This will be the final concert conducted by Julian Harris, who was the choir’s conductor since 2011. During this time, he shared his exceptional talent and musicality as a conductor, organist and singer in his own right, and taken the choir on a journey which has brought their choral singing to another level.
Julian commented, “It has been an absolute joy to work with this group for the past 13 years and we have escalated some wonderful choral heights in that time - most notably my first concert with the choir, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius and Verdi’s monumental Requiem. Most importantly, members of the choir weathered the ‘silence’ of the pandemic brilliantly thanks to the incredible work of the committee.
For his finale, Julian has chosen two choral works from the Classical period by highly revered composers, Mozart and Haydn. The pieces Julian has selected are Missa in C Major - ‘Missa Solemnis’ & Nelson Mass. The deep friendship between Mozart & Hadyn is a testament to the power of mutual respect and collaboration in the creative arts and has had a lasting impact on the world of classical music. Hadyn was reportedly astonished by Mozart’s extraordinary abilities, both as a composer and a performer, while Mozart deeply respected Haydn’s mastery of form and expression. Missa in C Major’ written in 1780, was Mozart’s last Mass composed for the Easter Solemn Mass at Salzburg Cathedral. Nelson Mass, composed in 1798, is one of Hadyn’s greatest choral works generally linked with Admiral Horatio Nelson’s victory over Napoleon and is one of his most beloved choral/orchestral works.
The choir will be accompanied by a large professional band, the St James Players, made up of musicians from some of the larger orchestras in London that Julian has worked with in the past.
