Music for Lent Rachmaninov Vespers Rutter Requiem Bath Choral Society Conductor: Shean Bowers Saturday 28 March 2020 7.30pm St Mary’s Bathwick Programme £3 Librettos included bathboxoffi ce.org.uk bathchoralsociety.com Lent_2020_a4_programme.indd 1 11/1/20 00:18:53 Rachmaninov Vespers Rutter Requiem There will be a short interval between the two works Our Next Concert Music for Summer, American Tunes will take place on Saturday 4 July 7.30pm at St Swithin’s, Bath. This feast of music will include Simple Gifts arranged by Bob Chilcott, Crossing the Bar by Charles Ives, The Lark by Aaron Copland, Wade in the Water by Elijah Rock and Moses Hogan, Agnus Dei by Samuel Barber, The Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre, and Sure on this Shining Light by Morten Lauridsen. John Rutter (1945-): Requiem Once it became clear that a change of venue was needed for this concert, we realised that we also needed to change the programme. There was an unarguable logic to the choice of John Rutter’s Requiem in place of James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words, for Rutter is to England and the Anglican Church what MacMillan is to Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church – each is quite simply the greatest living composer in their national ecclesiastical tradition. For Rutter (as for Brahms, Fauré, and Duruflé before him) the traditional liturgy of the requiem mass was not, theologically, what he wanted to express; so there is no Dies irae sequence, invoking the terrors of the Day of Judgement. Instead, Rutter chose material in English from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer – two psalms and sentences from the Burial Service of 1662 – which he interweaves with the Latin of the mass. Psalms 130 and 23 emphasise the mercy and loving-kindness of God, rather than His implacable wrath. Not that the work is bland or subdued: the Sanctus, with its trumpet-like "Hosannas" from the choir, is rousing and thrilling. Like his two French precursors, Rutter gives the Pie Jesu to a soprano soloist, but with the backing of a chorus part which runs, like plainsong chant, in small steps of never more than a whole tone, in contrast to her demandingly angular swoops and long legato ascents. The Requiem was completed in 1985. The score carries the dedication “in memoriam L. F. R.”, a reference to Rutter’s father, who had died the previous year. The first performances were given in the United States, and although the composer conducted the ensemble, it had been prepared by Mel Olson (Melville Donald Olson), the American choral conductor who, just over a decade previously, had commissioned Rutter’s Gloria and was responsible for introducing the United States to Rutter’s music. 2 Requiem aeternam Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. and may light eternal shine upon them. Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion, It is fitting that a hymn should be raised et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem; unto Thee in Zion exaudi orationem meam, and a vow paid to Thee in Jerusalem; ad te omnis caro veniet. give ear to my prayer, O Lord, unto Thee all flesh shall come at last. Kyrie, eleison! Lord, have mercy! Christe, eleison! Christ, have mercy! Kyrie, eleison! Lord, have mercy! Out of the deep Out of the deep have I called unto thee, in his word is my trust. O Lord. My soul fleeth unto the Lord Lord, hear my voice. before the morning watch, O let thine ears consider well: I say, before the morning watch. the voice of my complaint. O Israël trust in the Lord, If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme for with the Lord there is mercy, to mark what is done amiss? and with him is plenteous redemption. O Lord, who may abide it? And he shall redeem Israël from all his For there is mercy with thee, sins. therefore shalt thou be feared. I look for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him; Pie Jesu Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem, Blessed Lord Jesus, grant them rest, Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem, Blessed Lord Jesus, grant them rest, Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem Blessed Lord Jesus, grant them eternal rest. sempiternam. Sanctus Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Holy, holy, holy, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Lord God of Hosts. Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in excelsis. Hosanna in the highest. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Blessed is He Who cometh in the Name of Hosanna in excelsis. the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 3 Agnus Dei Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the dona eis requiem. world, grant them rest. Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the dona eis requiem. world, grant them rest. In the midst of life, we are in death; of whom may we seek for succour? Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the dona eis requiem. world, grant them rest. I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord; He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. The Lord is My Shepherd The Lord is My Shepherd; I will fear no evil, therefore can I lack nothing. for thou art with me; He shall feed me in a green pasture, thy rod and thy staff comfort me. and lead me forth beside Thou shalt prepare a table before me the waters of comfort. against them that trouble me; He shall convert my soul, thou hast anointed my head with oil, and bring me forth and my cup shall be full. in the paths of righteousness, But thy loving-kindness and mercy for his Name's sake. shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Yea, though I walk Lord for ever. through the valley of the shadow of death, Lux æterna I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours; even so saith the Spirit. Lux æterna luceat eis Domine; Let eternal light shine upon them, O Lord; Cum sanctis tuis in æternum, quia pius es. with Thy saints for ever, for art Thou merciful. Requiem æternam dona eis Domine, Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, et lux perpetua luceat eis. and may light perpetual shine on them. 4 Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943): All-Night Vigil (Vespers) This work was composed in the space of two weeks in 1915 and it was an immediate success. Rachmaninov was not a particularly religious man but he was inspired by the beauty and musical possibilities offered by the chants used in the Russian and Greek Orthodox liturgies (and in this work even composed some of his own, which he called ‘conscious counterfeits’). The work was dedicated to Stepan Smolensky, an expert in chant with whom the composer had recently studied. The first performance was in March 1915, attracting five performances within the month. The proceeds all contributed to the Russian war effort. The 1917 Revolution condemned religious music, however, and it was not until the 1960s that the Vespers, as they became popularly known, were widely heard. The first commercial Russian recording was made in 1965 and was only available to the export market. An indication of the work’s popularity is that there have been more than 40 recordings made since that date. The Vigil is celebrated before major Feast Days and on Saturday evenings. In the traditional Vigil there are 12 parts, to which Rachmaninov added a further three of his own (numbers 12, 13, and 14). As is usual, some of the parts are omitted. Vestchernya – Vespers 1. The work begins with a fourfold call to prayer, in six and then eight parts. Priidite, poklonimsya Tsarevi nashemu Bogu. Come, let us worship God, our King. Priidite, poklonimsya i pripadem Khristu Tsarevi Come let us worship and fall down before Christ, our nashemu Bogu. King and our God. Priidite, poklonimsya i pripadem Samomu Khristu Come, let us worship and fall down before the very Tsarevi i Bogu nashemu. Christ, our King and our God. Priidite, poklonimsya i pripadem Emu. Come, let us worship and fall down before him. 3. The text of this movement comes from Psalm 1, the verses alternating with Alliluya (alleluia). The verses are mainly sung by middle voices (alto and tenor) and the refrain by the full choir. Blazhen muzh, izhe ne ide na sovet nechestivykh. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of Alliluya. the wicked. Alleluia. Yako vest Gospod put pravednykh, i put For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but the nechestivykh pogibnet. Alliluya. way of the wicked will perish. Alleluia. Rabotaite Gospodevi so strakhom i raduitesya Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice in him with Emu s trepetom. Alliluya. trembling. Alleluia. Blazheni vsi nadeysushchisya Nan. Alliluya. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Arise, O Voskresni, Gospodi, spasi mya, Bozhe moy. Lord! Save me, O my God! Alleluia. Alliluya. Salvation is of the Lord; and thy blessing is upon thy Gospodene est spaseniye, i na lyudekh Tvoikh people.