing mood of the Nelson Mass is one of triumphant victory and jubilation. Unlike Fauré, Haydn was a deeply religious man who once observed, ‘At the thought of God my heart leaps for joy, and I cannot help my music doing the same.’ One can’t help considering that the sparkling vitality of the Nelson Mass is the very epitome of that statement.
Saturday 8 March
7.30pm
St Martin’s Church, Church Street, Epsom KT17 4PX
African Sanctus
by David Fanshawe
African Sanctus is an unorthodox setting of the Latin Mass, blending beautiful choral writing with unique and rare recordings of traditional African music, collected by the composer himself on journeys taken on the River Nile between 1969 and 1973. This recorded music is woven into the live performance, which also includes the choir, soprano soloist, percussion ensemble and instrumentalists. David Fanshawe described his African Sanctus as a celebratory work expressing unity between peoples, their faiths and, above all, their music. Its message is ‘One Music – One God.’
You can read more about African Sanctus on its dedicated website: African Sanctus, composed by Dr David Fanshawe | Fanshawe One World Music (fanshawemusic.com).
Tickets & Practicalities
- Full ticket price £18 , under 18s free entry. (Adult tickets on door £20). No booking Fee.
- Price includes a Programme and an interval glass of wine.
- Wheelchair users please call 07835 115716 to arrange available space.
- Seating is in the pews, please bring a cushion if you wish.
We are grateful for the financial support of The Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust for their support again this season.
Saturday 24 May
7.30pm
St Martin’s Church, Church Street, Epsom KT17 4PX
Dvořák
Stabat Mater
& Romance for Violin and Orchestra
with Kent Sinfonia
Among all Stabat Maters set to music over the centuries, this one by Dvořák holds a special place as the most symphonic. Based on a Latin poem that meditates on the Virgin Mary’s grief at the death of her son, Jesus, Dvorák wrote the piece six months after losing his own son.
Dvořák had a close and productive relationship both with God and England. His Stabat Mater premiered in Prague on December 23rd, 1880 and soon after in England. He went on to compose several significant works for English ensembles, such as the 7th Symphony for the Philharmonic Society (1885), St Ludmilla for Leeds (1886), Requiem Mass for Birmingham (1890). Faith in God was for Dvorák the cornerstone on which he built his own life and work. His son, Otakar noted that this father’s “God was not the God of Vengeance but the Creator, who sanctifies the journey through the ‘valley of death’ through his infinite love.” And this is fully reflected in this heart-tuggingly powerful music.
Dvořák‘s Romance for Violin and Orchestra is a rich and rewarding single-movement work, which was premiered in 1877, three years before his Stabat Mater. It will be performed in this concert by the violinist, Chrisian Halstead.
Tickets & Practicalities
- Full ticket price £18 , under 18s free entry. (Adult tickets on door £20). No booking Fee.
- Price includes a Programme and an interval glass of wine.
- Wheelchair users please call 07835 115716 to arrange available space.
- Seating is in the pews, please bring a cushion if you wish.
We are grateful for the financial support of The Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust for their support again this season.