Welcome to the 2012 Brandenburg Spring Choral Festival
– bigger and even more exciting than last year!
At the geographical, artistic and spiritual heart of the Festival stands St Martin-in-the-Fields where we will be presenting nine major concerts featuring the standard masterpieces of the choral repertoire including Mozart, Brahms and Fauré Requiems, Haydn Nelson Mass, Handel Messiah, Vivaldi Gloria and Monteverdi Vespers. These will be supplemented by an afternoon concert from “The Choir” and a series of late-night concerts including, Rachmaninov Vespers, Spem in Alium sung from the Gallery, Allegri Miserere and Barber Adagio – Agnus Dei.
Not forgetting a foray into the Jazz series in the Café-in-the-Crypt.
Interspersed between these concerts will be an expanded series of more varied “satellite” concerts including Jazz Ensembles, Barbershop, Gospel and Afro-Cuban Choirs, as well some superb chamber choirs presenting a broad range of the more standard a cappella repertoire. These concerts will take place in a number of varied and interesting venues including the National Portrait Gallery, Kings College Chapel, Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy and for the first time in the Festival, St Clement Danes and St John’s Waterloo.
The three chapels each have a particular historical and architectural interest, and the Festival will offer an opportunity to hear performances rarely permitted in these special, spiritual spaces.
Additionally for the concert in the Chapel of Lincoln’s Inn, we will offer a limited number of places on a pre-concert tour of Lincolns Inn outlining its historical and architectural features.
The considerable expansion of the Festival this year has brought on board a group of top quality conductors to consolidate the high levels established last year. Most football managers could only dream of a subs bench of this quality!
There is a strong influence this year from the Jazz community; a welcome development to diversify the stylistic range as the Festival continues to develop.
What is now the traditional Festival Opening Concert of the Messiah will take place on January 2nd.
With well over forty choirs participating in the Festival, the audience will undoubtedly contain large numbers of experienced choristers so the Hallelujah Chorus and the closing Amen will produce their special Brandenburg Spring Choral Festival spine-tingling moments.
I am sure that, whatever your musical tastes, you will find something here for you -
I look forward to seeing you at some of our exciting concerts.
Bob Porter - Artistic Director
Brandenburg Spring Choral Festival