Concert marking the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten's death, with the Northampton Philharmonic Choir and Harrogate Choral Society, conducted by Thomas Moore.
Harrogate Choral Society and Northampton Philharmonic Choir are joining forces at St Wilfrid's Church on Saturday 5 December, for a concert marking the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten's death on 4 December 1976. It's a combined effort between the two choirs, and the Harrogate performance is conducted by Thomas Moore, with tenor James Micklethwaite taking the solo part.
The centrepiece is Britten's cantata Saint Nicolas, a vivid, dramatic work that tells the story of the fourth-century saint. It's a substantial piece, built around powerful choruses, lyrical solos, and moments where the audience is invited to join in. Around it, the programme gathers a good cross-section of Britten's choral writing: Rejoice in the Lamb, his setting of Christopher Smart's poetry; the choral work Jubilate in C; the folk-song arrangement Old Abram Brown; and the organ piece Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria, which takes its lead from the sixteenth-century Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria.
There's a bit of history tied to the set, too. Rejoice in the Lamb was commissioned by Walter Hussey, an Anglican patron of the arts, for St Matthew's — the home church of the Northampton Philharmonic Choir. That same choir is performing the work in Northampton on 14 November, conducted by David Lawrence with tenor Eamonn Walsh, before the two choirs come together for the Harrogate date.
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The two choirs were brought together by Thomas Moore, who is Deputy Music Director of Harrogate Choral and Music Director of Northampton Philharmonic Choir. The concert starts at 5:00pm, and tickets are £20 for adults and £5 for students and under 16s.
