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<channel><title><![CDATA[Chantage - News & reviews]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews]]></link><description><![CDATA[News & reviews]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 11:55:00 +0100</pubDate><generator>Weebly</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Entente Cordiale]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/entente-cordiale]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/entente-cordiale#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 18:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/entente-cordiale</guid><description><![CDATA[We were joined by our French amis,&nbsp;ch&oelig;ur43&nbsp;to present a wonderful a capella melange including works by Holst, Rossini, Kod&agrave;ly and Matthew Sheeran. Part of the Brandenburg Choral Festival of London 2026. [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">We were joined by our French amis,&nbsp;<strong>ch&oelig;ur43</strong>&nbsp;to present a wonderful a capella melange including works by Holst, Rossini, Kod&agrave;ly and Matthew Sheeran. Part of the Brandenburg Choral Festival of London 2026.</span></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chantage at Christmas 2025]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/chantage-at-christmas-2025]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/chantage-at-christmas-2025#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Performances]]></category><category><![CDATA[Previous concerts]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/chantage-at-christmas-2025</guid><description><![CDATA[ Our programme:&#8203;It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas&nbsp;- Meredith Willson arr. Mark HayesLong long ago&nbsp;- Herbert HowellsIn Bethlehem Above&nbsp;- Yshani PerinpanayagamAUDIENCE CAROL:&nbsp;O Little Town of BethlehemNoe, Noe! Pastores, cantate Domino&nbsp;- Guillaume BouzignacNativity Carol&nbsp;- John RutterCorpus Christi Carol&nbsp;- Peter WarlockAUDIENCE CAROL: God Rest, Ye Merry GentlemenEs ist ein ros entsprungen&nbsp;- Praetorius/Sandstrom- - - - - - - - - - - - -INTERVA [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<span class='imgPusher' style='float:right;height:0px'></span><span style='display: table;width:auto;position:relative;float:right;max-width:100%;;clear:right;margin-top:0px;*margin-top:0px'><a><img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/published/screenshot-2025-12-12-at-15-59-40.png?1770666863" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; border-width:1px;padding:3px; max-width:100%" alt="Picture" class="galleryImageBorder wsite-image" /></a><span style="display: table-caption; caption-side: bottom; font-size: 90%; margin-top: -10px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;" class="wsite-caption"></span></span> <div class="paragraph" style="display:block;"><strong style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)">Our programme:<br />&#8203;</strong><br /><strong style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)">It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas</strong><font color="#222222">&nbsp;- Meredith Willson arr. Mark Hayes</font><strong style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)">Long long ago</strong><font color="#222222">&nbsp;- Herbert Howells</font><br /><br /><strong style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)">In Bethlehem Above</strong><font color="#222222">&nbsp;- Yshani Perinpanayagam</font><br /><br /><strong><font color="#8d2424"><em>AUDIENCE CAROL:</em>&nbsp;O Little Town of Bethlehem</font></strong><br /><br /><font color="#222222"><strong>Noe, Noe! Pastores, cantate Domino</strong>&nbsp;- Guillaume Bouzignac</font><br /><br /><font color="#222222"><strong>Nativity Carol&nbsp;</strong>- John Rutter</font><br /><br /><font color="#222222"><strong>Corpus Christi Carol</strong>&nbsp;- Peter Warlock</font><br /><br /><strong><font color="#8d2424"><em>AUDIENCE CAROL</em>: God Rest, Ye Merry Gentlemen</font></strong><br /><br /><font color="#222222"><strong>Es ist ein ros entsprungen</strong>&nbsp;- Praetorius/Sandstrom</font><br /><font color="#8d2424">- - - - - - - - - - - - -<br />INTERVAL<br />&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</font><br /><span style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)"><strong>Carol of the Bells&nbsp;</strong>- Mykola Leontovych</span><br /><br /><strong><font color="#8d2424"><em>AUDIENCE CAROL</em>: We Three Kings</font></strong><br /><br /><span style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)"><strong>Hymn to the Virgin</strong>&nbsp;- Benjamin Britten</span><br /><br /><span style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)"><strong>I'll be home for Christmas</strong>&nbsp;- Kim Gannon &amp; Walter Kent arr. Michele Weir</span><br /><br /><span style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)"><strong>Santa Claus is coming to town</strong>&nbsp;- J. Fred Coots &amp; Haven Gillespie arr. Peter Gritton</span><br /><br /><strong><font color="#8d2424"><em>AUDIENCE CAROL</em>: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing</font></strong><br /><br /><span style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)"><strong>Last Christmas&nbsp;</strong>- Wham! arr. Chris Roe</span><br /><br /><span style="color:rgb(34, 34, 34)"><strong>All I want for Christmas</strong>&nbsp;- Mariah Carey arr. Mac Huff</span></div> <hr style="width:100%;clear:both;visibility:hidden;"></hr>  <div style="text-align:left;"><div style="height: 10px; overflow: hidden;"></div> <a class="wsite-button wsite-button-small wsite-button-highlight" href="https://www.chantage.org/christmas.html" > <span class="wsite-button-inner">Read our programme notes</span> </a> <div style="height: 10px; overflow: hidden;"></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Meinem Lieben, In Meinem Lied]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/in-meinem-lieben-in-meinem-lied]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/in-meinem-lieben-in-meinem-lied#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2025 20:30:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Previous concerts]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/in-meinem-lieben-in-meinem-lied</guid><description><![CDATA[Joint concert with the Brandenburg State Youth ChoirThe choirs performed separately and together in this special collaboration, celebrating a love of choral music.    Explore the programme          [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph"><strong><font size="4"><em><font color="#515151">Joint concert with the Brandenburg State Youth Choir</font></em></font></strong><br /><br /><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">The choirs performed separately and together in this special collaboration, celebrating a love of choral music.</span></div>  <div style="text-align:left;"><div style="height: 10px; overflow: hidden;"></div> <a class="wsite-button wsite-button-large wsite-button-highlight" href="https://www.chantage.org/in-meinem-lieben.html" > <span class="wsite-button-inner">Explore the programme</span> </a> <div style="height: 10px; overflow: hidden;"></div></div>  <div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;text-align:center"> <a> <img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/chantage_orig.jpg" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Prophecy - mystical choral works]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/prophecy-mystical-choral-works]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/prophecy-mystical-choral-works#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2025 18:30:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Performances]]></category><category><![CDATA[Previous concerts]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/prophecy-mystical-choral-works</guid><description><![CDATA[ 	 		 			 				 					 						  We performed a concert of mystical choral works at St Mark's Church, near Regent's Park.&nbsp;&nbsp;The concert featured music ancient and modern, inspired by the mysteries of nature and myth.   					 								 					 						          					 							 		 	   Programme  Desprez &ndash; Praeter rerum seriumMessi&aelig;n &ndash; O Sacrum ConviviumLassus &ndash; Propheti&aelig; SibyllarumPrologue1. Sibylla Persica2. Sibylla Libyca Marsh &ndash; An Extra Day&nbsp;Whitacre &ndas [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="wsite-multicol"><div class="wsite-multicol-table-wrap" style="margin:0 -15px;"> 	<table class="wsite-multicol-table"> 		<tbody class="wsite-multicol-tbody"> 			<tr class="wsite-multicol-tr"> 				<td class="wsite-multicol-col" style="width:50%; padding:0 15px;"> 					 						  <div class="paragraph"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">We performed a concert of mystical choral works at St Mark's Church, near Regent's Park.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">The concert featured music ancient and modern, inspired by the mysteries of nature and myth.