Tuesday, October 22, 2002 20:00
Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium
280
| Programme: | |
| Byrd | Rorate caeli desuper; Ave verum corpus |
| Philips | O quam suavis est |
| Grieg | Ave maris stella |
| Rheinberger | Abendlied |
| Rachmaninov | Bogoroditsye Dyevo |
| J. Sebastian Bach | Der Geist unsre Scwachheit de BWV 226 |
| Giles Swayne | Magnificat |
| C. Hubert H. Parry | Lord, let me know mine end (Songs of Farewell) |
| C. Villiers Stanford | Magnificat for double choir |
| Organist and Master of the Choristers: James O’Donnell |
The Choir of Westminster Abbey
| 
The Choir of Westminster Abbey |
For over 900 years, since its founding by Edward the Confessor in 1065, daily worship has been offered in Westminster Abbey. Boys were singing in the choir as early as 1388, and when Henry VIII dissolved the monastery in 1540 the King's new foundation provided for twelve adult singers (known today as 'Lay Vicars') and ten Choristers. Today all the Lay vicars are professional singers with a great wealth of experience, and some were themselves choristers in their youth. The choristers hold scholarships at Westminster Abbey Choir School, now the only school in England dedicated entirely to the education of choirboys. There are 36 boys in the school (aged 8-13), and each boy also learns two musical instruments - most gain valuable awards to their next schools.
The Choir has taken prominent part in the numerous state and nationally significant occasions of recent years, alongside its daily liturgical responsibilities. It plays an important role in the wider musical life of the country and undertakes a programme of concerts, broadcasts, recordings and tours. In recent years, the Choir has travelled to Russia, the Ukraine, Germany, USA, Poland and the Netherlands.
"….. Blazing in red cassocks and displaying great stamina, the men and boys of the Abbey choir roared through the vehement counterpoint."
Geoff Brown in The Times
"….. The two dozen boys took on Handel's single-syllable runs with fresh, bright assurance."
Rick Jones in the Evening Standard
"….. Excellent diction and full-throated commitment from the Abbey boys and men made this a most powerful and moving conclusion to both concert and festival."
Laurence Hughes in The Independent
“ ….. James O’Donnell conducted with an incisive, expressive baton.”
Rick Jones in the Evening Standard
Running time: approx. 1 hour 45 mins, inc interval