Our last concert of 2023 was a sell-out success with hundreds of people enjoying festive music performed by the Noctis Chamber Choir and Carolean Concert at St Michael’s Without Church in central Bath.
The candlelit concert was conducted by Noctis conductor Francis Faux and a colleague.
It was the final of our 2023 programme which started with the extraordinary performance of Solomon in Bath Abbey in April.
“Thank you to everyone who supported Bath Recitals by attending one of the four fantastic concerts we staged during 2023,” said Bath Recitals chairman David Gregory.
“We are working on our programme for 2024 and look forward to seeing existing and new supporters during next year.”
In the meantime Bath Recitals wishes all its supporters a very Happy New Year!
https://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WhatsApp-Image-2023-12-23-at-08.02.02.jpeg16001200adminhttps://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/bath-recitals.pngadmin2023-12-28 04:43:052024-12-18 18:06:19Thank you for supporting us in 2023!
It is with great sadness that Bath Recitals announces the death of our founder and president, Tom Clarke on 28 November 2023.
All are welcome to attend his funeral on Wednesday 20th December 2023 at 10am. It will take place at St. Michael’s Without Church, Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ (opposite Waitrose).
Tom dedicated his life to music and supported many young musicians at the beginning of their careers. His inspiration and charm will be greatly missed.
Tom’s farewell will feature music chosen by himself and performed by members of the Noctis Choir together with instrumentalists.This will include Purcell’s opening march from Funeral Music for Queen Mary, Michael Head’s Sweet Chance sung by soprano Maisie Lewis and Peter Warlock’s Bethlehem Down.
Also included will be Waft her angels through the Skies from Handel’s Jeptha and Purcell’s Funeral Music Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of our Heart.
Tom has been a colourful and prominent figure in the cultural life of the city for over 40 years. Since the 1980s he has staged over 600 ‘shows’ (as Tom always liked to call them). This has had a hugely positive impact on the cultural scene in the city as well as providing a valuable platform for young professional musicians.
Tom has been a colourful and prominent figure in the cultural life of the city for over 40 years. Since the 1980s he has staged over 600 ‘shows’ (as Tom always liked to call them). This has had a hugely positive impact on the cultural scene in the city as well as providing a valuable platform for young professional musicians.
Tom has been a colourful and prominent figure in the cultural life of the city for over 40 years. Since the 1980s he has staged over 600 ‘shows’ (as Tom always liked to call them). This has had a hugely positive impact on the cultural scene in the city as well as providing a valuable platform for young professional musicians.
https://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Bath-Recitals-President-Tom-Clarke-2015.png10161000adminhttps://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/bath-recitals.pngadmin2023-12-14 04:15:492023-12-14 04:26:01Farewell Mr President
With some wonderful seasonal music from the Renaissance to the present day, this Christmas extravaganza will feature Bath conductor – Francis Faux – and the Noctis Chamber Choir,one of Bath’s premier vocal ensembles.
The highlight of the programme will be a performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria, one of the undoubted glories of the Baroque age and described by Classic FM as ‘a beauty beyond belief, prompting a frisson of sheer delight’.
Also included will be traditional Christmas Carols old and new with soloists, soprano Maisie Lewis and mezzo-soprano Molly Soo, joined by the rich orchestral sounds of The Carolean Consort.
A Carolean Christmas
Wednesday 20 December, 7.30pm St Michael’s Without, Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ Noctis Chamber Choir The Carolean Consort Francis Faux conductor Maisie Lewis soprano & Molly Soo mezzo-soprano
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Magnificat in B flat Michael Praetorius Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming Peter Warlock Bethlehem Down Elizabeth Poston Jesus Christ the Apple Tree Traditional Carols Past Three O’clock & The Boar’s Head Antonio Vivaldi Gloria in D major
Tickets from £14 to £27 available from the Bath Box Office
Bath Recitals brings A Carolean Christmas to the beautiful surroundings of St Michael’s Without on 20 December... but don’t miss out as tickets are already selling fast for ‘the highlight of Bath’s Christmas Season’…
One of the highlights of the programme will be Vivaldi’s Gloria, one of the undoubted glories of the Baroque age.
This 12 movement work is one of the most popular works of all time, described by Classic FM as:
‘a beauty beyond belief, prompting a frisson of sheer delight’.
“This intimate and candlelit concert presents a not-to-be missed performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria sung by Bath’s premier chamber choir.“
Says chairman of Bath Recitals David Gregory
This Christmas extravaganza will include some wonderful seasonal music from the Renaissance to the present day. Bath Francis Faux will be one of two conducting this unmissable candlelit concert to Bath’s Christmas season this year.
