Past Concerts

2006-2010

Sunday 27^th June 2010: DIDO AND AENEAS: a concert performance, including the Juniors, of scenes from Purcell's opera (1689), with dramatised readings from Vergil's account in the Aeneid. View the poster and the programme.

Sunday 25^th April 2010: The programme included Claudio Monteverdi Beatus Vir, and Ecco mormorar l'onde and O primavera (five-part madrigals); Samuel Barber Sure on this shining night; Henry Purcell My beloved spake; and a number of poems on the theme of the concert – “Spring awakening - renewal and rebirth”.

Sunday 6^th December 2009: Bach Christmas Oratorio, parts 1 and 3, sung in English. See poster and programme.

Sunday 14^th June 2009: Midsummer concert, with the QP Juniors and the QP Sinfonia, which celebrated four composers who have major anniversaries in 2009: Purcell, born 1659; Handel, died 1759; Haydn, died 1809; Mendelssohn, born 1809. See poster and programme.

Sunday 22^nd February 2009: a concert of Lenten polyphony, including the Josquin Mass Pange Lingua, and Civitas Sancti Tui by Byrd, interspersed with poems. See poster and programme.

Sunday 13^th December 2008: two performances of The Christmas Story by Heinrich Schutz, in a semi-staged production, also involving the Juniors. See the poster and the programme.

Sunday 18^th May 2008: the Spring section from The Seasons by Joseph Haydn, a wonderfully joyous work celebrating the springtime renewal of life. Settings of two e e cummings poems, which David Till wrote in 1980. The choral music was complemented by a Mozart piano concerto (K449) played by the late Geoff Dancer, who has also accompanied Mary Phillips in earlier concerts, using our new piano. See the poster and the programme, and Geoff’s memorial site.

Sunday 26^th November 2007: a concert of Christmas music from Handel’s Messiah, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the church of St Anne and St Andrew (see programme).

20^th May 2007, with the theme of “Creatures” (poster here, and programme here): Britten: Rejoice in the Lamb, a setting of some wonderful words by Christopher Smart. Carnival! - an adaptation of Saint-Saens's Carnival of the Animals, adapted by Gwyn Arch, with words by Jeremy Browne; Taverner: The Lamb; Madrigals, part songs and some Cole Porter, sung by Quintabile – their first public appearance; and various songs sung by the children.

26^th November 2006 - details here - including sacred and secular music by Thomas Tomkins, the last of the composers of the golden age of English choral polyphony, who died 350 years ago. TT has been one of David’s favourite composers for as long as he can remember but we had never done any of his music. We included a couple of verse anthems with viol consort accompaniment, and consort music played by the viols alone.

25^th June 2006 – a Midsummer concert – details here.

23^rd April 2006 - a series of readings and songs to mark the birthday of Shakespeare (details here and poster here).

12^th March 2006 - celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart: Ave verum corpus, Missa brevis in B flat, Symphony 29 (programme here). The Junior Singers also took part.

2000-2005

20^th December 2005 – carols around Queens Park (for the thirtieth year running) – see photographs here (click on the slideshow link).

27^th November 2005 – concert of music for Christmas and the wintry season – see programme here.

17^th April 2005 - Concert to mark the 500^th Anniversary of the birth of Thomas Tallis, including music by Vaughan Williams, Byrd, Gibbons and Wilbye. See full programme here.

25^th July 2004 - St Anne’s Centenary Service. Anton Bruckner: Locus iste (by special request of Fr Fergus), and William Byrd: Laudibus in sanctis.

23^rd May 2004  - a programme of Czech music (flyer here and programme here) Dvorak: Moravian Folk Songs; Janacek: Otcenas (Our Father); Petr Eben: Noc (The Night); and also Janacek's Mladi for wind sextet, and Dvorak's Serenade for Strings.

2^nd November 2003: concert for All Souls Day: the choir sang Victoria's Requiem, with consort music by William Byrd, John Dowland, Orlando Gibbons and Anthony Holborne interpolated between the sections of the requiem (programme here).

18^th May 2003: `Northern Lights' Concert: including music from northern European countries.

