Requiem: G. Verdi

Sussex Symphony Orchestra

Saturday 13 November 2004 at 7.30pm

St Bartholomew's Church, Ann Street, Brighton

conducted by Mark Andrew James

Featuring the Sussex Chorus and Worthing Philharmonic Choir

Katharina Leitgeb: soprano
Kathleen Wilkinson: mezzo soprano
Neil Jenkins: tenor
Stefan Holmström: bass baritone

Tickets £12.00 Concessions £10.00 - Dome Box Office 01273 709709

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Seasonal Music old and new

Worthing Philharmonic Choir

Friday 17 December 2004 at 7.30pm

Assembly Hall, Worthing

Conducted by Donovan Brown
Marilyn Dennis - Piano

With the Jubilate Brass Quintet

And introducing the Festival Stars for a night

Tickets £8.00 and £6.00, available from the Call Centre, tel. 01903 - 206206, Pavilion or Connaught Theatre Box Offices or at the door.

Worthing Philharmonic Choir's Christmas Concert began in rousing style with Parry's setting of the 15th Century seasonal greeting, "Welcome Yule", concluding with the classic "Christmas Song" (Tormé/Wells), featuring guest soprano soloist, Christine Fairs, and its closing line, "Merry Christmas to You".

In between, we enjoyed a varied programme spanning no less than fifteen Centuries and including, in addition to Christmas fare, Mozart's "Alleluia", sung by Christine and a timely reminder of the maestro's forthcoming 250th Anniversary year, 2006.

Departing from tradition, audience participation involved not only singing "O come all ye faithful" in Latin but also "O little town of Bethlehem" to the less-familiar tune composed by Walford Davies whose other works include Solemn Melody and the RAF March Past.

Fortunately, for those with more conservative tastes, the second half included traditional tunes and words for "It came upon a midnight clear" and "The First Nowell". The latter was somewhat condensed in order to tell the whole story in just four verses!

In addition to John Rutter's "Star Carol", we heard an original composition, "Sleep Child of Winter" and an arrangement of the ever-popular "Silent Night", both from the pen of Karl Jenkins and featuring the recorder of choir-member, Coral Low.

Following from last year's successful innovation, we once again enjoyed performances from the "Festival Stars", Gillian Jackson (soprano) and The Saxy Girls, an all-female saxophone quartet. Gillian's contribution included the highly amusing, Carol Singers by Sterndale-Bennett whilst the saxophones excelled in snappy arrangements of a Scott Joplin rag and Lennon & McCartney's "When I'm sixty-four". These guests provided further evidence of the high standards achieved by participants in Worthing's splendid Festival of Music, Dance and Drama.

Director, Donovan Brown, acted both as Conductor/Compère and Accompanist for the soloists whilst Marilyn Dennis (piano) skilfully accompanied the choral items, also using her electronic keyboard, with percussion effects, in excerpts from the Ian Williams' "Follow the Star" from which this Concert's title was partially derived.

Ably assisted in the conducting by long-standing and stalwart Assistant Director, Rosemary Bruford, Donovan provided organ accompaniment for the audience carols.

Worthing's Baptist Church, venue for this enjoyable concert, splendidly decorated for the Festive Season, proved to be an ideal venue.

Jim Hurdwell

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Requiem: G. Verdi

Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra

in collaboration with Boundstone College, Worthing Choral Society and Worthing Philharmonic Choir

Sunday 6 February 2005 at 3.00pm

Assembly Hall, Worthing

Conducted by Robin Page

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The Alassio Concert Orchestra

conducted by Marcus Martin presents a Concert of

MELODIES FOR YOU

Sunday 20 February 2005 at 2.45pm

The Assembly Hall, Worthing

with Marilyn Hill Smith: Soprano and Worthing Philharmonic Choir

Tickets: £15 £12.50 & £9.50. Now booking, with reductions for season ticket holders and Symphony Society members. Call 01903 206206 or from Pavilion or Connaught Theatre Box Offices, or at the door.

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Messiah G.F. Handel

Worthing Philharmonic Choir

Good Friday 25 March 2005 at 7.30pm

Assembly Hall, Worthing

conducted by Donovan Brown

With Sinfonia of Arun

Fiona Hammacott: soprano
Jane Money: mezzo soprano
Charles Wood: tenor
Freddie Tong: bass

Tickets £12.00 (Balcony), £10.00 & £8.00, available from the Call Centre - tel. 01903 - 206206, Pavilion or Connaught Theatre Box Offices, or at the door.

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A Summer Concert

Saturday 19 June 2005 at 7.30pm

St George's Church, St Georges Road, Worthing

This year's annual Summer Concert by Worthing Philharmonic Choir included several departures from established traditions, not least that no guest soloist or instrumentalist was involved. Furthermore, Choir members had donned a variety of colours instead of the traditional black and white for, perhaps, their first performance in the splendid Findon Valley Free Church.

Our evening's entertainment, directed by Donovan Brown, included accompaniment on piano, electronic keyboard and pipe organ although the opening "Sumer is icumen in" (C13th) and William Byrd's " Ave Verum Corpus" demonstrated the Choir's ability to sing without such assistance. We also had the opportunity to compare Byrd's setting with Mozart's, more widely known, version of the same Latin text.

J S Bach's ever-popular "Sheep may safely graze", accompanied by Donovan Brown, and the same composer's "Fugue a la Gigue in G", played by him as a solo, provided the opportunity both to hear the Church organ and, in the latter work especially, to appreciate the extremes of technical ability and agility required of organists of the 18th Century.

Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", sensitively performed by Choir accompanist, Marilyn Dennis, gave us time for gentle reflection prior to the frenzied activity of "Zigeunerlieder".

These eleven short Gypsy Songs, by Johannes Brahms, conducted by Rosemary Bruford, provided many, mostly surmounted, challenges for all, including Donovan (this time as pianist!).

After an interval with ice cream and home-made lemonade, we heard arrangements of several Spirituals, again a departure from this Choir's normal repertoire but, with the vivaciousness of the singing and Marilyn's stylish jazz piano accompaniment, surely an aspect of choral music of which we must hear more in the future.

Donovan returned to the organ for Parry's "Bridal March from the Birds of Aristophanes" and the Choir acquitted themselves splendidly in that composer's part song "My delight and thy delight" and the spectacular "Blest Pair of Sirens", an arrangement of by John Milton's ode which, in the heat of this June evening, surely used all of their remaining strength and energy?

Not so! Their grand finale, Parry's setting of Blake's "Jerusalem" included further excellent work bolstered by an enthusiastic audience, particularly several ladies from the Church's own choir who clearly relished the opportunity to show what they could do!

Jim Hurdwell

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