A Sunday treat from Birmingham Chamber Music Society
Jan 15 2010 By Christopher Morley
These three songs, dedicated on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 2007 to Joubert (himself a distinguished past chairman of Birmingham Chamber Music Society), were premiered by Patricia Rozario at London’s Wigmore Hall on September 28 2007, Julius Drake accompanying.
Almost as venerable as Birmingham Chamber Music Society, the chamber chorus Ex Cathedra is currently enjoying extensive celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of its founding under director Jeffrey Skidmore, 40 years which have seen this originally Lichfield-based group grow to international renown and expand its programmes resourcefully.
Spectacular “period-instrument” performances of Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, all at Birmingham Town Hall, have added to the excitement of this landmark in Ex Cathedra’s history, with Skidmore their devoted and imaginative conductor throughout these four decades.
A neat summation of the event comes at Birmingham Town Hall on Sunday, January 31, when Ex Cathedra and Skidmore present “XL – in 40 parts” (note the way the Roman numerology sounds when spoken out loud).
The highlight of this adroitly-constructed programme is obviously Thomas Tallis’ monumental 40-part motet Spem in Alium, eight five-voice choirs rolling in consonance and antiphony with each other, but there are also works by Striggio, Gabriel Jackson and Alec Roth, who contributes a new piece in honour of the anniversary.
Before then, though, Skidmore will be in action with more polychoral music on Friday, January 22, when he conducts the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir in a performance of the spectacular Vespers of 1610 by Claudio Monteverdi. The venue is the atmospheric, dramatic setting of St Alban’s Church in Highgate. Admission is free.
Looking further afield, another great choral masterpiece can be heard in Hereford Cathedral on January 30, when the Cathedral Choir performs all six parts of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. This candlelight performance begins at 7pm.
* Patricia Rozario and Mark Bebbington appear at Birmingham Chamber Music Society on Sunday, January 17 (3pm) in the Adrian Boult Hall. Details on 0121 303 2323.
* Ex Cathedra perform “XL – in 40 parts” at Birmingham Town Hall on Sunday, January 31, at 4pm. Details on 0121 780 3333.
* Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir performs Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 at St Alban’s Church, Highgate on Friday, January 22 , at 7.30pm. Details on 0121 303 2323.
* Hereford Cathedral Choir perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in the Cathedral on Saturday, January 30, at 7pm. Details on 01432 374261.
