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2008
Haydn's Große Orgelmesse in E flat major - Hob, XXXII:4
Featuring Brio Vocal Quartet, Organ & Orchestra
2pm Sunday 7 September 2008
Old St Paul's Mulgrave Street,Wellington
This concert was supported by funding from:
Surely He was the Son of God - Matthew Raymond
8pm Sunday evening 16 March 2008- Concert
at Wesley Church, Taranaki Street.8pm Wednesday evening 19 March 2008 - Concert
at Johnsonville Salvation Army, Johnsonville RdMusical Director’s Notes from the Programme
"I came across Matthew Raymond’s Cantata at a conference exploring current understandings and practices of worship last year. Listening to his demo CD, I was again moved by dramatic emotional highs and lows of the Easter story and could visualise us presenting this with projected artworks. I have enjoyed sourcing these and I hope these add to your reflection as you listen to the performance tonight.
The text is taken directly from Scripture and I felt that the melodies were immediately accessible and memorable.
Festival Singers has really enjoyed singing with the added energy of the band. Thank you for choosing to listen with us! We wish you a blessed and holy Easter."
Rosemary Russell
A lively, lyrical, dramatic work accompanied by a rock band, piano and synthesizer. It was composed in 2002.
The music is interspersed with readings from the NIV Bible
Edmund Hintz, Tenor, sang the role of Jesus.
The reader was Rev Danny Te Hiko.
Rehearsal at Wesley Church on Thursday 13 March 2008
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2007
Wings of Song
On 1 & 2 December, Capital Choir & Festival Singers presented joint concerts at St Lukes Anglican Church in Greytown and Sacred Heart Cathedral in Wellington.
The featured soloist in Greytown was soprano Janey Mackenzie, supported by soprano Ellen Watts.
The featured soloist in Wellington was 2002 Mobil Song Contest Winner soprano Anna Leese. She was supported by sopranos Janey Mackenzie & Ellen Watts
Directors: Felicia Edgecombe & Rosemary Russell
Accompanists: Robyn Jaquiery & Jonathan Burkahn
Programme:
Hear My Prayer F. Mendelssohn
Et Misericordia J. Rutter Magnificat
Hine E Hine Te Rangi Pai arr D. Buchanan
The Heavens Are Telling J. Haydn
A La Nanita Trad Spanish carol, arr N. Luboff
What Shall I Give? Trad Spanish carol, arr D. Wagner
How Lovely Are The Messengers F. Mendelssohn
Willow Song and Ave Maria. Verdi, Otello
I Waited for The Lord F. Mendelssohn
A Star Shall Rise F. Mendelssohn
This Holy Christmas Night Jonathan Santore
Il est ne, le divin enfant Trad French carol
Je veux vivre Gounod, Romeo and Juliette-
Song to The Moon Dvorak, Rusalka
Verleih Uns Frieden F. Mendelssohn
O Holy Night A. Adam
Silent Night F. Gruber/J. Mohr, arr R. Poley
Toccata in C. Widor, arr Willcocks
2006
Mozart Missa Brevis K. 275
Festival Singers combined with Schola Sacra of Wanganui to perform the Missa Brevis in concerts in Sacred Heart Cathedral Wellington and the Central Baptist Church in Wanganui in November 2006. The choirs also performed many shorter choral works with composers ranging from baroque to contemporary New Zealanders.
To our ears the Missa Brevis is a bright, attractive work, but it was considered too frivolous to perform in church when it was written. The photo shows our conductors Roy Tankersley and Rosemary Russell looking duly shocked at the "iniquitous" score.
It was a pleasure to perform with Schola Sacra. A few years ago Festival Singers had another link with them when Mark Leicester was conductor for both choirs.
Praise Be recording
In April 2006 Festival Singers recorded 8 pieces for TVNZ's Praise Be programme broadcast on Sunday mornings.
Several of the songs were composed by current or past members of the choir:
A challenge to not only sound good but look good. The recording session went well with just two takes of each piece:
Set me as a seal. (David N Childs). Jonathan Berkahn ~ piano • Rachel Cashmore ~ oboe.
Ride the chariot. (Trad. arr. William Henry Smith).
Who can sound the depths of sorrow. (Graham Kendrick, arr. Rosemary Russell). Felicia Edgecombe ~ piano • Rob Edgecombe ~ bass • Jonathan Berkahn ~ organ.
Steadfast in faith. (Words: Albert E West. Music: Alan H Spinks). Jonathan Berkahn ~ organ • Felicia Edgecombe ~ piano.
