Classical and Jazz: Preview - City Chorus at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate on July 8
Published: 7 July, 2011
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR
BIRTHDAY concerts are being given by two choral societies over the next few days.
City Chorus is celebrating its 90th birthday with a concert tomorrow (Friday) at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, off Holborn Viaduct.
The choir was started by staff at the National Provincial Bank in 1920, rapidly becoming a significant force on the London music scene. Name changes followed bank mergers, forming NatWest, now part of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Although based in the City, a significant number of the choir’s singers hail from Camden and Islington.
The choir’s birthday concert features the premiere of A Still Roar, a new work by acclaimed young composer and singer Kerry Andrew. She wrote the piece after winning the choir’s anniversary composition competition.
The work for soloists, choir and organ was inspired by chapters on the history of London’s noise from Peter Ackroyd’s London: The Biography.
London’s aural life in all its cacophony is explored through historical texts drawn from Dunbar, Wordsworth and Shelley mixed in with some traditional street cries.
On Saturday, the 60th birthday of conductor-composer Ronald Corp is being celebrated at a Royal Festival Hall concert promoted by the Highgate Choral Society. He’s been the choir’s regular conductor for over 20 years, taking the baton at more than 100 of its concerts.
Also singing at the birthday concert will his other choirs The London Chorus and New London Children’s Choir together with 16 soloists from the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund and his New London Orchestra.
Two of Ronald Corp’s compositions are being performed; one new piece The Wayfarer for 16 soloists and orchestra being given its world premiere.
Highgate Choral Society will demonstrate its choral abilities in Carl Orff’s ever-popular Carmina Burana, a work that’s difficult to sing well.
Also in action on Saturday are the Royal Free Music Society and Hampstead Sinfonietta under conductor Benjamin Wolf.
Their concert at St Mark’s Church, Primrose Hill, involves popular choral classics by Palestrina, Bach, Mozart and Schubert together with Vivaldi’s always-welcome Gloria.