The central piece of the Elgar Chorale’s concert is the wonderful Requiem by Maurice Duruflé which, in his own words “…. is not an ethereal work, which sings detached from worldly anxiety. It reflects, in the unchangeable form of the Christian prayer, the anguish of man facing the mystery of his ultimate end”. Based on Gregorian chant themes of the Mass for the Dead, the glorious heart rending ‘Kyrie’ leads to the ultimate response of faith to all the big questions by the flight of the soul towards Paradise in the ‘In Paradisum’
The programme will also feature two When David Heard pieces, one by Thomas Weelkes, the Tudor composer and the other by the popular American contemporary composer Eric Whitacre. Whitacre uses silences throughout the piece to enhance the feeling of raw loneliness implied by the text, and yet lets the texture build to a devastating climax using sheer volume and the continuous addition of dissonance. The piece is very dark with no resolution to a major chord. There is no hope in sight, just loneliness.
The Malvern St James Singers feature alongside the Chorale in the concert and have their own spot with Mark Blatchly’s work September 1914: For the Fallen composed for the 1980 Royal British Legion Festival: it has a haunting effect that speaks of the innocence of a nation on the edge of war that would change not only this nation but the whole world.
Alongside works by Elgar and Howells this concert will be a powerful reminder of our troubled times and thoughtful remembrance. St Martin’s is a wonderful space and a favourite venue for music making in Worcester: the magnificent Nicholson/Tipple organ will be played by Peter Shepherd accompanying the Chorale.
The concert begins at 7.30pm and tickets at £18 (concessions available and under 18’s free) are available from WTIC on 01905 726311 and from www.elgarchorale.com