Let all mortal flesh keep silence. (Words trans. G Moultrie, arr. Gustav Holst.) Jonathan Berkahn ~ piano.
It’s how you live. (Rosemary Russell, arr Russell/Felicia Edgecombe).. Felicia Edgecombe ~ piano • Rob Edgecombe ~ bass • Jonathan Berkahn ~ organ.
He is our peace. (Jonathan Berkahn). Jonathan Berkhan ~ piano accordion • Heather Garside ~ guitar.
Blessing. (Felicia Edgecombe). Felicia Edgecombe ~ piano • Rob Edgecombe ~ bass.
2005
Musical Delights
On Saturday 10 December 2005, Festival Singers & Brio Vocal Quartet. along with with Olivia Fraser: soprano performed a concert of Hummel ~ Mozart ~ Bach music at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hill Street.
Hummel succeeded Haydn as the Austrian Esterhazy Court composer. His seldom performed Mass in D Major is in a lively classical style, which anticipates the harmonic richness of the romantic period.
Brio: Janey MacKenzie, Jody Orgias, John Beaglehole and Justin Pearce, accompanied by Robyn Jaquiery, gave a sparkling semi-staged performance of favourite extracts from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro.
The finale was J S Bach's Magnificat. This is a rousing, cleverly written festive work for choir & soloists, supported by the orchestra in full Baroque splendour. The Brio vocalists were supported by emerging soprano Olivia Fraser.
Celebrating English Music
On Sunday 3 July 2005, Capital Choir, Festival Singers and Queens Singers performed two sell out concerts at the newly completed St Joseph's Catholic Church - a dramatic and serene church.
This three-choir festival of English music was the inspiration of friends, conductors Felicia Edgecombe, Rosemary Russell and Vicky Thorpe. Their choirs combined to perform Rutter's Magnificat, a lyrical work accompanied by orchestra with vibrant percussion. Other works which span the centuries included pieces by composers from Elgar, Harris, and Tallis to The Beatles and Lloyd Webber.
We featured soprano Jaimee Marshall in the Magnificat. She left soon after the concert to study at the prestigious Guildhall in London.
New Zealand Composers Hymn Service
On Sunday 29 May 2005 Festival Singers led a special morning service at Khandallah Presbyterian Church featuring the music of New Zealand composers.
The service was the inspiration of Festival Singers member Nancy Jones who is also director of music at the church.
We performed these pieces.
Sing no sad songs today. Words by Shirley Murray to the tune Nun Danket
Nothing now can separate us. Words and music Felicia Edgecombe
In You, we rest Lord. Words and music Rosemary Russell
Gentle is the way of Jesus. Words by Shirley Murray, Music by Jillian Bray
Psalm 63 Words and music Philip and Heather Garside, adapted and arranged by Rosemary Russell
Lord’s Prayer. Arranged by Guy E Jansen
Great Ring of Light Words and music by Colin Gibson
Te Deum. Words and music by Jonathan Berkahn. Performed with his folk band.
Leading the music for services at local churches is an important and enjoyable part of our work. We aim to attend 3 or 4 services per year.
Witnessing Messiah:
Selections from G F Handel’s Messiah with dramatic poems from The Witnesses series by Clive SansomWe presented this Easter Meditation in March 2005 at Wesley Methodist Church, Taranaki Street and St Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Lower Hutt.
Members of Festival Singers took on the roles of people who had met Jesus by reading and acting the poems.
Here is an extract from the programme notes:
If you were to identify with one of Jesus’ contemporaries… who would it be?
Tonight Festival Singers offers you an opportunity to meditate on the Easter events through poetry and the marvellous choruses from Messiah.
We combine favourite selections from Handel’s Messiah with dramatic poems from The Witnesses series by Clive Sansom.
These skilfully crafted, evocative poems, published in the 1950s, tell of the personal impressions of the Bible characters involved in Jesus’ life. They are full of descriptive detail, but still leave room for you to imagine what it would have been like to live in Jesus’ time.
The choir hopes that listening to the music and reflecting on the poems will deepen people’s experience of the Easter story, which is at the heart of Christian faith.
While it has become traditional in New Zealand to perform Messiah in Advent, leading up to Christmas, Handel intended this work to be performed in Lent, the season leading up to Easter. The earliest performances of Messiah used small orchestras and choirs. The fashion for using full orchestras and massed choirs developed later. Tonight we return to the earlier tradition and hope you will find this to be an intimate and rewarding experience.
We wish to thank Wesley Church and St Martin de Porres for making their venues available to us. We are also grateful to Drama Christi, based at Wesley Church, who have lent us costumes and props.
