2010 - sping concert - barclays house choir
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Barclays House Choir
Musical Director James Grocott Chairman David Cooke web site http: //www.bhchoir.org.uk
email chairman@bhchoir.org.uk
with
The St Peter's Orchestra Leader Andrew Foot
And
Jacqueline Foan - Soprano
Colin Howard - Tenor
Andrew Foan - Bass
Conducted by
James Grocott
at
St Peter's Parkstone Poole Rector - Canon Nigel LLoyd
In association with
Barclays Bank Arts Council
Saturday
8th May 2010
7:30pm
Franz Joseph
Haydn
The
Seasons
Sugar H ill , W areham Forest. Dorset
Photo t aken by and copyright W AVP L imit ed
Franz Joseph Haydn 31st March 1732 Rohrau, Austria 31st May 1809 - Vienna, Austria
Haydn w as born in Rohrau, Austria son of Mathias Haydn, a
wheelw right w ho also served as the village mayor. Neither
of his parents could read music; how ever, Mathias w as an
enthusiastic folk musician, w ho had taught himself to play
the harp.
Haydn's parents had noticed that their son w as musically
gifted and knew that in Rohrau he w ould have no chance to
obtain any serious musical training. It w as for this reason
that they accepted a proposal from their relative Johann
Matthias Frankh, the schoolmaster and choirmaster in
Hainburg, that Haydn be apprenticed to Frankh in his home
to train as a music ian. Haydn therefore w ent w ith Frankh to
Hainburg (seven miles aw ay) and never again lived w ith his parents. He w as six years old.
Life in the Frankh household w as not easy for Haydn, how ever, he did begin his musical training there, and
soon w as able to play both harps ichord and violin as w ell as singing in the church choir.
His musical talent w as soon brought to the attention of Georg von Reutter, the director of music in St.
Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. Haydn passed an audit ion w ith Reutter, and in 1740 moved to Vienna,
where he w orked for the next nine years as a chorister.
He w as instructed in Latin and other school subjects as w ell as voice, violin, and keyboard. Reutter w as of
litt le help to Haydn in the areas of music theory and composit ion, giving him only tw o lessons in his entire
time as chorister. How ever, since St. Stephen's w as one of the leading musical centres in Europe, Haydn
was able to learn a great deal simply by serving as a professional musician there.
Dur ing the follow ing years, Haydn w orked at many different jobs: as a music teacher, as a street
serenader, and eventually, in 1752, as valet - accompanist for the Italian composer Nicola Porpora, from
whom he later said he learned " the true fundamentals of composit ion".
As his skills increased, Haydn began to acquire a public reputation, f irst as the composer of an opera, Der
krumme Teufel "The Limping Devil", w ritten for the comic actor Johann Joseph Felix Kurz, w hose stage
name w as "Bernardon". The w ork w as premiered successfully in 1753, but w as soon closed dow n by the
censors. Haydn also noticed, apparently w ithout annoyance, that w orks he had simply given aw ay w ere
being published and sold in local music shops. Betw een 1754 and 1756 Haydn also w orked freelance for
the court in Vienna. He w as among several musicians w ho w ere paid for services as supplementary
musicians at balls given for the imperial children during carnival season, and as supplementary singers in
the imperial chapel in Lent and Holy Week.
With the increase in his reputation, Haydn eventually w as
able to obtain aristocratic patronage, crucial for the career
of a composer in his day. Countess Thun, having seen
one of Haydn's composit ions, summoned him and
engaged him as her singing and keyboard teacher. In
1756, Baron Carl Josef Fürnberg employed Haydn at his
country estate, Weinzierl, w here the composer w rote his f irst string quartets. Fürnberg later recommended Haydn
to Count Morzin, w ho, in 1757, became his f irst full time
employer.
Haydn's job tit le under Count Morzin w as Kapellmeister,
that is, music director. He led the count's small orchestra and w rote his f irst symphonies for this ensemble. In 1760,
w ith the security of a Kapellmeister posit ion, Haydn
married. How ever, Haydn and his w ife had a completely
unhappy marriage, from w hich the law s of the time
permitted them no escape; and they produced no
children.
