POLYMNIA (John Byron Director)
Daniella Ganeva (Marimba) Graham Instrall/Andrew Martin (percussion)
DRUMS & VOICES – A CELEBRATION OF WORLD MUSIC
| PURCELL: Hear my Prayer WHITACRE: Sleep MENDELSSOHN: Hear my Prayer HATFIELD: Living in a holy city HOGAN: Hear my Prayer DUBRA: Oratio PIAZOLLA: Verano Porteño NAPLAN: Al shlosha D’ Varim UOKALANI: Ahe Lau Makani Plus Spirituals/Gospel Songs/Traditional Music |  |
The dynamic and versatile vocal group Polymnia, under the spirited direction of John Byron, has established a notable reputation. Its repertoire ranges from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary works and music from various national and folk traditions. The first half of tonight's programme of World Music draws on the Western Christian tradition in works from the UK, USA, Canada and Latvia. Richard Dubra's 'Oratio' is accompanied by world-class marimba player Daniella Gavena, who commissioned the piece. The second half features secular traditional music from Africa, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Peru, accompanied by traditional percussion instruments in the hands of expert performers.
Tickets: £10 (conc £9.50, child £2)
Thursday 10th June 7.45pm
| JUN ISHIMURA (piano) BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata in E major, Op 109 CHOPIN: Mazurkas, Op 33 CHOPIN: Etudes, Op 10, Nos 8-12 SCRIABIN: Etudes, Op 8 RAVEL: Gaspard de la nuit |  |
Admission £8.50 (conc £8, child £2) at the door
Sunday 13th June 6pm
CHORAL EVENSONG FOR SEASON OF PENTECOST & THE HOLY TRINITY
THE CHOIR OF THE CITY CHURCH directed by Adrian Boynton
Freewill offering
Monday 14th June 7.45pmMUSICAL MILESTONES: 75th Birthday Celebrations
MAXWELL DAVIES (1934- ) NICHOLAS MAW (1935- )
HARRISON BIRTWISTLE (1934 - )
A talk illustrated with fine CD recordings by Adrian Boynton
Tonight we pay birthday tributes to three of our most prominent British composers. Peter Maxwell Davies, like Britten, has enjoyed writing for particular performers, and his wide-ranging imagination has devised striking sounds and textures much inspired by the Orkney Islands where he has made his home. Nicholas Maw is perhaps our finest 'modern romantic' whose music, while contemporary in some of its procedures, remains attached to traditional forms and outlook. Birtwistle's early works were stark and ritual in form and expression, but he has gradually developed a more organic technique in which ideas grow and evolve, marked by a genuine lyrical impulse and strong poetic feeling.
Admission £4 (student £1) at the door
Friday 18th June - 9pm to Saturday 19th June 9pm
THE HOURS: A 24 hour collage of sound and live performance from
THE CLERKS (director Edward Wickham) with
THE CHOIRS OF THE CITY CHURCH (director Adrian Boynton)
“The Clerks… one of the most inventive music groups around” [Musical Opinion]
Building on the considerable success in 2008 of their innovative concert programme In Memoria, The Clerks present The Hours – a sound installation that breaks all the usual concert rules by lasting 24 hours. People are often familiar with the sacred music and daily devotions of their own culture or religious upbringing – the celebration of mass, the call to prayer. But how many have experienced the many other hourly rituals of faith and meditation that take place throughout the day across the globe? The Hours brings together these devotional hours from across nations and faiths by highlighting the musical forms these devotions take. Combining pre-recorded and live music, its multi-voiced soundscape reveals some surprising links between different religions as well as celebrating the wonderful diversity of the world's many faiths. Incorporating prayers and meditations that may be recorded during the presentation itself, the performance thus evolves as the hours go by.
The outline of the presentation is as follows:
Friday 9pm: ‘The Hours’ opens with COMPLINE sung by the Choir of the City Church
Friday 9.30pm: The Pre-recorded ‘panels’ begin, connected by recitation of the Psalms and the polyphony of Tavener, Sheppard and other Renaissance masters
Friday Midnight: Church closes, but ‘The Hours’ continues ‘symbolically’ through the small hours
Saturday 8am: Church opens as ‘The Hours’ continues to evolve
Saturday 9am–11.30: Pre-recorded panels alternate with live presentations by members of faith communities in Milton Keynes
Saturday 12.00: LUNCHTIME PRESENTATION OF RENAISSANCE and CONTEMPORARY CHORAL REPERTOIRE by The New English Singers and Choir of the City Church, directed by Adrian Boynton
Admission £5 (conc £4.50, child £1) at the door
Saturday 1.30pm-4.30: More pre-recorded panels, interspersed with live presentations from local faith communities
Saturday 5.30pm: ‘The Hours’ is incorporated into regular Saturday Mass, with Renaissance polyphony for Introit, Offertory, Communion and Recessional
Saturday 7pm – 9pm FINAL PRESENTATION by THE CLERKS. As the final panel takes its course, live elements will be introduced and coalesce into a full performance of TAVENER’S MISSA GLORIA TIBI TRINITAS
Tickets for final presentation £15 (conc £10) Available through the usual ways of booking or The National Centre for Early Music 01904 651485, www.ncem.co.uk (Admission at other times free – except lunchtime
concert). More details of contributions from MK faith communities will be posted from mid May.
Thursday 24th June 7.45pm
EXPLORING MUSIC: 20th Century Masters
KODALY (1882-1967)
A talk illustrated with fine CD recordings by Adrian Boynton
“If I were to name the composers whose works are the most perfect embodiment
of the Hungarian spirit I would answer, Kodaly.” [Bartok].
While Bartok travelled in Europe, Kodaly remained in Hungary and continued his
preoccupation with nationalistic folk elements. Perhaps because of this his style is
more tonally orientated then Bartok's, and possesses far greater melodic orientation.
Wonderful choral works and songs dominate his output, including 'Psalms
Hungaricus' (written for the 50th anniversary of the unification of Buda and Pest),
Budavasi Te Deum, Missa Brevis, and the extended motet 'Jesus and the Traders', a
veritable masterpiece. His finest orchestral works include 'Peacock Variations',
Concerto for Orchestra, Symphony in C, the famous 'Harry Janos' Suite (extracted
From the opera), and brilliant 'Dances of Galanta' Chamber works feature two
string quartets and an epic Sonata for Solo Cello.
Admission £4 (student £1) at the door
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