Hastings Philharmonic Choir offer two masterpieces
Hastings Philharmonic Choir will perform two masterpieces, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and Verdi’s contemporaneous Quattro Pezzi Sacri (Four Sacred Pieces), accompanied by the Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra.
The concert takes place at Christ Church, Silchester Road, St Leonards on Saturday, July 13 starting at 7pm. Tickets are on sale via the choir’s website (www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk) or at the Bookkeeper, Kings Road, St Leonards, priced at £22/£17.50/£13. Students, under 18s, JSA and universal credit claimants £5/free.
The concert will be conducted by the HPC musical director Marcio da Silva with leading soloist Anthony Flaum (tenor) and Marcio himself (baritone).
Choir spokesman Gareth Simpson said: “Both composers are better known for their operatic works than these religious pieces, and there is an operatic nature to both works: the lyrical quality of the Puccini, with its long-breathed melodic lines, and the dramatic nature of the Verdi, which its contrasts of hushed, reflective music with vivid outbursts reminiscent of his Requiem.
“This is the centenary year of Puccini’s death and the Messa di Gloria was written as his graduation exercise in 1880 before he became the renowned operatic composer of his generation. In contrast Verdi’s Quattro Pezzi Sacri dates from late in his life when he returned reflectively to his roots as a church musician.
“Messa di Gloria had its first performance in 1880 but Puccini never published the full manuscript, and it was not performed again until 1952 in Chicago then Naples. The pieces of Quattro Pezzi Sacri were each composed separately by Verdi over a period of ten years and then published together in 1898 just a few years before his death in 1901.”
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].”