Dear Friend
With the festive season almost upon us, we'd like to wish all of our Friends a happy Christmas and all the very best for the New Year! For us, Christmas begins this coming Saturday, 16th December, at 5pm, when we present our annual Carols for All concert. Read on for further information about this concert, some reviews of our November performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, and a look ahead to next year's concerts.
Table of Contents - Carols for All, 16 December, 2023, 5pm, Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
- Praise for our November concert!
- Dates for your diary, 2024
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| Carols for All, 16 December, 2023, 5pm, Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea |
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Get into festive mood with Hastings Philharmonic Choir as we perform Christmas carols both new and old, familiar and less familiar. Join in with your traditional favourites! What better way to escape from the stress of preparations for the big day?
With Christmas raffle! We are once again grateful for the support of Penbuckles Delicatessen who have provided delicious seasonal goodies for our hamper.
Hastings Philharmonic Choir, with Cromwell Brass, Francis Rayner (piano), conducted by Marcio da Silva
Tickets:
Adults £22/£17.50/£13
Under 18s, students, universal credit/JSA recipients £5/free
Booking:
https://www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk/carolsforall2023
or by phone, 01424 437554
or from The Bookkeeper, 1a King's Road, St Leonards TN37 6EA (open Thurs-Sat)
Advance booking closes 11am on 16th December. After that time, pay on the door.
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| Praise for our November concert! |
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We've had some super reviews of our Missa Solemnis concert on 11 November. After all our hard work, it was wonderful to sing to a full church, and gratifying that so many people could enjoy Beethoven's wonderful music!
'Once described as ‘ the greatest work never heard’, the Mass is not performed that often, particularly by non-professional musicians who are perhaps discouraged by the apparent need for vast forces and the relentless musical demands. More credit then to Marcio da Silva and the Hastings Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra for rising so brilliantly to the challenge and producing a superb performance. A choir of around 60 and an orchestra of 34 provided an insight into the subtleties and details of the work often concealed by more gargantuan performances ... The choir and soloists responded well to the variety of pace and the harmonic complexities of the Agnus Dei, leading to some thrilling climaxes and the surprisingly calm, almost abrupt ending – and there were few signs that they choir had tired at all, relentlessly demanding as the work is.' (Jonathan Watts, Classical Music Reviews, susanelkin.co.uk, 16 November 2023)
Read Jonathan's full review and others via the links below:
Jonathan Watts at susanelkin.co.uk
Trevor Jones in Hastings Online Times
Victoria Kingham for Hastings Independent Press
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| Dates for your diary, 2024 |
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Looking ahead, our Spring Concert 2024 will feature an Eastertide favourite: J.S. Bach's dramatic and moving St Matthew Passion. Hastings Philharmonic Choir will be joined by soloists and Ensemble OrQuesta, under the expert direction of Marcio da Silva. Saturday 6th April, 7pm, at Christ Church, Silchester Road, St Leonards-on-Sea.
And on 13th July, you can hear us in Puccini's rousing Messa di Gloria. Watch this space for more information!
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