The Grande Messe des morts (or Requiem) by Hector Berlioz was
composed in 1837. Lasting just under ninety minutes, the work was
designed for performance in massive concert halls with Berlioz
scaling up the performers to fit - he suggested that alongside 80
sopranos and altos there ought to be 60 tenors and 70 basses! Our
performance is given in a new edition by our Musical Director,
designed specifically for the spaces of St Matthew’s Church.
Alongside the choir (of our own proportions!), tenor soloist, and
orchestra, you will hear all sixteen timpani and four brass
ensembles - one in each corner of the building. In the words of Guy
Dammann: "If your sense of awe lacks an existential dimension,
Berlioz's great Requiem will restore it. Being enveloped by the omnidirectional swell of sound at the onset of the
Tuba Mirum, or
dangled on the yo-yo of hope and despair that the Lacrimosa spins
with such masterful theatricality, are not experiences one forgets."
Programme:
Northampton Bach Choir
Orchestra da Camera
Rushden Town Band
Conductor - Lee Dunleavy
Tenor -
Ben Thapa
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