BUNGAY CHORAL SOCIETY

120th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
St Mary’s Church, Bungay. Saturday, May 17th 2008, 7.30pm

When the Rev. R Sneyd called a meeting about forming ‘a society for the cultivation of vocal and instrumental music in Bungay’ in October, 1888, the small talk would almost certainly have been about death. Jack the Ripper had just committed his 4th murder, while Edward Lear; the poet Matthew Arnold, and Louisa May Alcott, the famous author of ‘Little Women’ had recently died.

1888 seems to have been remarkable year altogether. Not only did Jack the Ripper commit his murders, and Van Gogh cut off his own ear, but Maurice Chevalier; Groucho Marx; Irving Berlin, TS Eliot, Raymond Chandler; Will Hay and Lawrence of Arabia – and The Bungay Choral Society- were all born in 1888. The Bungay Choral Society has outlived them all.

Little could Rev Sneyd have dreamed that 120 years later his ‘ambition’ would be regularly presenting at least three concerts a year, crowned by a magnificent performance on May 17th, 2008 in St Mary’s Church, Bungay, to celebrate its anniversary. Or that it would be performing Fauré’s ‘Requiem’ which, coincidentally, was being composed at exactly the time that the Bungay Choral Society was founded.

The anniversary concert will also feature John Rutter’s exuberant, flamboyant, and strongly contrasting, ‘Gloria’. There will also be shorter works by the two composers, and César Franck. As usual, the performance will be both videoed and recorded, with CDs and DVDs available after the concert.

Soloists will be Lucy Harvey (soprano), and Frazer Scott (baritone), both making a welcome return. It will be a very special night for Lucy Harvey as she comes from Bungay

The singers will be accompanied by a full orchestral ensemble; the well loved Tim Patient, who is the chairman of the Norfolk Society of Organists, and frequently plays with the Society, and the choir of Bungay Primary School.

Lucy Harvey has a choral scholarship with St. Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham; and currently is working in association with the Birmingham-based choir Ex Cathedra and the Birmingham Conservatoire Choir. Her operatic roles include Barbarina and the Countess in Mozart’s ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ and Cis in Britten’s ‘Albert Herring’.

Frazer Scott has performed in many prestigious concert halls, such as the Adrian Boult Hall and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. He currently sings with the Birmingham Conservatoire, and has recently completed a highly successful tour of the Czech Republic

Harvey Rathbone, Honorary Conductor, has worked with many leading British choral groups such as the BBC Singers, The London Sinfonietta Chorus, London Voices, St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir and Westminster Abbey Choir. He has an active involvement in The British & International Federation of Festivals for Music Dance & Speech, which he combines with teaching in East Anglia; adjudicating; giving workshops and master classes at festivals around the British Isles.

The Bungay Choral Society which at one time, even had its own orchestra, has, apart from the war years, performed continuously since its inception. Whilst performances have been both varied and spectacular, summed up by the title of one concert – ‘From Baroque to the Beatles,’ the Society specialises in magnificent religious works, with recent performances including Stainer’s ‘Crucifixion’; Beethoven’s ‘Mass in C ; John Rutters ’Requiem’ and Haydn’s ‘Creation’.

On October 11th 2008, the Society will be presenting Rossini’s ‘La Petite Messe Solennelle’ followed by Vaughan William’s “Fantasia on Christmas Carols’ on December 6th at Holy Trinity Church

The Rev’d Sneyd would have been proud!!

VENUE
St Mary’s Church, Bungay

DATE
Saturday, May 17th, 7.30pm

TICKETS
Adults £7.00, accompanied school children free

ON SALE
from Wightmans of Bungay or TEL: 01986 894132
or, if unsold, AT THE DOOR from 6.45pm