Acting the poems with Drama Christi in the past inspired Philip Garside to suggest the concept for this show.
2004
Bach Dvorak Berkahn
In December 2004 Festival Singers presented at Sacred Heart Cathedral a concert featuring Bach's Cantata BWV 192, Mass in D Major op. 86 by Antonín Dvorák, Three Celtic Folk Tunes arranged for string quartet by Lisa Beech, and the world premiere of Jonathan Berkahn's Te Deum.
Here are Jonathan's notes from the programme:
Every Monday night I play piano for the Festival Singers, alternately banging out the notes of their parts and pretending to be their orchestra. On the dot of nine, however, I find a convenient telephone box, slip into my alter ego, and mild-mannered Jonathan Berkahn, organist and pianist, becomes Accordion Man, faster than a speeding step-dancer, louder than a drunken singalong, able to empty tall glasses in a single draught. I then catch the number 43 bus to the Irish session at Molly Malone’s pub, Taranaki Street.
It has long been my ambition to attempt to combine these two very different ways of making music, and the Festival Singers’ commission gave me the opportunity to see what might happen if they were brought together. I had my eye on the Te Deum text for some time, partly because of its scope (it is quite long as liturgical texts go), partly because of its obvious potential for musical contrast and drama.
There is a tradition that, as St Ambrose was baptising St Augustine, this hymn was spontaneously improvised by the two saints. Unfortunately this tradition is quite groundless, but it is a pleasant thing to imagine. In fact, like many other important liturgical texts, the Te Deum seems to have been assembled out of a number of prayers from different sources.
In this spirit, the piece uses several different approaches to the text. After a Latin plainsong introduction, the first movement follows the text of the 1662 prayer book (which is a very close translation of the Latin). The band’s accompaniment consists largely of a reel, written for the purpose, against which the choir sings mostly in unison or block harmonies. The second movement is a slow air (tempo indication: "as slow as you like"). I wanted an effect of the utmost clarity and directness here; unfortunately, at this point the 1662 version followed the Latin all too faithfully through one of its knottiest, most difficult passages. I therefore used a paraphrase of my own, free of all archaism and verbal complication, which fitted the metre of the tune.
After a short choral introduction "O Lord, save your people," the third movement continues mostly in a jig rhythm. The language remains modern, but it follows the Book of Common Prayer a little more closely. The phrase "Day by day we magnify you..." is used as a refrain, partly to save trouble, partly because it’s a nice tune. After the final petition "Let me never be confounded," which has always seemed to me something of an anticlimax, the jig rhythm returns: "Ever, ever, world without end." The Te Deum draws a picture of the saints, apostles, martyrs—the whole company of heaven—singing praises to God eternally. I see no reason why they shouldn’t dance as well.
Voices in Harmony
In June 2004 Festival Singers and Vox Serbicus presented a choral concert of New Zealand and Serbian composers at St Andrews on the Terrace.
Here is an extract from the programme:
It is with great pleasure that Festival Singers and Vox Serbicus present this joint concert tonight.
The two choirs really first met each other at the New Zealand Choral Federation’s inaugural Classic Sing Finale in Rotorua last Labour Weekend. As both groups were the only ones from Wellington, there formed an immediate bond between them as they barracked for each other in the competition. It was around about this time that a plan was hatched to present a concert together for the pleasure and musical benefit of both groups.
We have experienced both a social and musical richness in combining our voices. The process of together learning and singing music that another group has chosen is at first rather scary, but then just becomes exciting. The Festival Singers have enjoyed the Garland VIII piece very much as the style is so appealing and different to their ears. Vox Serbicus have enjoyed singing with accompaniment in the David Hamilton piece, especially both organ and piano, as most of their repertoire is a cappella.
Mima and Rosemary have enjoyed seeing a little into each other’s musical worlds, as conductors tend to fly solo and do not often see other conductors at work. It is stimulating and challenging to be exposed to another conductor’s often self-built repertoire of gestures and language.
We particularly appreciate having the string quartet led by Lisa Beech with us tonight to add flavour to our New Zealand/Serbian mixture. It is wonderful that Lisa had previously arranged the East European Dances, as they fit so well into our theme. Flute, cor anglais, organ and piano playing enhance our musical offering.
We hope that as a result of this evening’s performance you the audience, as well as enjoying the richness of the various instrumental timbres, will have a new appreciation for the vocal colours, moods and effects that can be achieved by different groups of Voices in Harmony.
