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TranscriptionTHE ANU CHORAL SOCIETY UNIVERSITY HOUSE |
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PROGRAMME
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1. Zadok the Priest G.F. Handel (1685-1759)
(no.l of 4 Coronation Anthems for George II)
conductor : Bryan Dowling
2. String Quartet in F G.P. Telemann (1681-1767)
Vivace - Grave - Allegro
leader : Josette Esquedin
3. Magnificat H. Schutz (1585-1672)
conductor : Mark Hyman
soloists : Margaret Sim, John Lander,
Philip Thomas, Bryan Dowling
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INTERVAL
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4. Bassoon Sonata no. 1 J.E. Galliard (c.1680-1749)
bassoon : Simon Laughlin
harpsichord: John Collis
5. Magnificat J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
conductor : Bryan Dowling
soloists : Vicki Wyn Davies, Margaret Sim,
Anne Brabin-Smith, John Lander, Philip Thomas
(i) Magnificat chorus
(ii) Et exultavit spiritus meus air
(iii) Quia respexit air
(iv) Omnes generationes chorus
(v) Quia fecit mihi magna air
(vi) Et misericordia duet
(vii) Fecit potentiam chorus
(viii) Deposuit potentes air
(ix) Esurientes implevit bonis air
Virga Jesse floruit duet
(x) Suscepit Israel terzett
(xi) Sicut locutus est chorus
(xii) Gloria Patri chorus
The Latin setting of the Magnificat was only used on
particularly festive occasions and it is thought that
Bach probably wrote this work for Christmas 1723. The
duet Virga Jesse floruit is one of the four Christmas
"hymns" written by Bach to be sung between the
movements of the Magnificat.
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ORCHESTRA
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Violins Flutes
Josette Esquedin - orchestra leader Diana Pearce
John Allen Janet Webb
David Osborne
Richard Wright Oboes
Viola Anne Gilbey
Susan Lynge
Benjamin Newsome
Bassoons
'Cello
Simon Laughlin
Florence Johnson David Whitbread
Mary Gellibrand
Trombones
Double Bass
Trevor Jones
Keith Wilson Donald Farrands
Douglas Randall
Harpsichord
Timpani
John Collis
Penelope Tetlow
Trumpets
Don Johnson
Gary McPherson
David Quinlan
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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Burgmann College
University House
Canberra Youth Orchestra
Canberra Symphony Orchestra
Sue Baldwin - rehearsal pianist
Mark Hyman - assistant conductor
Margaret Phillips) concert managers
Susan Pullen )
The harpsichord was loaned by John Collis
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The ANU Choral Society rehearses in Burgmann College at 7.30 on
Tuesday nights. Rehearsals for our next concert will begin on
Tuesday 26 September and new members are always welcome.
Between now and then we will be joining the Canberra Choral
Society and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra in performing
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on September 20-21.
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ANU Choral Society Concert, University House, Thursday August 10 [1978].
The resonant acoustics of University House dining hall do not suit every kind of music, but they gave a notably brilliant, festive sound to the program of baroque choral music performed there by the ANU Choral Society on Thursday night.
Handel's imposing coronation anthem 'Zadok the Priest' sounded particularly fine in this setting. The resonance of the hall tactfully took any rough edges off the choral sound, and gave it an enhanced richness and power that suited the music perfectly.
The major works on the program were settings of the Magnificat by Schutz and Bach, the Schutz being conducted by Mark Hyman while the choir's regular director, Bryan Dowling, took the solo bass part. Apart from some problems of balance in passages where the choir sometimes drowned out the soloists, the Schutz was very capably directed, and was a creditable achievement for a conductor directing a major work for the first time.
Schutz's relatively austere setting made Bach's sound all the more luxuriant in contrast. Bryan Dowling's direction brought out the dramatic contrasts in which this work abounds, making it the richest and most impressive of all the works on the program.
After coming close to disaster at the start of both the Handel and the Bach, the orchestra was generally reliable, and the soloists and the continuo players did some excellent work. The choir was accurate, if not always polished, and sang with great strength at the climaxes. The solo singers were consistently good, with outstanding contributions from Bryan Dowling and Margaret Sim.
The program was rounded out by a quartet bassoon sonata by a contemporary of Handel's in London, Johann Ernst Galliard. The quartet is an example of the kind of music that for many years after his death gave Telemann a reputation for being insufficiently serious, but which today can be admired for its easy grace, its lively rhythms, its high surface and polish and its technical skill. The Galliard used the various timbres and registers of the bassoon very adroitly and made an engaging filler to a most enjoyable concert.