Count Morzin soon suffered f inancial reverses that forced him to dismiss his musical establishment, but
Haydn w as quickly offered a similar job (1761) as Vice Kapellmeister to the Esterházy family, one of the
wealthiest and most important in the Austrian Empire.
As a "house off icer" in the Esterházy establishment, Haydn w ore livery and follow ed the family as they moved among their various palaces, including a grand new palace built in rural Hungary in the 1760s.
Haydn had a huge range of responsibilit ies, including composit ion, running the orchestra, playing
chamber music for and w ith his patrons, and eventually the mounting of operatic productions.
Dur ing the nearly thirty years that Haydn w orked at the Es terházy court, he produced a f lood of
compositions, and his musical style continued to develop. His popularity in the outside w orld also increased as Haydn came to w rite as much for publication as for his employer. Haydn also gradually
came to feel more isolated and lonely, particular ly as the court came to spend most of the year far from
Vienna. Haydn particularly longed to vis it Vienna because of his friendships there.
One friend in Vienna w as Wolfgang A madeus Mozart, w hom Haydn met sometime around 1784. The
tw o composers occasionally played in string quartets together. Haydn w as hugely impressed w ith Mozart's w ork and praised it unstintingly to others. Mozart evidently returned the esteem, as seen in his
dedication of a set of six quartets, now called the "Haydn" quartets, to his friend.
In 1790, Prince Nikolaus died and w as succeeded by a thoroughly unmusical prince w ho dismissed the
entire musical establishment and put Haydn on a pens ion. Freed of his obligations, Haydn w as able to accept a lucrative offer from Johann Peter Salomon, a German impresario, to visit England and conduct
new symphonies w ith a large orchestra.
The v isits w ere a huge success. Audiences f locked to concerts; Haydn augmented his fame and made
large profits, thus becoming f inancially secure. Musically, the visits to England generated some of
Haydn's best-know n w orks, including the Surprise, Military, Drumroll, and London symphonies, the Rider quartet, and the "Gypsy Rondo" piano tr io.
Betw een visits, Haydn taught Ludw ig van Beethoven. Beethoven found him unsatisfactory as a teacher
and sought help from others; the relationship betw een the tw o was sometimes rather tense.
Haydn returned to Vienna in 1795, moved into a large house in the suburb of Gumpendorf, and turned
to the composit ion of large w orks for chorus and orchestra. These include his tw o great oratorios (The
Creation and The Seasons) and six masses for the Eszterházy family, w hich by this time w as once
again headed by a musically-inclined prince. Haydn also composed instrumental music: the popular
Trumpet Concerto and the last nine in his long series of string quartets, including the Fifths, Emperor,
and Sunrise quartets.
In 1802, an illness from w hich Haydn had been suffering for some time had increased in severity to the
point that he became physically unable to compose. Haydn w as w ell cared for by his servants, and he
received many visitors and public honours during his last years, but they could not have been very
happy years for him. During his illness, Haydn often found solace by sitt ing at the piano and playing
Gotterhalte Franz den Kaiser, w hich he had composed himself as a patr iotic gesture in
1797. This melody later w as used for the
Austrian and German national anthems.
Haydn died at the end of May in 1809, shortly
after an attack on Vienna by the French army under Napoleon. He w as 77. Among his last
words was his attempt to calm and reassure
his servants w hen cannon shot fell in the
neighbourhood. "My children, have no fear, for
where Haydn is, no harm can fall." Tw o w eeks
later, a memorial service w as held in the
Schottenkirche on June 15, 1809, at w hich
Mozart's Requiem w as performed.
Haydn made a fortune from his composit ion,
and at his death left a net estate of over
10,000 f lor ins, hundreds of times the median
estate of a composer in Vienna at that t ime,
and placed solidly in the upper-middle c lass.