Rosemary Russell and Mima Nikolic
2003
Handel's Messiah
We presented two concerts of Messiah at 7.30pm Saturday 13 Dec 2003, and 2.30pm Sunday 14 Dec 2003 at St Andrews on the Terrace.
Soloists were the ensemble Brio comprising: Janey MacKenzie ~ soprano, Jody Orgias ~ contralto, John Beaglehole ~ tenor and Justin Pearce ~ bass
The orchestra was The Chiesa Ensemble, with Douglas Mews ~ organ, Harpsicord
A special feature of these performances was the projection behind the choir of a slide show of paintings by old masters on sacred themes.
Here are some notes from our programme:
From the Conductor
Handel left no definitive version of Messiah. Basically he responded to the availability of certain singers and frequently altered the work to meet different conditions of performance, as have we. The Festival Singers of Wellington are delighted that Brio and The Chiesa Ensemble have agreed to help them present Handel’s Messiah, with Rennaissance art works that explore some aspect of each musical number and also written reflections that may provide food for thought for either first time goers or those who have been to many performances of Messiah.
Charles Jennens, who compiled the libretto for Messiah said, “I hope I shall persuade him to set another scripture collection… I hope he will lay out his whole genius and skill upon it… as the Subject excels every other Subject.” In fact Jennens himself laid out his whole genius… the libretto sets out the central truths of the Christian faith with a concision and balance never equalled before or since: it was surely inevitable that Messiah would become more significant than its creator intended. (Nicholas Kenyon, 1983)
Messiah was written in a wonderful three week burst of frenetic activity beginning 22 August 1744 and finishing 12 September. Handel himself was enraptured during the writing of it and declared he had seen into the vault of heaven itself.
Jennens intention appeared to be to provide a meditative framework. At the front of the printed word book he quoted from 1 Timothy 3 and Colossians 2:
“And without Controversy, great is the Mystery of Godliness:
God was manifested in the Flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the World, received up in Glory.
In whom are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge.”
I have been keen to present a passionate and energetic performance of Messiah, exploring the emotion and meaning of the text. It is my hope and prayer that on some plane or other, whether purely musical, artistic, spiritual or hopefully a combination of all three, your motivation for coming to this performance of Handel’s Messiah, will have been satisfied.
Rosemary Russell
Background to Messiah
Messiah is a work on the grand scale. It tells the story of the redemption of the human race, beginning with the voice of God promising salvation and ending with the chorus of angels celebrating its completion. It is, in short, the story of the infinite purposes of God in history, of God’s purpose in sending his anointed one to the rescue of a lost and enslaved people, the story of our sin and God’s grace, the story of the triumph of love over all the powers of evil.
The libretto is drawn from the Authorised Version of the Bible or the Psalter of the Book of Common Prayer.
Background
From the time of Moses and the giving of the Ten Commandments, around 1300 BC, the people of Israel have been repeatedly warned that if they forsake the ways and teaching and appropriate worship of God, he will remove his presence, his protection and blessing from them and they will be at the mercy of their enemies. For centuries, they have increasingly fallen prey to their own waywardness under a succession of vainglorious kings. Finally the Babylonians come, around 580 BC and a century after the prophet Isaiah has predicted catastrophe, and the people are captured, dispersed and enslaved. Who will be their “messiah”, their saviour; who will lead them in battle and save them from their enemies? Where is he, the Promised One? Who will save them now?
The opening words of Messiah are taken from Isaiah chapter 40, the story of God’s promise of eventual deliverance for the Jews after repeated subjection by Assyrians and Babylonians. God has not forgotten them and he will send them another Messiah, another prophet in the Isaiah school, with a new message. The simultaneous, longer range vision is of a more splendid and expected Messiah for all the world: deliverer, redeemer, saviour, Lord and King, reconciler of God and people everywhere.
Ken Edgecombe
2002
Celebrating St Cecilia (Célébration de Ste.Cécile) — November 2002
An evening of French Romantic music,including works by
Franck, Délibes & Fauré. Culminating in Gounod’s magnificent St Cecilia MassMark Leicester — conductor; Paloma Bruce — soprano; Brendon Mercer — tenor; Jamie Frater — baritone; Jonathan Berkahn — organ
8pm Saturday 9 November 2002 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hill Street
Festival Singers thanks its sponsors for this concert:
Embassy of France • Wellington City Council• Terawhiti Licensing Trust
Olivet to Calvary — Easter 2002
Festival Singers presented an evening of fine Victorian Easter music Olivet to Calary by J H Maunder Reminiscent of Stainer’s Crucifixion
7.30pm Sunday 24 March 2002 at Old St Paul's, Mulgrave Street
Soloists were: James Rodgers — tenor and Craig Beardsworth — baritone.