Stars of the show will be Bath’s own Noctis Chamber Choir. Noctis has established itself as one of Bath’s premier vocal ensembles, a group of highly skilled choral singers, professional musicians, singing teachers and lay clerks who are known for their versatility and innovation.
Other works in the programme will include the delightful The Boar’s Head Carol. This Christmas gem composed by Elizabeth Poston was commissioned by Cuthbert Bates for the City of Bath Bach Choir and first performed in the Pump Room.
Noctis Chamber Choir & The Carolean Consort Francis Faux conductor Maisie Lewis soprano & Molly Soo mezzo-soprano
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Magnificat in B flat Michael Praetorius Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming Peter Warlock Bethlehem Down Elizabeth Poston Jesus Christ the Apple Tree Traditional Carols Past Three O’clock & The Boar’s Head Antonio Vivaldi Gloria in D major
Tickets from £14 to £27 available from the Bath Box Office
Katie, a violinist in the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, is thrilled to be performing a programme of fabulous music from the Classical age.
See her and the orchestra perform in the quintessential classical architecture of St Swithin’s Church on 21 October.
No sooner had the young Joseph Haydn signed his contract with his new employer, Prince Paul II Anton Esterházy on 1 May 1761 than he was given a challenge: To compose a work based on the theme of the three times of day.
Haydn’s first composition was the Symphony No. 6. The nickname ‘Le Matin’ was not Haydn’s own, but was given because of the opening slow introduction of the opening movement, which clearly depicts sunrise.
The Esterházys maintained a full time chamber orchestra of considerable talent. This would be a gift for any up-and-coming composer, and Haydn certainly exploited the talents of the players.
This symphony is characterised by unusual virtuoso writing across the orchestral ensemble with solo passages for flute and violin – as if harking back to the days of the Concerto Grosso.
Classical Greats with Bobby Chen
Saturday 21 October, 7.30pm St Swithin’s Church, 37 The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY
Thomas Arne Overture No.4 in F Joseph Haydn Symphony No.6 in D major Le Matin Johann Christian Bach Symphony in D major Op.18 No.4 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat K271 Le Jeunnehomme
Tickets: Adults £28, £22, £16; under 18s & students £16, £12, £8
https://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/unnamed-5-e1697105857381.jpg7531168adminhttps://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/bath-recitals.pngadmin2023-10-12 10:07:442023-10-12 10:17:49Meet the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra
Watch pianist Bobby Chen above introduce this fabulous work with its interplay between the piano and orchestra in the first movement, the graceful elegance of the second and the wit and vitality of the third.
Completed by Mozart in January 1777, the highly regarded critic and musicologist, Charles Rosen has called it ‘perhaps the first unequivocal masterpiece of the classical style.’
The work has long been known as the JeunehommeConcerto, with a claim that Mozart wrote the piece for an unnamed French pianist – the ‘Jeunehomme’ (French for “young man”) when visiting Salzburg.
However, it is now thought that the dedicatee was actually a proficient pianist named Victoire Jenamy. She was a daughter of one of Mozart’s friends, the dancer Jean-Georges Noverre.
We are thrilled to be welcoming Bobby Chen back to Bath after his last appearance with Bath Recitals in 2015 (see below).
Saturday 21 October, 7.30pm St Swithin’s Church, 37 The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY
Thomas Arne Overture No.4 in F Joseph Haydn Symphony No.6 in D major Le Matin Johann Christian Bach Symphony in D major Op.18 No.4 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat K271 Le Jeunnehomme
Tickets: Adults £28, £22, £16; under 18s & students £16, £12, £8
https://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/bobby-1-scaled-e1696071256439.jpg11431658adminhttps://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/bath-recitals.pngadmin2023-09-30 10:44:412023-09-30 10:54:38Bobby Chen introduces one of the ‘Wonders of the World’
As we look forward to our next concert featuring the international pianist Bobby Chen and the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, here is a look back at our favourite photographs from our fabulous Georgian Gala concert last month.
That concert featured the talented soprano Eleanore Sian Cockerham from Voces8, baritone Matthew Tilley, mezzo soprano Molly Soo and The Georgian Festival Chorale & Orchestra.
It was a great evening and we have another one planned for next month too! Don’t miss it when our next concert on 21 October is staged in a gem of a venue, Saint Swithin’s Church, on 21 October – tickets on sale now from Bath Box Office.
Classical Greats which is coming up next from Bath Recitals includes a great musical line up featuring music from some of the greatest composers of the classical age:
From Mozart with international concerto pianist Bobby Chen, to a joyous symphony by Haydn and music by the ‘English’ Bach – JC Bach – the youngest son of the famous JS Bach.
The concert also features music by Thomas Arne (pictured above left), well known as the composer of Rule Britannia which is featured every year at the Last Night of the Proms. This concert will include a delightful overture by Arne to open the concert.