Haydn’s House in Vienna (Now a museum)
Jacqueline Foan (Soprano)
Jacqueline commenced her career in Musical Theatre singing various roles from the classics to modern
day musicals. While w orking w ith Shannon Her itage in Bunratty Castle she w as aw arded a bursary to further her singing studies. This bursary enabled Jacqueline to study in the Leinster Opera Studio under
Dr. Veroica Dunne, performing Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro);
Nor ina (Don Pasquale); Adina (L’Elisir D’Amore) and Johanna
(Sw eeney Todd). Jacqueline has sung w ith English National Opera,
Opera Ireland, Br itish Youth Opera, Opera Unlimited and Surrey
Opera.
Roles have included Cupid (Orpheus and the Underw orld), Despina
(Cos ì fan tutte), Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Zerlina (Don
Giovanni), 1st Nymph (Rusalka) 1st Boy (The Magic Flute), Mabel &
Edith (The Pirates of Penzance), Katie (The Student Pr ince). Television and radio credits inc lude soloist for The Late Late Show
(R.T.E. Ireland) Gay Byrne Hour (R.T.E. Ireland) and Theatre Nights
(R.T.E. Ireland).
In Oratorio Jacqueline has performed principal soprano in Rossini’s
Petite Messe Solennelle, Bach’s B Minor Mass, Fauré’s Requiem,
Handel’s Messiah, Hadyn’s Creation, Car l Orff ’s Carmina Burana,
Brahms’ Requiem, Rutter’s Mass of the Children and Jenkin’s
Requiem. Jacqueline also runs a singing teaching practice in Corfe
Mullen, Wimborne w ith her husband, Andrew .
Colin Howard (Tenor)
Colin How ard studied piano w ith Angus Morrison, conducting w ith Vernon Handley, cello w ith Hervey
Phillips and s inging pr ivately w ith Caroline Friend at the Royal
College of Music w here he w as a post-graduate scholar as a
conductor (Bonner Scholarship and Adrian Boult Pr ize) and
Pres ident of the Student Union. He w as a boy chorister at Exeter College & Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and has sung w ith
many cathedral, church and chamber choirs since, notably
Salisbury and Winchester Cathedral choirs, including tours to
Germany, South Africa and the United States.
Colin has been Director of Mus ic at Highgate, Canford and The Purcell School; he w as a member of the music staff at Winchester
College and St Mary’s School, Calne. Conducting posts have
included the Finchley Children’s Music Group, chorus -master to
Chelsea Opera Group, The Guildford Singers, The Holst Singers &
Bournemouth Bach Choir. He directed the Orchestra of the Sw an
and the Tw o Moors Festival Chorus at the opening concert of the
Festival last October in Exeter Cathedral. He has performed at the
Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room and Snape Malt ings (in
the Aldeburgh Festival) and has directed the f irst performance of
new choral w orks by Nicholas Maw , John Rutter, Robert Spearing and John Tavener. Work as an accompanist has included recitals w ith Thomas Hems ley, Stephen
Isserlis, John Noble and Jan Peter Schmolck.
As tenor soloist his recent engagements have included Monteverdi’s Vespers for the Paragon Singers in
Bath and Tippett ’s cycle, The Heart’s Assurance w ith the pianist Anna Roberts for both the Corsham and
Salisbury Festivals in 2005. For the 50th anniversary of Finz i’s death in 2006, he performed all of Finzi’s cycles for tenor voice w ith the pianist Duncan Honeybourne in Weymouth. In addition to his w ork as
Musical Director of the Farrant Singers, he is conductor of the Corsham Choral Society and chorus -
master of the Tw o Moors Festival. He is w ell-know n as an adjudicator and examiner and is Musical
Director of the National Chamber Music Course.