Here are some notes from the programme:
Our theme for this performance was:
Evoking a Wellington Easter of 100 Years Ago
"Old Saint Paul's is a unique example of Colonial Gothic architecture constructed of totara, matai, rimu and kauri timbers. It was consecrated in 1866 and over the years it was altered and enlarged several times by several architects. The church features a superb timber interior, stained glass windows and memorial brasses, with a carved oak pulpit in memory of popular Premier Richard Seddon, whose body lay in state at Old Saint Paul's after his death."
Sources: www.historic.org.nz and www.wcc.govt.nz/wellington/heritage/inventory/pg334.html
There's something special about the feel of Old Saint Paul's. In a young country like New Zealand any 140 year old church has seen quite a large proportion of our history. Old Saint Paul's is an opportunity to connect with Wellington's past; an opportunity not so readily offered as you walk down Lambton Quay.
J. H. Maunder's Olivet to Calvary is a fine example of music written for the late Victorian/early Edwardian Anglican church. Needing only organ, choir, bass and tenor soloists, it is music simple enough for almost anyone to perform, even in a burgeoning colonial capital where the musicians were all imported.
In Wellington 100 years ago Old Saint Paul's would have been the centre of many things. It would have been the parish of many of the important figures in the country's early history. State weddings and funerals would have been held there.
So, we asked the audience to imagine they were listening to a brand new piece of music — just off the boat from England — in time for the town's most important Easter ceremony. Imagine the excitement you would feel being in the audience with just about everyone in Wellington; the parliamentarians, the land owners, the teachers and the dock workers.
Back then there would have been a greater community focus, a mingling of all classes of colonials. The hymns that reminded us of home would be sung with great feeling; lifting the roof of Old Saint Paul's as much as any Wellington southerly could.
We recreated a Wellington Easter 100 years ago.
About our soloists
Craig Beardsworth — baritone
Craig completed his Opera Performance degree at Victoria University in 2000 and is now kept busy as a soloist in the Wellington region. He has several leading roles to his credit including The Count in The Marriage of Figaro, Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi, Escamillo in Carmen and Carmontel in the premier of Wekerlin’s salon opera Carmontel. Craig has also appeared with a number of North Island choirs as an oratorio soloist.
Last years’ highlights included Beethoven’s Mass in C major with Festival Singers, Brahms’s Requiem and Orf’s Carmina Burana. He also sang Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht with the NZSO and Anglican Cathedral Choir. For the past two years Craig has sung at Opera in the Woolshed in the Wairarapa. At Easter 2001 Craig sang the bass solo in JS Bach’s cantata Christ Lag in Todesbanden with Festival Singers in their joint production with Drama Christi.
Last year Craig was invited to New Caledonia to sing Honeggar’s Christmas Cantata and conduct singing masterclasses. He is returning this year to sing Durufle’s Requiem. This year Craig sang a small role in the Festival 2002 production of Der Rosenkavalier, After A Beleaguered City he will be touring New Zealand and travelling to Korea with ‘Sings Harry Vocal Ensemble’ a Wellington a cappella group.
James Rodgers — tenor
James started performing in the choir and in musicals and plays at Marlborough Boys College. Now 20, he is in the third year of study at Victoria University School of Music, training with Emily Mair.
In 2001 James made his opera debut as Jean Coccase in Carmontel, produced by Jeremy Commons. He also sang the baritone solo for the Wellington Youth Choir’s production of Faure’s Requiem as part of the cathedral festival. Later that year he sang tenor in the Mozart Requiem and Vaughan-Williams’ Hodie for the Kapiti Chorale. He also sang the role of Gherado in the Victoria University 2001 production of Gianni Schicchi.
This year James has enjoyed and learned from his experience taking part in the International Festival of the Arts production of Der Rosenkavalier.
He was delighted to be invited by Festival Singers to help “evoke a Wellington Easter 100 years ago” and is always keen to sing at Old St Paul’s
2001
Here are photos of our Easter 2001 performance which featured JS Bach's Cantata BWV 4 — Christ Lag in Todes Banden
Drama Christi and Festival Singers in rehearsal for their Easter Celebration 8 April 2001
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Other notable events in recent years
Beethoven Mass in C Major 2001
Fauré Requiem and other 20th Century music — combined concert with Queens Singers at St Andrews on the Terrace.
Haydn Nelson Mass at Sacred Heart Basilica
Mozart Missa Brevis K.275 at Central Baptist Church
Copyright Festival Singers 2008