Web Programme Classical Romantic 2012

Great Choral Music Classical Meets Romantic Saturday 12 May 2012 at 7.30pm Town Hall, Birmingham Katharine Fuge soprano Mozart: Regina Coeli Kate Symonds-Joy mezzo-soprano Simon wall tenor William Clements bass Schumann: Requiem City of Birmingham Choir Orchestra of the Swan Beethoven: Mass in C Conductor: Adrian Lucas The public will be admitted to Symphony Hall, Town Hall and the Convention Centre subject to terms and conditions of the licensing requirements and fire regulations. 1 Conductor Adrian Lucas In 1996 he was also appointed Artistic Gershwin, Bernstein and Ibert; concertos Director to the Worcester Three Choirs with John Lill, Julian Lloyd-Webber and Festival. From then until 2011 he was Emma Johnson; not to mention great directly responsible for five Worcester symphonic works from the classical genii festivals, introducing a wide variety of new of Mozart and Beethoven through to musical threads to the great tradition of Janacek and Walton. this long-lived institution. These included As an organist, Adrian continues to give commissioned works from Francis Pott, recitals both nationally and internationally. Andrew Gant, Jackson Hill and Cheryl He has played in churches and concert Frances-Hoad; a number of cross-over halls from Sydney to Seattle and concerts including performances of music particularly enjoys broadening the from the Sacred Concerts of Duke instrument’s repertoire into the realms of Ellington and late night events by the jazz. David Rees-Williams Trio, Respectable Adrian is also active as a composer, arranger and orchestrator. He has a Adrian Lucas has been Musical Director Groove and Acoustic Triangle; and plenty portfolio of pieces to his name which of the City of Birmingham Choir since of opportunities to hear the choristers and includes choral works from short a-capella 2002, continuing a long and distinguished layclerks of the three Cathedral Choirs in carols and motets through to Creation line which includes David Willcocks, action. Canticles, a 41 minute work for solo Meredith Davies and Christopher Since leaving the cathedral world, he has soprano, chorus and orchestra. Robinson. Like them, his musical roots lie been able to refocus his work on Alongside this are many arrangements for in cathedral music and he held posts at St performance, working as a conductor, brass ensemble, mainly commissioned for John’s College Cambridge and choral director and animateur, organist special occasions, and a number of tran- Portsmouth, Norwich and Salisbury and continuo specialist. His work with the scriptions of orchestral works. He is Cathedrals before moving to Worcester City of Birmingham Choir forms an currently working on scoring works for Cathedral in 1996. During his tenure important part of this. As a conductor, Nick Bicat who has written over 150 there, he was responsible for the design Adrian has an impressive list of works to scores and soundtracks for film, television and installation of the Kenneth Tickell his name, including many performances and theatre. quire organ in 2008 as well as continuing of the choral works of Elgar, Vaughan a vibrant programme of touring, Williams and Finzi; contemporary works broadcasting and recording with the by James Macmillan, John Tavener and Cathedral Choir. Jonathan Dove; jazz-inspired music by 2 Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart contented with this, as he wanted to write The work is a cheerful, vigorous piece, concertos and other secular works while appropriate for a solemn high occasion. (1756 – 1791) his employer wanted church music. They Although it only takes about six minutes to had frequent quarrels and indeed Mozart perform, it requires four soloists as well as Regina Coeli, K.276 did not like life in Salzburg at all, and a choir. The scoring includes oboes, made many unsuccessful efforts to find a clarino trumpets and timpani as well as post elsewhere. Eventually, in 1781, strings and organ. About half-way when Colloredo had summoned him to through, to the word “alleluia” Mozart Vienna, he left his employment amid great quotes a short phrase from Handel’s acrimony between him and both his father famous chorus in Messiah. The music and the archbishop. He stayed in Vienna gives the impression, as so often in and made a life as a freelance composer Mozart, that a religious service is to be and producer of concerts and operas, and enjoyed. initially enjoyed great success. Unfortunately he was lavish with money and when harder times arrived around 1786 he had no reserves and suffered Regina coeli, laetare, alleluia: hardship. His last years, in which he Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia wrote many of his greatest works, were Resurrexit sicut dixit, alleluia. marked by poverty. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia. Mozart showed amazing musical talents The anthem, or “antiphon” Regina Coeli is from a very early age, and needed hardly a hymn of praise to the Virgin Mary. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, Alleluia; any formal teaching. When he was six, Mozart wrote three settings of it, in 1771, For He whom you did merit to bear, his father Leopold started showing him off 1772 and 1779, of which that in tonight’s Alleluia; in various European cities, and these concert is the last, the shortest, and Has risen as He said, Alleluia. travels went on for ten years, during which arguably the best, although there seem to Pray for us to God, Alleluia. time the boy composed many youthful be more recordings of the earlier, longer works. Then he was employed as a court pieces. At the time of its writing, Mozart musician to the Archbishop Colloredo, in was still in Salzburg in the service of his native Salzburg. He was not Archbishop Colloredo. 3 Schumann Robert Schumann (1810 – studies. One of his teachers was Friedrich number of surviving Wieck, who promised him a successful works by Clara. The 1856) career as a concert pianist. Unfortunately ten years following his Robert permanently injured a finger of his marriage were a Requiem, Op. 148 right hand during this time, and he had to generally happy and abandon such hopes, instead deciding to successful time for concentrate on composition, but also taking Robert, but around an active part in musical criticism. His 1850 he started to earliest published compositions appeared suffer from mental in 1832, and two years later he founded a problems. His ability to musical journal, the Neue Zeitschrift für conduct performances Clara Wieck Musik, and in its pages he was vigorous in – once widely praised – championing composers whose works was affected and he came in for criticism. impressed him, including Berlioz, Chopin Matters grew worse and in 1854 he and later, Brahms. On the other hand he attempted suicide by jumping into the was uncomplimentary about the music of Rhine. After being rescued he asked to go Liszt and Wagner. into an asylum and was taken to one at Around that time he became attracted to Endenich, near Bonn. He remained there Wieck’s young daughter Clara, and despite until his death in 1856. Modern opinion is her father’s strong disapproval, the that his mental troubles were probably due relationship grew and they were eventually to tertiary syphilis rather than psychosis. married in 1840 when she was old enough He was a prolific composer but only a few not to need parental consent. The father of his works can be mentioned here. First became reconciled to them after the birth of and foremost he wrote for the piano, and Robert Schumann was born in 1810 in their first child. Clara herself was a the Piano Concerto in A minor is one of his Zwickau, Saxony, the son of a book celebrated pianist and talented composer best-known works, the Piano Quintet publisher who encouraged him to study and very many of Robert’s works were possibly less so. Among the numerous literature but also recognised his musical written for her to play, or in some way works for solo piano are the Kinderszenen, talents and arranged lessons for him. Later inspired by her. He did not encourage her which include the popular “Träumerei” the boy studied law at Leipzig and to compose, but nevertheless there are a Kreisleriana, and the Fantasie in C major. Heidelberg but continued his musical 4 Schumann His love of literature led to dozens of his time, and he makes effective use of settings of poetry, and there was a crescendo and diminuendo in the choral spectacular outpouring of romantic Lieder in parts. In contrast to Beethoven’s “broad the year of his marriage to Clara. The best daylight” key of C major, this Requiem is of these include the song-cycles largely in “nocturnal” keys having many Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love), to poetry by sharps or flats, although this does not make Heinrich Heine, Frauenliebe und -leben it a sombre so much as a colourful work. (Woman’s Love and Life), to poems of As befits a song-composer, his vocal writing Adelbert von Chamisso and the Liederkreis is melodic and there are several hummable Op 39, to poems of Joseph von tunes. Schumann does not attempt any Eichendorff. There are four Symphonies, spectacular effects such as those in the first of which, Spring, is possibly the Berlioz’s Requiem, and there are no best, and also a somewhat neglected Cello orchestral interludes, but rather the Concerto. orchestra provides sympathetic The Requiem, together with his setting of accompaniment to the voices. the Mass, is one of Schumann’s last works and attracted a great deal of criticism at the time. Some asked whatever a Protestant was doing writing such stuff; some said that the music was inferior and showed evidence of his decline; but others hailed the work as original and inspired.

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