Hastings Philharmonic Choir offer two masterpieces

The concert takes place at Christ Church, Silchester Road, St Leonards on Saturday, November 9 starting at 7pm. Tickets are on sale via the choir’s website (www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk) or at the Bookkeeper, 1A Kings Road, St Leonards, priced at £22.50/£18/£13.50. Students, under-18s, jobseekers and universal credit £5.50/free.

The concert will be conducted by HPC musical director Marcio da Silva. The soloists are Hollie-Anne Clark (soprano), Nathan Mercieca (alto), Leonel Pinheiro (tenor) and Jack Lawrence-Jones (bass).

Spokesman Gareth Simpsonn said: “Although recognised during his lifetime as one of the most innovative, influential and prolific of baroque composers, having composed over 600 concerti and many vocal works, Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) slipped into obscurity after his death until his music was revived in the mid-20th century. The Gloria in D, RV589, is one of three Gloria settings made by Vivaldi, of which only two survive. It had its first modern performance, in a version prepared by Alfredo Casella, during Vivaldi Week in Siena in 1939. Since then, its rhythmic drive, sparkling orchestration and an expressive range encompassing both joyful choral writing and lyrical, tender solo passages, have ensured its continuing popularity with choirs and audiences alike.

“The Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) is perhaps best known for the significant role that he played in the development of the string quartet and the symphony. He also composed very fine choral music, such that the Missa in Augustiis (Mass for Troubled Times) is regarded by some as his greatest single composition. Written in 1798, it is one of six late masses by Haydn. What the composer did not know when he wrote the mass, but what he and his audience heard, perhaps on September 15, the day of the very first performance, was that on August 1, Napoleon had been dealt a stunning defeat in the Battle of the Nile by British forces led by Admiral Horatio Nelson. Because of this coincidence, the mass gradually acquired the nickname Nelson Mass.”

Gareth added: “Hastings Philharmonic Choir can trace its beginnings back to 1928 when the organist at the Wellington Square Baptist Church merged his choir, the Wellington Square Choral Society, with the St Mary in the Castle Centenary church to celebrate the centenary of St Mary in the Castle with a performance of the Messiah. The concert was so successful that it was repeated the following year and there began a highly successful Town Choir that Hastings Borough Council was pleased to promote, alongside the prestigious Hastings Municipal Orchestra for the traditional Good Friday performances of the Messiah at its newly built White Rock Pavilion. So nearly 100 years later, under its musical director, Marcio da Silva, the Hastings Philharmonic Choir has established itself as one of the foremost choirs in the area, thrilling audiences and critics alike with performances to rival those of many professional ensembles.

“Revolving around the major choral works of the baroque to romantic periods, the choir’s wide-ranging repertoire extends also to classics of the twentieth century. Concerts in recent years have included works by Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Brahms, Verdi, Orff, Britten and Lauridsen.

“This friendly choir is always happy to welcome new members, who enjoy singing and who can follow written-down music, and the best way of finding out if Hastings Philharmonic Choir is for you is to visit one or more of our weekly rehearsals. If you would like to do this, send us an email and we will be delighted to see you – [email protected].”