The venue for this concert will be one of Bath’s secret gems, St Swithin’s Church on the Paragon. It will be the first time this venue has been used by Bath Recitals.
Classical Greats Saturday 21 October, 7.30pm St Swithin’s Church, 37 The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY
Thomas Arne Overture No.4 in F Joseph Haydn Symphony No.6 in D major Le Matin Johann Christian Bach Symphony in D major Op.18 No.4 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat K271 Le Jeunnehomme
Tickets: Adults £28, £22, £16; under 18s & students £16, £12, £8
One of the ‘Wonders of the World’ is how the famous concert pianist Alfred Brendel described Mozart’s 9th Piano Concerto.
And now, international pianist Bobby Chen returns to Bath to perform this much loved work with the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra in Classical Greats on 21 October.
Bobby Chen: ‘…an armour-clad player of complete technique, a thinking musician, a natural Romantic.’
International Piano Magazine
Bath Recitals also has a fantastic new venue for this prestigious concert. St Swithin’s Church on the Paragon is one of Bath’s secret gems.
DID YOU KNOW?
The present church was built in 1777 by John Palmer – but (rather surprisingly) is the ONLY 18th century church in the city.
Alongside music by Arne (think Rule Britania!) and Bach’s youngest son JC, the Classical Greats programme will also feature Haydn’s Le Matin, composed in 1761 when Prince Paul II Anton Esterházy gave him the challenge of writing music based on different times of the day.
Classical Greats
Saturday 21 October, 7.30pm St Swithin’s Church, 37 The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY
Thomas Arne Overture No.4 in F Joseph Haydn Symphony No.6 in D major Le Matin Johann Christian Bach Symphony in D major Op.18 No.4 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat K271 Le Jeunnehomme
Tickets: Adults £28, £22, £16; under 18s & students £16, £12, £8
https://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Banner-NEW-lower-res.png8392000adminhttps://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/bath-recitals.pngadmin2023-09-12 08:21:562023-09-12 08:23:49A ‘Wonder of the World’ in a beautiful venue
In addition to Voces8 star, Eleanore Sian Cockerham, the Georgian Gala Concert on 26 August will also include this fine line up of top class musicians…
Molly is currently studying for her LRSM Vocal diploma with Julie Woolard having participated in masterclasses with Dame Emma Kirkby.
Molly has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall as a member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain.
A member of Somerset Chamber Choir and Noctis Chamber Choir, Molly reached the quarter final of the International Handel Singing Competition.
Molly has performed for Iford Arts Opera, has played Lilian in Kurt Weill’s Happy End and the title role of Carmen by Bizet.
Matthew Tilley Baritone
Praised by Opera Magazine for his ‘Dark Baritone’ tone, Matthew trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama whilst studying with David Kempster.
Recent operatic roles include Figaro and Conte Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro, Michele il Tabarro, Scarpia Tosca, Donner Das Rheingold, Escamillo Carmen, Alfio Cavalleria Rusticana, Marcello and Schaunard La Boheme, Marcheseand Barone La Traviata, Silvio i Pagliacci and Alessio La Sonnambula.
Matthew has performed for Welsh National Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, Opera Holland Park, Mid Wales Opera, Heritage Opera, Opera Serse, Random Opera and the BBC recording of Götterdämmerung at Edinburgh Festival.
Nick Miller Chorale Accompanist / Continuo
Beginning his musical career as a chorister, Nick continued his keyboard studies with Jolande van Bergen, David Ponsford, Ann Elise Smoot and Daniel Moult. Nick has previously been Junior Organ Scholar at Liverpool Cathedral, Organ Scholar at Portsmouth Cathedral and St. Mary Redcliffe.
Nick has held organist and other positions at Hyde Park, Putney, Portsmouth Cathedral and Portsmouth Grammar School. He currently teaches piano at Queen’s College, London whilst pursing his career as a freelance musician.
Saturday 26 August, 7.30pm St Michael’s Without, Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ Tickets Adults £22-£27; under 18s & students £14-£20 Doors open at 6:45pm. Pre-concert and interval drinks available.
William Boyce Overture in A Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata: Widerstehe doch der Sunde BMV 54 William Boyce Symphony No. 1 in Bb Wolfgang Amadeus MozartExultate Jubilate K165 George Frederick Handel Coronation Anthem: Zadok the Priest HWV 258 George Frederick Handel Birthday Ode to Queen Anne (1713): Eternal Source Henry Purcell Birthday Ode to Queen Mary (1694): Come ye Sons of Art Away
Sponsored by the Friends of Bath Recital
https://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Soloists.png6082430adminhttps://www.bathrecitals.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/bath-recitals.pngadmin2023-08-09 10:23:052023-08-09 10:25:53Meet the Summer Gala musicians
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