</span></div>   					 				</td>				<td class="wsite-multicol-col" style="width:50%; padding:0 15px;"> 					 						  <div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;text-align:center"> <a> <img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/prophecy-800x300-orig_orig.jpg" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>   					 				</td>			</tr> 		</tbody> 	</table> </div></div></div>  <div class="paragraph"><strong><font color="#8d2424" size="4">Programme</font></strong></div>  <div class="paragraph"><font color="#3f3f3f">Desprez &ndash; Praeter rerum serium<br />Messi&aelig;n &ndash; O Sacrum Convivium<br />Lassus &ndash; Propheti&aelig; Sibyllarum</font><ul><li><font color="#3f3f3f">Prologue</font></li><li><font color="#3f3f3f">1. Sibylla Persica</font></li><li><font color="#3f3f3f">2. Sibylla Libyca</font></li></ul> <font color="#3f3f3f">Marsh &ndash; An Extra Day&nbsp;<br />Whitacre &ndash; With a Lily&nbsp;<br /><br />------- INTERVAL --------<br /><br />Parry &ndash; Songs of Farewell</font><ul><li><font color="#3f3f3f">1. My Soul There is a Country</font></li><li><font color="#3f3f3f">3. Never Weather Beaten Sail</font></li><li><font color="#3f3f3f">4. There is an Old Belief</font></li></ul> <font color="#3f3f3f">Lassus &ndash; Propheti&aelig; Sibyllarum</font><ul><li><font color="#3f3f3f">5. Sibylla Samia</font></li><li><font color="#3f3f3f">6. Sibylla Cumana</font></li></ul> <font color="#3f3f3f">Porter &ndash; Pulchra es et Decora<br />Lassus &ndash; Propheti&aelig; Sibyllarum</font><ul><li><font color="#3f3f3f">11. Sibylla Erythr&aelig;a</font></li><li><font color="#3f3f3f">12. Sibylla Agrippa</font></li></ul> <font color="#3f3f3f">Gjielo &ndash; Unicornis Captivator&nbsp;</font></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Winners at the Mrs Sunderland Festival 2025!]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/winners-at-the-mrs-sunderland-festival-2025]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/winners-at-the-mrs-sunderland-festival-2025#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sat, 22 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Competitions]]></category><category><![CDATA[Performances]]></category><category><![CDATA[Previous concerts]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/winners-at-the-mrs-sunderland-festival-2025</guid><description><![CDATA[  We were so proud to win three trophies at this year's Mrs Sunderland Festival in Huddersfield:Hepworth Trophy for&nbsp;Adult/Mixed Aged Mixed Voice Choir - 21 voices and overHonley M V C Golden Jubilee Trophy for&nbsp;Choir ProgrammeCentenary Baton for the overall Choir Challenge               [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph"></div>  <div class="paragraph"><font color="#626262">We were so proud to win three trophies at this year's Mrs Sunderland Festival in Huddersfield:</font><ul><li><font color="#626262">Hepworth Trophy for&nbsp;Adult/Mixed Aged Mixed Voice Choir - 21 voices and over</font></li><li><font color="#626262">Honley M V C Golden Jubilee Trophy for&nbsp;Choir Programme</font></li><li><font color="#626262">Centenary Baton for the overall Choir Challenge</font></li></ul></div>  <div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;text-align:center"> <a> <img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/winners_orig.jpg" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>  <div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;text-align:center"> <a> <img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/winners2_orig.jpg" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chantage 25th anniversary concert]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/chantage-25th-anniversary-concert]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/chantage-25th-anniversary-concert#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Fri, 18 Oct 2024 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Performances]]></category><category><![CDATA[Previous concerts]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/chantage-25th-anniversary-concert</guid><description><![CDATA[ 	 		 			 				 					 						  A choral celebration of&nbsp;25 years of Chantage!&nbsp;We will showcased some of our favourite pieces from our past 25 years, from works performed in our very first concert to a world premiere of a new commission by Richard Allain for our 25th anniversary.&#8203;We were joined by choir alumni on stage for some old favourites as well.   					 								 					 						          					 							 		 	   Programme&#8203;Arvo P&auml;rt&nbsp;Bogor&oacute;ditse Dj&eacute;vo&nbsp;C [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="wsite-multicol"><div class="wsite-multicol-table-wrap" style="margin:0 -15px;"> 	<table class="wsite-multicol-table"> 		<tbody class="wsite-multicol-tbody"> 			<tr class="wsite-multicol-tr"> 				<td class="wsite-multicol-col" style="width:50%; padding:0 15px;"> 					 						  <div class="paragraph"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">A choral celebration of&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.chantage.org/chantage25.html">25 years of Chantage</a>!&nbsp;<br /><br /><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">We will showcased some of our favourite pieces from our past 25 years, from works performed in our very first concert to a world premiere of a new commission by Richard Allain for our 25th anniversary.