An “ideal summer’s evening musical treat”

An “ideal summer’s evening musical treat” is the promise with The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell, performed by East Sussex Bach Choir at Lewes Town Hall on Saturday, June 6, starting at 7pm.

Spokeswoman Val Davies said: “Composed in 1692, the work was described as a semi-operatic Restoration Spectacular based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written to celebrate the wedding anniversary of King William III and Queen Mary II.

“The Fairy Queen does not exactly follow Shakespeare’s play but links it to late seventeenth-century theatrical conventions, including several instrumental interludes and dances. Written towards the end of Purcell’s short life (he died in 1695 aged just 36), this work includes some of Purcell’s finest writing for both voices and instruments. The original score was lost after Purcell’s death and only rediscovered in the early twentieth century at a time when interest in Baroque music was exploding.

“The East Sussex Bach Choir will be joined in this performance by three soloists who are all members of the world-renowned vocal ensemble The Sixteen: soprano Alexandra Kidgell, tenor Mark Dobell and bass Ben Davies.

“Other soloists are Olivia Upton (soprano) and Alex Mottram (alto), continuing the Bach Choir’s initiative to encourage young singers at the start of their careers. The instrumentalists are members of the Baroque Collective, led by Alison Bury. The performance will be directed by East Sussex Bach Choir’s music director John Hancorn.”

Tickets for this concert are available from eastsussexbachchoir.org. There is free entry for accompanied under 16-year-olds.

The East Sussex Bach Choir is mainly based in Lewes.

“The ESBC is part of (our) cultural landscape, contributing through the engagement and commitment of its singers and by giving audiences the opportunity to hear both well-known works and some less well-known works that may deserve to be better known.

“The choir was formed in 1986 and since then has performed well over 100 concerts in Lewes, Brighton and East Sussex and occasionally further afield. We perform with leading professional soloists and are regularly accompanied by The Baroque Collective, led by Alison Bury, an ensemble of period instrument players who provide an incomparable part of our performances.

“The choir’s aim is to perform a varied repertoire to a very high standard, and professional soloists and orchestral players bring experience and excellence to our performances. The ESBC usually follows the practice of historically-informed performance, getting as close as possible to the composer’s original intention. While the choir’s repertoire certainly includes the works of JS Bach, it is by no means limited to these.”