Haydn - The Seasons Shortly after his return to the Esterházy court, Haydn w as
commissioned by Baron Gottfried van Sw ieten to compose a new
oratorio based upon the Baron’s ow n German trans lation of portions
of John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Haydn accepted the commission and led the f irst performance of The Creation in Vienna in April
1798. The w ork proved to be immensely popular w ith audiences,
both at home and throughout Europe, and van Sw ieten w ished to
capitalize upon the w ork’s success. Almost immediately, he
approached Haydn w ith a proposal for a second oratorio, this t ime
to be based upon van Sw ieten’s rendering of James Thomson’s
epic poem, The Seasons. Haydn began w ork on the score in 1799,
and the f irst public performance w as given in Vienna in April 1801.
The new oratorio w as published almost immediately by the Leipzig
f irm of Breitkopf & Härtel, and, like The Creation, soon came to be admired by audiences and
performers across Europe.
The name of the Scott ish poet James Thomson (1700-1748) is less
well-know n today, but in the eighteenth century, his 4300 line poem,
The Seasons, w as translated into many languages and quickly became
an international bestseller. The poem focuses mainly upon the
relationship betw een human beings and a natural w orld regulated by
the all-pervading presence of God. In translating Thomson’s English
into German, van Sw ieten maintained much of Thomson’s tone, w hile
paying litt le heed to the more local details of the poem. Van Sw ieten’s text is w idely acknow ledged to be an unfortunate modif ied version of
Thomson’s poem, and many English singing translations have made
attempts to restore some of Thomson’s text. Unfortunately, Haydn w as
not setting Thomson but van Sw ieten, and most of the singing
translations that have tried to “f ix” van Sw ieten result in English
equivalents that are incredibly aw kw ard to sing. The new English
translation of the text by Michael Pilkington (published by Novello ISBN
0-7119-8464-6) that w e are using in today’s performance does an
admirable job of minimizing these problems.
James Thomson (1700-1748)
Andrew Foan (Bass)
Andrew ’s recent operatic roles have included Leporello (Don
Giovanni), Zuniga (Carmen), Count Ribbing (Ballo in
Maschera),Sw allow (Peter Grimes), Baron Zeta (The Merry Widow ),
Uberto (La Serva Padrona), Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Sarastro
(The Magic Flute), Angelotti (Tosca), Bonze (Madame Butterf ly) and
Guglielmo (Cos ì fan Tutte) for companies including Scott ish Opera, L’Orchestra di Venezia, Pav ilion Opera and Surrey Opera.
His oratorio performances both in the UK and Italy include Haydn’s
Creation, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle and Stabat Mater,
Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and St John
Passion, Mozart’s Requiem and Fauré’s Requiem. He has also
regularly appeared on the concert platform w ith both the Orchestra di
Venezia and the Orchestra da Camera di Venezia in Venice and the
surrounding region.
Andrew w as a f inalist in last year’s United Kingdom Bayreuth Bursary Wagner competit ion, and has
recently covered James Rutherford in the role of Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
When Andrew is not performing he runs a successful teaching practice Dorset w ith his w ife.
Haydn - The Seasons
SPRING
Introduction and Recitative Recitative - Behold how surly winter flies
Chorus of Country Folk - Come, gentle spring!
Recitative - The farmer now his work has done
Trio and Chorus - Prayer Now be gracious, bounteous heaven
Chorus - Wonderful, powerful, merciful God!
