Handel - Messiah
Saturday 29th November 1986
Location: St. Andrew and St. George, Stevenage
Programme:
Messiah |
G.F. Handel |
Soloists:
Josephine McNally : |
Soprano |
Angus Davidson : |
Alto |
Mark Padmore : |
Tenor |
Simon Hannigan : |
Bass |
Cilla Dennis : |
Organ |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Stephen Mould
Edward Elgar - Caractacus
Saturday 17th May 1986
Location: Church of St. Andrew and St. George, Stevenage
Programme
Programme:
Caractacus |
Edward Elgar |
Julie Kennard : |
Soprano |
James Griffett : |
Tenor |
Christopher Keyte : |
Instrument |
Christopher Underwood : |
Bass |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
A Gala Concert
Saturday 8th March 1986
Location: Stevenage Leisure Centre, Stevenage
Programme:
Overture to Benvenuto Cellini |
Berlioz |
The Sorceror´s Apprentice |
Paul Dukas |
Polovtsian Dances |
Borodin |
Peter and the Wolf |
Prokofiev |
The Rio Grande |
Constant Lambert |
Grand March from Aida |
Verdi |
Soloists:
Richard Whitmore : |
Narrator (Peter and the Wolf) |
Maureen Neville : |
Mezzo-Soprano |
Michael Payne : |
Piano |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
1985
Haydn - Creation
Saturday 9th November 1985
Location: Church of St. Andrew and St. George, Stevenage
Programme:
The Creation |
Haydn |
Soloists:
Lesley Kitching : |
Soprano |
Alex Page : |
Soprano |
Mark Padmore : |
Tenor |
Charles Gibbs : |
Bass |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
Haydn - Te Deum
Dvorak - Stabat Mater
Saturday 11th May 1985
Location: St. Andrew and St. George, Stevenage
Programme:
Te Deum |
Haydn |
Stabat Mater |
Dvorak |
Soloists:
Una Barry : |
Soprano |
Alison Mary Sutton : |
Contralto |
Peter Bronder : |
Tenor |
Glyn Davenport : |
Bass |
Hitchin Symphony Orchestra
Conductor : Paul Adrian Rooke
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
A Gala Concert
Saturday 2nd February 1985
Location: Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage
NOTE: This concert was only performed by the Symphony Orchestra
1984
Schubert - Mass in A flat
R. Vaughan Williams - Hodie
Saturday 24th November 1984
Location: Church of St. Andrew and St. George, Stevenage
Programme:
Mass in A flat |
Schubert |
Hodie (This Day) |
R. Vaughan Williams |
Soloists:
Geraldine Wells : |
Soprano |
Joyce Ellis : |
Contralto |
Mark Tucker : |
Tenor |
Graham Trew : |
Bass |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
Orff - Carmina Burana
Saturday 19th May 1984
Location: St. George´s Church, Stevenage
Programme:
Intimations of Immortality |
G. Finzi |
Carmina Burana |
Carl Orff |
Soloists:
Charles Corp : |
Tenor |
Moira Knight : |
Soprano |
Peter Hall : |
Tenor |
Robert Carpenter Turner : |
Bass |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
Mahler - Symphony Number 2
Saturday 31st March 1984
Location: Church of St. Andrew and St. George, Stevenage
Symphony No. 2 by Gustav Mahler, known as the Resurrection Symphony, was written between 1888 and 1894, and first performed in 1895. This symphony was one of Mahler's most popular and successful works during his lifetime. It was his first major work that established his lifelong view of the beauty of afterlife and resurrection
It was voted the fifth-greatest symphony of all time in a survey of conductors carried out by the BBC Music Magazine
Programme:
Symphony No. 2 (The Resurrection) |
Gustav Mahler |
Soloists:
Maureen Neville : |
Soprano |
Shirley Minty : |
Contralto |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
1983
J.S. Bach - St. John Passion
Saturday 19th November 1983
Location: St. George´s Church,Stevenage
The Passio secundum Joannem or St John Passion (German: Johannes-Passion), BWV 245, is a Passion or oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, the older of the surviving Passions by Bach. It was written during Bach's first year as director of church music in Leipzig and was first performed on April 7, 1724, at Good Friday Vespers at the St. Nicholas Church.
