Musicians: London Handel Players, directed by Adrian Butterfield
Choir: Pegasus Choir, see more here
Soloists:
Julia Doyle – soprano – see here
Daniel Taylor – alto -see here
Ruairi Bowen – tenor – see here
Ashley Riches – bass – see here
There will be an interval and a cash bar.
Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and Elector of Saxony, died in 1733.Bach wrote on a “Missa”, a portion of the liturgy sung in Latin and common to both the Lutheran and Roman Catholic rites, dedicated to the new Elector, Augustus III, a convert to Catholicism, with the hope of obtaining the title "Electoral Saxon Court Composer”, which he did in 1736.
Bach’s completion of the full Mass, in the Catholic tradition, was the last work he wrote, and is unusual in that in Bach's day, masses composed for Lutheran services usually consisted only of a Kyrie and Gloria.Not only is this a full mass, in the Catholic tradition, but unusual in its scale in the range of instruments and voices: a performance lasting a glorious two hours.One of Bach’s most popular vocal works, its earliest documented full performance took place in 1859.
Review of the B Minor Mass by London Handel Players at the Wigmore Hall on 3 February by Barry Creasy, published 5 February 2025 in Opera and Classical Music Review, music OMH:“The London Handel Players and Butterfield deliver Bach like no others. An intimate and hugely enjoyable performance… dynamic shifts and phrasing seemed to happen in that instinctive way that indicates that everyone really did inhabit the music…the dances between soloists and obbligato instruments in the arias were flawless… Daniel Taylor gave a purity of tone”.
Concert 3
Sunday, June 8, 2025, 5pm
Young talent showcase. We present groundbreaking Baroque masters – as
popular today as they were in the 17th Century
.
The Best of Baroque: music by Corelli and Vivaldi
Musicians: Students at the Royal College of Music in the Harmony of Time ensemble led by Sara Matović, directed by Adrian Butterfield
Choir: Students from the University of Toronto directed by Daniel Taylor, Head of Historical Performance at the University of Toronto
Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto for Violin, Strings and Continuo in E minor, RV 273. Allegro; Largo; Allegro
Johann Kuhnau - Cantata - Gott, sei mir gnädig nach deiner Güte
Arcangelo Corelli - Trio Sonata da Chiesa Op.3 No.8 in C major. Adagio; Allegro; Adagio; Allegro
Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto for 4 Violins Op.3 No.10 in B minor RV 580. Allegro; Largo-Larghetto; Allegro
Interval
Arcangelo Corelli - Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.4 in D majo. Adagio; Allegro; Adagio; Vivace; Allegro
Dietrich Buxtehude - Cantata - Jesu, meines Lebens Leben BuxWV 62
Antonio Vivaldi - Trio Sonata Op.1 No.1 in G minor RV 73. Preludio - Largo; Allemanda - Allegro; Sarabanda - Largo; Giga - Allegro
Nicolaus Bruhns - Cantata - Ich liege und schlafe
Baroque music is the oldest still routinely played.Corelli’s new musical forms such as the concerto grosso, which allowed individual instruments to shine, greatly influenced subsequent Baroque masters, and are a staple today. Vivaldi was maybe the first composer to tell a narrative through his music;his dynamic rhythms and fluid melodies ensure his popularity today;his “Four Seasons” is the most recorded work of all time, with one Youtube video alone having 80 million hits.