Music for the French Royal Chapel and the Concert Spirituel
Music for the French Royal Chapel and the Concert Spirituel
For our Winter 2019 concert, the South West Choral Society welcomes you to a programme of varied French choral music from the 17th and 18th centuries. We present three works from three composers, all of which were widely celebrated in their day.
Of the three, Charpentier's Te Deum, a rousing, patriotic romp thought to be written to mark the victory celebrations for the Battle of Steinkirk in 1692, is probably the best known. Fans of the Eurovision Song Contest will recognise the overture, the now familiar ditty played at the beginning and end of the broadcast.
Lalande's setting of De Profundis, by contrast, is a richly emotional work, plumbing the depths (pardon the pun) of anguish and despair in its opening movement, running through the whole gamut of emotions between soloists and chorus before emerging in a sudden burst of optimism for the final "et lux perpetua luceat eis".
Finally, we unearth a real treasure in the form of the wonderfully named Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville's setting of Coeli enarrant gloria dei, which has proved to be an utter delight to rehearse. We are not 100% sure, as it is impossible to check the programme for every single performance ever given over the last 300 or so years, but we believe that this will be the first time that this work has been performed in the UK, and what a privilege it is to do so. Whilst beautiful in its simplicity, and full of deeply emotional passages, this work is highly playful and retains its sense of fun. Mondonville saw fit to throw in a few jokes and surprises along the way.
Wine and mince pies will be served before the performance and during the interval. Come and join us for some beautiful choral music this December in a warm and festive atmosphere!
The concert takes place in the appropriately magnificent setting of St. Anne’s Church, Wandsworth. All are welcome to attend, particularly younger fans of classical music, as under-15s are admitted free of charge. Tickets for adults are priced at £15 and are available either from www.swlcs.org.uk or on the door. Contactless credit/debit cards as well as cash are accepted.