News
Around the Cloisters
After a hi
ghly successful visit to the Leipzig Bach Festival (pictured right), Christ Church Cathedral Choir featured in several events during the ‘Cathedral Voices’ conference held in Christ Church 10–14 September, directed by Stephen Darlington. The Choir's EMI recording of Howard Goodall's Eternal Light: A Requiem (a joint commission by the Rambert Dance Company and London Musici), conducted by Stephen Darlington with soloists, Natasha Marsh, Alfie Boe and Christopher Maltmann was released in early September. In November, the Choir gave the first London performances of the Goodall Requiem at Sadlers Wells Theatre, London, with the Rambert Ballet and the London Musici (‘Fine performances’, London Evening Standard; ‘beautifully sung’, The Times; ‘excellently rendered’, Sunday Times). On 15 December the choir gives the Christmas Festival Concert at St John’s Smith Square, London.
Early in July New College Choir (director, Edward Higginbottom) gave a concert at the York Early Music Festival of works by Locke, Purcell and Francois Coup
erin (including the first performance of Couperin scores edited by Higginbottom). The concert was recorded by the BBC. A 10-day tour of Germany and France took place in July, taking in Rugen (Baltic), Bourges and Le Dorat. The Choir gave the opening concert in the Ambronay Festival (France) performing Charpentier and Purcell (recorded for French Radio). The Charpentier oratorio, Cecilia, virgo et martyr, was newly edited by one of the Choir’s undergraduate clerks, Max Jones. In early October the Choir was in Budapest for performances of Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610. In December they will tour to Italy (Veneto). In September The Gramophone Awards were made, and the recent New College recording of music by Nicholas Ludford (pictured left) won in the Early Music category. In October a CD of Haydn's Creation was released featuring both the Choir and the University's Orchestra in Residence, the Oxford Philomusica.
The Choir of The Queen's College (director, Owen Rees) toured the Low Countries and Germany in late August and early September, performing in Leuven (Park Abbey), Ghent, Antwerp Cathedral, St Bavo's in Haarlem, Amsterdam (St Nicolaaskerk), Leiden (Hartebrugkerk), Utrecht (Jacobikerk), Maria Laach Abbey, Oberhausen-Sterkrade, Bonn (Remigiuskirche), and Cologne Cathedral. On 29 October the BBC broadcast choral Evensong live from the college chapel. The choir's latest CD – Caeli porta (music from 17th-century Portugal) – is released on the Guild label in mid-November, and on 2 December the choir gives a concert in St John's, Smith Square, London, to mark the CDs release and to launch the new Queen's Choir Association for choir alumni/ae