CONCERTS

MOST RECENT CONCERT on 23rd November 2024

“A splendid performance in every way with excellent soloists and instrumentalists. Wonderfully energetic.”

The soundtrack on this video is from our joint concert with Calton Consort and the Meadows Chamber Orchestra. It was held in St Cuthbert’s Parish Church in November 2022.

The previous concert was held in St Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen on 25 May:

“It was a lovely experience to hear such wonderful music yesterday evening. Rheinberger’s powerful Mass amply filled St Machar’s  ancient and venerable space, as did all the chosen pieces. Such a feast for the ears during Trinity week! “

“Your choir gave us such a thrilling and moving experience. …(we) wish we could hear it all again, because there was so much variety and magic in both performance and choice of pieces. …Ailie’s (Robertson) musical rendition of “Hallowe’en” is heartbreakingly beautiful.”

The programme included a new commission from Ailie Robertson.

The Lost Lichts‘ sets three poems by North East poets: ‘Hallowe’en‘ by Violet Jacob (1863 – 1946), ‘A Recruit for the Gordons‘ by Mary Symon (1863 – 1938) and ‘Cotton Grasses‘ by Marion Angus (1865 – 1946). 

Ailie is a multi-award winning composer and performer based on the West Coast of Scotland. She has been commissioned by some of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions including the BBC Proms, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Red Note Ensemble, Bang on a Can, Cappella Nova, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and the Riot Ensemble. She was Composer-in-Residence with Sound Festival and Glyndebourne Opera and she has won multiple prizes at the Scottish Awards for New Music and her work has been supported by the PRS Foundation, The Vaughan Williams Foundation, Creative Scotland and Sound and Music. Her work has been performed world-wide and broadcast on international radio. 

We are grateful to Creative Scotland and The Hope Scott Trust for supporting our project.

The previous concert was presented in St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh on Saturday 2 March. It had to be moved there at the last minute but attracted a very good audience.

We are grateful to St Giles’ for facilitating this at very short notice.

November’s concert ….

We both really enjoyed the concert last night – what a high standard!  I have sung the Bernstein and I know many challenges it presents.  The other pieces certainly didn’t seem any easier.  We really enjoyed the Argentinian Mass, which I noticed had many audience members silently foot-tapping.  It was a terrific performance all round, and we are now looking forward to your concert of Renaissance music.

Your guest soloists were excellent and really fitted the bill perfectly for the parts you asked them to sing. The Bernstein Ps 23 was glorious – that 14 year old voice was made for the solo. She’ll have an excellent voice in years to come, but she’ll never perform that solo as an adult as well as she did last night.

Last season’s concerts …..

Feedback on our concert in June 2023 in Haddington and Biggar …

“Splendid! Lovely sound” “Wonderful. Great voices”

“Beautiful. Loved the mix of music and poetry.”

“Lovely well-balanced power, light and shade. Gibbons & Arcadelt my favourites.”

“A transcending repertoire skillfully presented for our delight. Glad I came!”

Our concert on 25 March 2023 ….

“I knew none of the pieces, but they were all incredible. A first-class ensemble of singers. A fantastic concert. Thank you.”

“We are immensely privileged to attend such a concert. Beautiful music and wonderful voices. First class organist!”

Joint concert on 12 November 2022 ………

from Edinburgh Music Review …….

“The sun burst through in the major key with ‘Aber des Herrn Wort’ and the chorus sang it like they meant it – excellent diction and dynamic control.  The coda with the soft timpani and trumpets and a final swell and diminuendo was magical. 

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A magnificent climactic cadence spills over from an anxious C minor into a triumphant C major and my favourite Brahms fugue with full chorus and orchestra.  It was pretty magical. 

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The finale ‘Selig sind die Toten’ is a kind of In Paradisum movement.  All tension is released and we have made our peace with death.  Beautifully sung and played. 

Bringing this major work to performance was a magnificent collaborative achievement of the three chamber ensembles and all plaudits to them, the conductor and soloists.

In June 2022 the choir gave two performances of Hubert Parry’s “Songs of Farewell”, William Byrd’s “Mass for 4 voices”, and Judith Weir’s “The Song sung true” – in Rosslyn Chapel and Limekilns Parish Church (Fife).

“What a privilege to have listened to such a beautiful mesmerising performance !

Hugely talented choir !”

from Limekilns performance.