Handel’s Messiah on Good Friday is always popular with our audiences, and this year was no exception. We had a full auditorium and people were clearly looking forward to the concert. Many had heard the Messiah before, but we were told that this performance was exceptionally good – the best ever!
The choir was well prepared and on top form; everyone was also looking forward to the wonderful soloists Magdalene Minnaar, Violina Anguelov, Bongani Kubheka and Siyabonga Maqungo, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. We are lucky to have such marvellous homegrown talent.
Our esteemed music director and conductor, Richard Cock, conducted the performance on the day, but he was unfortunately very unwell for several weeks before the concert (I’m pleased to say he has now recovered) and could not take the rehearsals preparing for the concert. For most choirs that situation would mean cancellation of the concert, but we in the Symphony Choir of Johannesburg are extremely lucky – Sue Cock, an equally brilliant musician, took over rehearsals and guided us through to a very successful concert. A huge thank you to Sue from us all.
Our next concert will be beautiful modern music by a composer who’s still alive, the wonderful
John Rutter:
GLORIA & REQUIEM
AND A NUMBER OF RUTTER’S WELL-KNOWN AND MOST LOVED HYMNS
Sunday 2 June @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Linder Auditorium, Parktown, Johannesburg
The Phoenix Orchestra
Under the baton of Richard Cock
John Rutter is an English composer and conductor, associated mainly with choral music and active internationally for many years. His larger choral works, Gloria, Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, The Gift of Life, and Visions, are widely performed around the world, and many of his shorter pieces such as The Lord bless you and keep you, For the beauty of the earth, Look at the world, and All things bright and beautiful have become ‘standards’. He has composed or arranged many Christmas carols. He established the Collegium record label in 1983 as a vehicle for recordings with his professional chamber choir the Cambridge Singers. He has enjoyed a long association with Clare College, Cambridge – first as student, then Director of Music, later as parent, and recording producer for their renowned choir. John Rutter has visited SA several times and conducted the SCJ.
The Gloria is a musical setting of parts of the Latin Gloria composed it in 1974 on a commission from choir master Mel Olson from Omaha, Nebraska. Rutter conducted the premiere in Omaha. He structured the text in three movements and scored it for choir, brass, percussion and organ, with an alternative version for choir and orchestra. It was published in 1976 by Oxford University Press.
The Requiem is a musical setting of parts of the Latin Requiem with added psalms and biblical verses in English, completed in 1985. It is scored for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra or chamber ensemble.
This is a concert not to be missed! Book now to avoid disappointment.
Booking is through Quicket – just use this link
Yours sincerely, on behalf of the Symphony Choir of Johannesburg,
Kate Pape