Odes to Cecilia

Press, 18 November 1981, Page 20

Odes to Cecilia

A concert to celebrate St Cecilia’s Day will be given on Saturday evening in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament by the Christchurch chamber choir, the Jubilate Singers, with soloists and members of the Christchurch Symphony orchestra. * The programme, planned by the choir’s founder and musical director, Martin Setchell, includes two of the finest "Odes for St Cecilia’s Day” by Purcell and Handel. Works such as these, composed for celebrations of music’s patron saint, were an important part of eighteenthcentury musical life .in Britain.

Purcell’s Ode follows the traditional plan of praising each musical instrument which competes for St Cecilia’s favours. It contains brilliant choruses and ensembles and famous arias and duets, such as the bass solo, “Wondrous machine.” A number of these are for countertenor voices, and will be sung by the Christchurch counter-tenors, Barry Brinson and Paul Marrott. Other soloists, all members of the Jubilate Singers, are Dinah Allison (soprano), jMex Bartie (tenor), and James Baines and Richard'Cooper (basses). Handel’s work is a setting of a poem by John Dryden.

One of the familiar items in it is the aria for tenor, with trumpet obbligato — “the trumpet’s loud clangour.” This will be sung by the tenor, Franz Kney. The work also contains three major arias for soprano, which will be sung by Jillian Bartram. Both works are scored for strings, oboes, flute, trumpets, and timpani. The continue parts will be played by David Vine (harpsichord) and Frances de Goldi (cello). This will be the second major concert of the year by the Jubilate Singers, and will be given with the support of the Southern Regional Arts Council.