The work is most often heard today in the 1739–1749 version (never performed during Bach's lifetime). Bach first performed it in 1724 and revised it in 1725, 1732, and 1749, adding several numbers. "O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß", a 1725 replacement for the opening chorus, found a new home in the 1736 St Matthew Passion but several arias from the revisions are found only in the appendices to modern editions.
[Information sourced from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John_Passion]
Programme:
St. John Passion |
J.S. Bach |
Soloists:
Anna Bernardin : |
Soprano |
Richard Cunningham : |
Counter Tenor |
James Griffett : |
Tenor |
Jolyon Dodgson : |
Bass Baritone |
Christopher Underwood : |
Baritone |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
Elgar - Dream of Gerontius
Saturday 21st May 1983
Location: St. George´s Church, Stevenage
The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38, is a work for voices and orchestra in two parts composed by Edward Elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by Saint John Henry Newman. It relates the journey of a pious man's soul from his deathbed to his judgment before God and settling into Purgatory.
The piece is widely regarded as Elgar's finest choral work, and some consider it his masterpiece. The work was composed for the Birmingham Music Festival of 1900; the first performance took place on 3 October 1900, in Birmingham Town Hall. It was badly performed at the premiere, but later performances in Germany revealed its stature.
Programme:
The Dream of Gerontius |
Edward Elgar |
Soloists:
Gwyneth Griffiths : |
Contralto |
Kenneth Bowen : |
Tenor |
Christopher Keyte : |
Baritone |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
1982
Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms
Beethoven - Mass in C
Saturday 20th November 1982
Location: St. George´s Church, Stevenage
Programme:
Cantata No. 70 |
J.S.Bach |
Symphony of Psalms |
Stravinsky |
Mass in C |
Beethoven |
Soloists:
Julie Kennard : |
Soprano |
Jean Temperley : |
Mezzo-Soprano |
Peter Richfield : |
Tenor |
Michael George : |
Bass |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony
Saturday 22nd May 1982
Location: St. George´s Church, Stevenage
Refer to performance on 25 March 2017 for program info on A Sea Symphony.
Programme:
Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage |
Mendelssohn |
Symphonic Poem "Tintagel" |
Arnold Bax |
A Sea Symphony |
R. Vaughan Williams |
Soloists:
Maureen Neville : |
Soprano |
Glyn Davenport : |
Baritone |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
1981
Mendelssohn - St. Paul
Saturday 21st November 1981
Location: St. George´s Church, Stevenage
St. Paul (in German Paulus), Op. 36, is an oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn. The composer oversaw versions and performances in both German and English within months of completing the music in early 1836.
The work was premiered on 22 May 1836 (having been completed in April of that year) at the Lower Rhenish Music Festival in Düsseldorf. The English premiere was in Liverpool on 3 October 1836 in a translation by Mendelssohn's friend, Karl Klingermann.
During Mendelssohn's lifetime, St. Paul was a popular and frequently performed work. Today it is regularly performed in Germany and well disseminated in both of its original languages through an array of complete recordings.
[Info extracted from Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul_(oratorio)]
Programme:
St. Paul |
Mendelssohn |
Soloists:
Angela Bostock : |
Soprano |
Susan Anderson : |
Contralto |
Ronald Murdock : |
Tenor |
William Young : |
Bass |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
Dvorak - Requiem Mass
Saturday 9th May 1981
Location: St. Andrew and St. George's Church, Stevenage
Programme:
Requiem Mass |
Dvorak |
Soloists:
Hilary Thomas : |
Soprano |
Anne Mason : |
Mezzo-Soprano |
James Griffett : |
Tenor |
Norman Welsby : |
Bass |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
1980
Mozart - Coronation Mass
Benjamin Britten - Rejoice in the Lamb
Saturday 13th December 1980
Location: St. George´s Church, Stevenage
The Krönungsmesse (Mass No. 15 in C major, K. 317; sometimes Mass No. 16), composed in 1779, is one of the most popular of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 17 extant settings of the Ordinary of the Mass. It can be classified as either a Missa brevis (short Mass) or a Missa solemnis (fuller Mass) because although it includes all the sections of the Ordinary, it is relatively short.
