Past Concerts

May 2027 – Requiem (Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi)
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (1813-1901) was an Italian composer predominantly famous for his towering masterworks of the Romantic opera era. His Messa da Requiem was composed in 1874 in memory of his admired compatriot, the poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni, and was first performed in Milan on 22nd May 1874. It has become one of the most frequently performed, dramatic, and intensely emotional choral works in the Western repertoire. Setting the traditional Roman Catholic Latin mass for the dead, the work is structured in seven sweeping movements and is scored for four soloists (SMsTB), a large SATB chorus, and a grand, highly expressive orchestra featuring off-stage trumpets.

December 2026 – Magnificat in D & Christmas Oratorio (J. S. Bach)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. The Magnificat in D (BWV 243) is a major choral setting of the biblical canticle from the Gospel of Luke, originally composed in E-flat major in 1723 and later revised into the definitive D major version for Christmas 1733 in Leipzig. It stands as one of Bach’s most popular, concise, and festive vocal masterpieces. The work is in twelve movements, providing a joyful commentary on the Virgin Mary’s praise, and is grandly scored for five-part SSATB choir, five soloists, and a baroque orchestra featuring trumpets and timpani.

The Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) was composed for the Christmas season of 1734-1735 in Leipzig, integrating music from his earlier secular cantatas. It is a monumental work that tells the story of the birth of Jesus, drawing its text from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew combined with contemporary poetry and traditional chorales. The oratorio is structured in six distinct parts—each originally intended to be performed on a separate feast day over the twelve days of Christmas—and is scored for SATB soloists, SATB choir, and an orchestra that varies dramatically in instrumentation across the parts.

2nd May 2026 – Petite Messe Solennelle (Rossini)
Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) was an Italian composer famous for his grand operas during the Romantic period. The Petite Messe Solennelle (Little Solemn Mass) was composed in 1863, more than thirty years after his retirement from opera, and first performed privately in Paris on 14th March 1864. Despite its ironic title, it is a substantial and deeply moving setting of the traditional Latin mass, showcasing Rossini’s dramatic flair and mastery of counterpoint. The work is in fourteen movements and is uniquely scored for four soloists, a SATB choir, two pianos, and a harmonium (later orchestrated by the composer).

20th December 2025 – Messiah (Handel)
George Frederic Handel (1685-1759) was a German-British composer from the Baroque period. Messiah was composed in a matter of weeks in 1741, and first performed in Dublin on 13th April 1742. It has come one of the best -known and frequently performed choral works in western music. The oratorio provides a commentary on the nativity, passion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, with text from the (KJV) Bible, Psalms and 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The work is in three parts and 53 ‘scenes’, and is scored for SATB.

This performance was particularly special as we were joined by the Black Dyke Band and the Beverley Minster Choir.

3rd May 2025 – Requiem (Brahms)
Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. A German Requiem (Ein deutsches Requiem) was composed between 1865 and 1868. It comprises seven movements, which together last 65 to 80 minutes, making this work both Brahms’s longest composition and largest-ensemble work. A German Requiem is sacred but non-liturgical, and unlike a long tradition of the Latin Requiem, A German Requiem, as its title states, is set in the German language.

December 2024 – Christmas Oratorio (Bob Chilcott)
Bob Chilcott’s Christmas Oratorio is a compelling retelling of the Christmas story with words from the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew intertwined with a diverse selection of sixteenth- to nineteenth-century poetry. The work contains four well-known hymns with original melodies for audience or congregation participation. The tenor soloist assumes the role of Evangelist, with focal points such as the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis taken by mezzo-soprano and bass soloists. There are two poignant unaccompanied movements for the chorus.