SUMMER
Introduction and Recitative - In misty mantle now draws near
Aria and Recitative - So now the cheerful shepherd goes
Trio with Chorus - And now ascends the sun
Recitative - And ev’ryone now is stirr’d into life
Cavatina - Now nature sinks beneath the weight
Recitative - O see! There rises in the sultry air
Chorus - Ah, the thunderstorm comes near
Trio with Chorus - And now the storm has passed away
INTERVAL
AUTUMN
Introduction and Recitative - What with all its blossoms was promis’d by the Spring
Trio with Chorus - So Nature thus rewards his toil
Recitative - Now on the bare denuded fields
Aria - Look there upon the open field
Recitative - The shining grapes are fully ripe
Chorus - Joho, joho, the wine is here
WINTER
Introduction and Recitative - Now pale, the year begins to fade
Cavatina - Light and life are both enfeebled
Song with Chorus - There was a squire as I’ve heard say
Recitative - From out the East there comes an icy blast
Aria and Recitative - So understand, misguided man
Trio with Double Chorus - Then comes the great and glorious morn
St Peters Orchestra
VIOLINS Andrew Foot (Leader)
Martin Briggs
Barbara Hooper
Piotr Kopec Kathy Bocking
Sandra Parsons
Cathy Beeby
VIOLAS Graham Hancock
Marian Criscuolo
Elizabeth Knight Martin Tomkins
CELLOS Mary Apperley
Hilary Popple
BASS Barry Glynn
FLUTES Roz Trübger
Annabelle Catley
OBOE Jade Othen
Hilary Tointon
CLARINETS Gwenda Malpas
Barry Kinsman
BASSOON Julia Lockett
Tess Maybury
HORNS Ieuan Davis
Ann Thornton Colin Cortney
TRUMPETS Winston Leese
Brian Wright
TROMBONES Phil Humphries
Paul Rycroft
PERCUSSION Rob Vint
HARPSICHORD David Beeby
Tonight’s programme designed and produced by WAVP Limited
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Sopranos
Christine Arnold Jill Bickley Deborah Cooke
Thelma Doody Sylvia Elkins
Ann Hitchcoe Jo Hollis Margaret Lewis
Mary Norrish
Marian Pearce Pamela Spencer Hilary Spillard
Marian Starkey Sally Steadman
Sue Verrall Joan Willis Brenda Woodham
Jenny Wright
Altos
Pat Baker Gillian Blake Isabel Broom
Pam Brown Peggy Brown
Joy Chiari Maureen Clark Daphne Earl
Molly Edwards Sally Elliot Marion Fuge
Jill Goreham Helen Hall Joan Hawkins
Beryl Lenham Isobel McConville
Nita Parke Hazel Potter Michelle Smyth
Vickie Thomas Cheryl Veal Hilary Warner
Tenors
Tony Benson Adrian Butement Dave Cooke
Keith Hollis Eric Lenham
Chris Mahon Roger Owen Adrian Purkiss
Paul Thomas
Basses
Roy Birch Ian Dolman Tony Gatward
Ted Greenway Tony Hartle
Dick Keslake Noel Skerman David Spracklen
Peter Winter
Barclays House Choir
Barclays House Choir
Barclays House Choir, originally named Barclays House Sports
and Social Club Musical Society, was founded following the completion of the new Head Office of Barclays International in Poole, Dorset. The first rehearsal was held on 5 October 1976, when ten singers met to rehearse for a
planned Christmas Concert. Numbers grew and 21 finally took part in the concert held in Barclays House. Since that time membership has widened and now consists of about 70 members drawn from many occupations. Under the musical direction of James (Jim) Grocott, who has led the choir for the last 33 years, the group has performed many of the major choral works including Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Creation, Vivaldi's Gloria and Brahms's Requiem, as well as more modern compositions such as Rutter's Magnificat.
Most of the choir's concerts also involve the 35 strong St Peter's Orchestra, leader Andrew Foot, whose support is always very much appreciated. The choir receives the financial support of the Barclays Bank Arts Council, and all concerts are given with their support and sponsorship. This sponsorship allows us to present the concerts in the format we do. Without this help, such a format would probably not be possible. This continuing support, especially when
Barclays are reducing in size in the area is very much appreciated. If you wish to discuss any aspect relating to the choir or any other matter, please speak to James Grocott (Musical Director) or Dave Cooke (Chairman) or Adrian Purkiss (Treasurer and Webmaster and Managing Director of WAVP Limited). You may also like to visit our website at www.bhchoir.org.uk where you can also
listen to the choir. If you have enjoyed tonight concert then please make a date in your diary. Sunday 12th December 2010 in this Church commencing at 6:30pm “An Evening of Christmas Music with Carols for All” given by the Barclays House Choir and St Peter’s Orchestra. Tickets may be purchased via the internet at www.bhchoir.org.uk from 1st October 2010.
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