Rejoice in the Lamb (Op. 30) is a cantata for four soloists, SATB choir, and organ composed by Benjamin Britten in 1943 and based on the poem Jubilate Agno by Christopher Smart (1722–1771). The poem, written while Smart was in an asylum depicts idiosyncratic praise and worship of God by all created beings and things, each in its own way. The cantata was commissioned by the Reverend Walter Hussey for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the consecration of St Matthew's Church, Northampton
Programme:
Coronation Mass, K317 |
Mozart |
Rejoice in the Lamb, Op 30 |
Benjamin Britten |
Welcome, Child of Mary |
Elizabeth Poston |
Soloists:
Angela Beale : |
Soprano |
Gwyneth Griffiths : |
Mezzo Soprano |
Edgar Thomas : |
Tenor |
Malcolm Singer : |
Bass |
Malcolm Hicks : |
Organ |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
Edward Elgar - The Kingdom
Saturday 10th May 1980
Location: St. Andrew's and St. George's Church, Stevenage
The Kingdom, Op. 51, is an English-language oratorio composed in 1906 by Edward Elgar. It was first performed at the Birmingham triennial Music Festival on 3 October 1906, with the orchestra conducted by the composer, and it had been commissioned by the festival. This was The Kingdom, which continues the narrative of the lives of Jesus's disciples (from the preceding work - The Apostles). It depicts the community of the early church, Pentecost, and the events of the next few days.
[Information extracted from wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_(Elgar)]
Programme:
The Kingdom, Op. 51 |
Edward Elgar |
Soloists:
Julie Kennard : |
Soprano (The Blessed Virgin) |
Penelope Walker : |
Contralto (Mary Magdalene) |
Michael Goldthorpe : |
Tenor (St. John) |
Michael George : |
Bass (St. Peter) |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
1979
Bruckner - Te Deum
Saturday 15th December 1979
Location: St. George´s Church
The Te Deum in C major, WAB 45 is a setting of the Te Deum hymn, composed by Anton Bruckner for SATB choir and soloists, orchestra, and organ ad libitum.
Bruckner started work on his Te Deum from 3 to 17 May 1881,[1] when he was finalising his Symphony No. 6. After finishing his next Symphony No. 7, Bruckner resumed work on his Te Deum on 28 September 1883. The vocal and orchestral score was completed on 7 March 1884. The ad lib. organ part was added on a separate score on 16 March 1884. The composer himself called the work "the pride of his life"
The Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), Op. 54, is an orchestrally accompanied choral setting of a poem written by Friedrich Hölderlin and is one of several major choral works written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms began the work in the summer of 1868 at Wilhelmshaven, but it was not completed until May 1871. Schicksalslied is considered to be one of Brahms's best choral works along with Ein Deutsches Requiem.
[Info extracted from Wikipedia pages on the above works]
Programme:
Fantasia on the "Alleluia" Hymn |
Gordon Jacob |
The hymn of Jesus |
Gustav Holst |
Song of Destiny |
Brahms |
Te Deum |
Anton Bruckner |
Soloists:
Stacey Almond : |
Soprano |
Janice Hooper-Roe : |
Contralto |
Anthony Attwell : |
Tenor |
Glyn Davenport : |
Bass |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
Beethoven - Missa Solemnis
Saturday 19th May 1979
Location: St. Andrew's and St. George's Church, Stevenage
Commissioned by Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II to celebrate his wife's name-day in 1807, Beethoven's early Mass in C contains some of the composer's most sublime music for voices. Although his original treatment of the text distressed the Prince at its premiere, the Mass is now regarded as one of Beethoven's most moving works. A wonderful, uplifting piece, the Mass is described by the Penguin Guide to compact discs as "a long underrated masterpiece which has a direct emotional appeal that tugs at the heart and the spirit". The choir will be performing this enduring classic with the North Herts Youth Orchestra who will also perform Mozart’s flute concerto in G K313 with flautist Jamie Head and Schubert’s Symphony No 4 in D Minor, Tragic.
Programme:
Missa Solemnis Op. 123 |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
Soloists:
Iris Dell´Acqua : |
Soprano |
Marie Lloyd Davies : |
Contralto |
James Griffett : |
Tenor |
John Noble : |
Bass |
Stevenage Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Conductor : Peter Wigfield
Stevenage Choral Society
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