Tuesday 29 July 2014

Festival Worship 2014

Sunday 3rd August

10.30 Eucharist: "I'm not a religious man"
Communion Service Collegium Regale- Howells
Mine eyes for beauty pine- Howells
Let all mortal flesh keep silence- Bairstow
Our Festival Worship opens with Howells monumental service for Kings College, Cambridge, a firm fixture in Anglican music lists, and Bairstow’s dramatic anthem - a firm fixture in St. John’s!

6.00 Evensong: "A victim of 4 o’clock dinners..."
Evening Canticles in D minor - Walmisley
How lovely are the messengers- Mendelssohn
Cathedral Fugue in E flat- Attwood
Walmisley, born 200 years ago was organist of both St. John’s & Trinity Colleges in Cambridge, and is best known for his Evening service. Music of his godfather, Thomas Attwood, also features.

Sunday 10 August

9.30 Matins: “I like it, my boy”
Te Deum in G- Vaughan Williams
Jubilate (Collegium Regale)- Howells
And I saw a new heaven- Bainton
Stanford’s influence as heard through his pupils’ music including more of Howells’ service and Bainton’s famous anthem

10.30 Eucharist: "A German Italian"
Missa Bell’ Amfrit alltera a 8- di Lasso
Adoramus te, Christe- di Lasso
Laudate, pueri, Dominum - Hassler
Hassler’s 450th anniversary marked with polychoral music from the height of the Renaissance.

6.00 Evensong: “captivatingly enjoyable”
Magnificat & Nunc dimittis- Mathias
Lift up your heads- Mathias
Toccata giocosa- Mathias
A major figure in 20th century music, Welsh composer William Mathias would have been 80 this year.

9.30 Matins: "Rhythm & Harmony"
Te Deum- Alan Smith
Jubilate- Howard Helvey
I will sing with the spirit- Goodenough
Both the elements in the title abound is this service of recent music. Smith’s Te Deum was premiered by St Johns, and the Jubilate was composed only last year.

Sunday 17th August

10.30 Eucharist: "A Farewell to Salzburg"
Missa Solemnis et brevis K337- Mozart
Laudate Dominum (Verspers)- Mozart
Epistle Sonata K336- Mozart
Mozart’s final mass and kirchensonate for Salzburg Cathedral, an intriguing mix of expected froth and old school counterpoint,  with his famous aria from the Vespers.

6.00 Evensong: "Eine Deutsche Liturgie"
Meine Seele erhebt- Schütz
Herr, nun lassest- Franck
Singet dem Herr nein neues Leid- Schütz
Setting of the Evensong canticles from the German Baroque; Schütz’s music is full of word painting and energy, inspired by the cori spezzati tradition of Venice.

Sunday 24th August

9.30 Matins: "Tudor church music"
Te Deum- Thomas Causton
Jubilate, 5th service- Thomas Tomkins
Ecce vicit Leo- Peter Philips
If you’re a fan of the ‘Golden Age’ of English choral music then look no further than this service! Tomkins’ studied jagged rhythms contrast with Philips’ flair

10.30 Eucharist: "A Little Knight Music"
Cantus Missae- Rheinberger
Ave verum- Rheinberger
Finale- Rheinberger
Despite his rejection of the Cecilian movement, Pope Leo XIII awarded Rheinberger the Knight’s Cross of the Order of St Gregory for his glorious 8-part mass.

6.00 Evensong 
Magnificat primi toni- Victoria
Nunc dimittis a 8- Palestrina
Mihi autem nimis- Palestrina
One of only two settings of the Magnificat by Victoria that sets that entire canticle, featuring an unusual double choir format.

Sunday 31st August

9.30 Matins: "Choral favourites!"
Te Deum in F- John Ireland
Jubilate in A- Stanford
Let all the world- Vaughan Williams
Another look at the influence of Stanford: one of John Ireland’s best known choral works, the Te Deum, is paired with Vaughan Williams’ paean of praise

10.30 Eucharist: Polak, Węgier - dwa bratanki
Missa Brevis- Kodaly
Deus, Deus meus- R. Panufnik
Bridal Train- Panufnik
To mark Andrzej Panufnik’s centenary a celebration of Hungary and Poland’s  friendship featuring Kodaly’s extraordinary Mass and R. Panufnik’s haunting motet

6.00 Evensong: "Voice and Verse"
Evening Canticles in A- Stanford
Blest pair of sirens- Parry
The grand finale to our Festival Worship:  Stanford’s large-scale Evening Canticles, originally sung by 300 singers and orchestra, and Parry’s monumental ode to ‘Singing everlastingly’!