Author Archives: vhk10

The Bath International Festival 2015

There was more of it this year than last, but in the end we didn’t get to much. As last year, my youngest was involved in a Festival concert, this time ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’, a piece inspired by Alice … Continue reading

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Some contrasting Magnificats

The Erleigh Cantors sang a concert in St Peter’s Earley, built around three settings of the Magnificat. Two were settings we’ve trotted out in various Cathedrals: Giles Swayne’s (I have been so well drilled in this that I can now … Continue reading

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Hier ist Friede

If I want a fix of Second Viennese School round here, I’m most likely to get it over at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford. Over the years I’ve heard several performances, most recently from the Britten Sinfonia, who are … Continue reading

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Poulenc’s Gloria (2)

I joined CanZona (replacing a singer with a broken leg) for a concert in Holy Trinity Bradford (on Avon) conducted by David Bishop. I’d never sung in this church before; it has a pleasant acoustic though the chancel is narrow … Continue reading

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Eastern European brass lives!

Some of my family went to see distinguished visitors to Colston Hall – the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek. Josef Špaček was the soloist in two works – Mendelssohn’s violin concerto and that local favourite The Lark Ascending. I … Continue reading

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Poulenc’s Gloria (1)

The first outing of Poulenc’s Gloria was with Bristol Choral Society and the National Children’s Orchestra in Colston Hall conducted by Howard Williams with Rhiannon Llewellyn as soloist. In fact the NCO run several orchestras, and we performed with the … Continue reading

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Holy Week 2015

We had quite a lot to do this year. On Maundy Thursday we trooped up the hill to sing at the Eucharist at St Stephen’s, which was in the context of an actual meal. I hadn’t sung Bruckner’s Pange lingua … Continue reading

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Where’s the audience for Haydn?

Bristol Choral Society’s latest concert was Haydn’s Creation in Colston Hall. We were joined by soloists Helen-Jane Howells, Paul Badley and David Ireland and accompanied by the Bristol Ensemble (I was particularly impressed by their flutes warbling and trilling their … Continue reading

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different strokes for different folks

I find myself doing something I haven’t really done before – rehearsing the same piece with two different groups of people at the same time. I must have done it a couple of years back with Duruflé’s Requiem, but then … Continue reading

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a first hearing of the Bath Cantata Group

The Bach Cantata Group perform at least once a year in St. Stephen’s Church very near us but I’d never been to hear them. They gave a concert under the direction of Neil Moore accompanied by an orchestra led by … Continue reading

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