The next concert took place on 17^th November 2002 at 6.30pm at St Anne and St Andrew, 125 Salusbury Road, NW6. This was a St Cecilia's Day concert: the programme included Britten `Hymn to St Cecilia', Purcell `Welcome to all the pleasures', and Stravinsky 'Apollon Musagete'; the Junior Singers also took part.

The Singers also made their first trip abroad, to the Abbaye de Mondaye (in Normandy) from 12^th to 18^th August 2002; the idea was to go for a few days of relaxation and gentle work on repertoire for later concerts. We gave a short concert at the end of our stay, and took part in Vespers for the feast of the Assumption (15th August) and for mass on Sunday morning (18th August). Repertoire included: Josquin - Missa sexti toni 'L'homme armé'; Britten - Hymn to St Cecilia; Debussy - Trois chansons de Charles d'Orléans; Josquin - Salve Regina; Schutz - Cantate Domino.

On 27^th April 2002 David Till celebrated his 60th birthday: we presented a concert with the theme 'Sing unto the Lord', with settings in different languages and from different times -- Bach 'Singet dem Herrn', Purcell 'O sing unto the Lord', Schutz 'Cantate Domino', and James Macmillan `A new song'. We were accompanied in the Purcell by Queens Park Strings, who also performed Elgar's `Introduction and Allegro' and Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor with Jane Afia as soloist. There were also arrangements of pieces by Bach for wind trio, beautifully played by Nicholas Murray, Judith Rhoades and Hugh Rosenbaum This concert raised about £1100 for a start-up fund for the choir in its new form as a registered charity.

On 2^nd December 2001 we presented a programme of Advent and Christmas music. This included: Britten Hymn to the Virgin, Kodaly Veni veni Emmanuel, Bruckner Virga Jesse, Peter Maxwell Davies O sacrum convivium, Gibbons This is the record of John, Palestrina Alma remptoris mater, Byrd Rorate coeli desuper. The junior choir also participated, singing O little town of Bethlehem, Gifts by Bob Chilcott, and a Merry Christmas round. There were also pieces for organ, played by Peter Walter and David Till, duets for basses, sung by Cedric Lee and David Till and Tchaikovski's December (the Seasons), played by Martin Keuneman and Sue Clark.

We presented a concert on 20^th May 2001 at the church, including Handel 'My somg shall be alway', Purcell 'Jehovah quam multi sunt hostes mei' and Schutz 'Die mit Traenen saeen'. The programme also included the concerto grosso in F, Op 6 No 2, by Handel, and Martin Keuneman played two movements from a Bach solo violin suite.

Concert with Kaleidoscope Wind Band on 12^th November 2000: this included Bach Lutheran Mass in F; also on the programme were Seascape, by Ruth Gipps, and Suite in D, by Arthur Bird, both of these for Wind Band; also -- perhaps the only known composition for double wind quintet and choir! -- Beim Abschied zu singen, by Robert Schumann. We had around 30 singers for this concert: the music of the Lutheran Mass was truly uplifting; there was wonderful concentration in the rehearsals and the performance was very satisfying as a result of much hard work on some tricky notes both during the rehearsals and at home.

We presented a Spring Concert on 21^st May 2000. This included the Magnificat by Arvo Part, two graduals by Bruckner, and Cantate Domino by Schutz; rounds by Byrd and David Till; also taking part was Martin Keuneman, who played Bach cello Suite No 3 on the viola, and a slow movement from a solo viola sonata by Hindemith. This was a most enjoyable event.

1998-1999

On 16^th May 1999, we presented a concert with strings: Purcell, Sing unto the Lord, Rejoice in the Lord alway; Elgar, Serenade for Strings Op 20; Schutz, Mein Sohn, warum hast Du uns das getan? The string band, Fiddlesticks and Friends, included local string players and friends from a little further away, led by Jane O'Connor-Afia.

Our first concert was presented in the new church at 6 pm on Sunday 8^th March 1998. The programme included Lenten music by Tallis, together with anthems by Purcell, and rounds by Byrd and Clemens. Also taking part were Nick Hartley and Dennis Cook, guitars, and Andrew Hope and Emma Johnson, baritone and baroque harp; they performed instrumental music and songs from Italy, Germany and Spain. The proceeds (around £250) went to St Luke's Hospice (more details here), as part of the Mayor of Brent's Charity Appeal, 1997/98.

Last updated: June 27, 2010.