<br /><br />&#8203;We were joined by choir alumni on stage for some old favourites as well.</span></div>   					 				</td>				<td class="wsite-multicol-col" style="width:50%; padding:0 15px;"> 					 						  <div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;text-align:center"> <a> <img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/chantage-square_orig.jpg" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>   					 				</td>			</tr> 		</tbody> 	</table> </div></div></div>  <div class="paragraph"><font color="#8d2424" size="5"><strong>Programme</strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&#8203;<br />Arvo P&auml;rt&nbsp;<strong><em>Bogor&oacute;ditse Dj&eacute;vo</em></strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Carlo Gesualdo&nbsp;<strong>O Vos Omnes</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Alonso Lobo&nbsp;<strong>Versa est in luctum</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Benjamin Britten&nbsp;<strong><em>Concord</em></strong>&nbsp;(No.2, Choral Dances from &lsquo;Gloriana)<br />&nbsp;<br />Ralph Vaughan Williams&nbsp;<strong><em>The Turtle Dove</em></strong><br />Soloist: Jonathan Bell<br />&nbsp;<br />John Ireland&nbsp;<strong><em>The Hills</em></strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Thomas Dorsey arr. Louise Marshall&nbsp;<strong><em>Precious Lord</em></strong><br />Soloist: Josh Robinson<br />&nbsp;<br />Joanna Marsh&nbsp;<strong><em>An extra day</em></strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Jaakko M&auml;ntyjarvi&nbsp;<strong><em>Pseudo-Yoik</em></strong><br />&nbsp;<br />&mdash;INTERVAL--<br />&nbsp;<br />Sergei Rachmaninoff&nbsp;<strong><em>Pridite, poklonimsya</em></strong>&nbsp;(from the All-Night-Vigil)<br />&nbsp;<br />William Harris&nbsp;<strong><em>Bring Us, O Lord</em></strong>&nbsp;<strong><em>God</em></strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Anton Bruckner&nbsp;<strong><em>Locus Iste</em></strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Richard Allain&nbsp;<strong><em>Lullaby</em></strong>&nbsp;(World Premiere)<br />Soloist: Anne-Marie Cullum<br />&nbsp;<br />Eric Whitacre&nbsp;<strong><em>With a lily in your hand</em></strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Bob Chilcott&nbsp;<strong><em>Swimming Over London</em></strong><br />Soloist: Jeremy James<br />&nbsp;<br />Anders Edenroth&nbsp;<strong><em>Chilli Con Carne</em></strong><br />&nbsp;<br />Simon &amp; Garfunkel arr. Louise Marshall&nbsp;<strong><em>Bridge over Troubled Water</em></strong></font></div>  <div class="paragraph"><em style="color:rgb(117, 117, 117)">Thank you to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inthisroom.co.uk/" target="_blank">In this Room&nbsp;</a>for our 25th anniversary artwork and to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nightowl-creative.co.uk/" target="_blank">NightOwl&nbsp;</a>for our multimedia production.</em></div>  <div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;text-align:center"> <a> <img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/whatsapp-image-2024-10-20-at-14-02-21_orig.jpeg" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>  <div class="paragraph"><strong><font color="#8d2424" size="5">Programme notes</font></strong><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024"><font size="4">Arvo P&auml;rt&nbsp;<strong><em>Bogor&oacute;ditse Dj&eacute;vo</em></strong><strong>&nbsp;(Ave Maria)</strong></font></font><br /><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This short (1min), punchy setting of the Ave Maria was Chantage&rsquo;s opening number in the choir&rsquo;s winning set at the Adult Finals of BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year 2006.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Arvo P&auml;rt was born in Paide, Estonia, a small town near Tallinn where he would later study composition under Heino Eller at the famous Tallinn Conservatory. P&auml;rt earned notoriety in the 1960&rsquo;s for his use of serial technique and expressionism, but then ceased composing for several years while he studied plainchant and early French and Franco-Flemish polyphony. During this period he developed a new tonal style, based around the idea that the three notes of a triad have a bell-like quality to their sound. He termed this 'tintinnabuli' (from the Latin, &ldquo;little bells&rdquo;).</font><br /><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The Soviet Union&rsquo;s occupation of Estonia in 1944 (which would last for almost 50 years) had a profound effect on P&auml;rt&rsquo;s life and music. Under the occupation all traditional musical forms were completely stifled, and his frustration ultimately forced him, his wife Nora and their two sons, to emigrate in 1980. Since leaving Estonia, P&auml;rt has concentrated on setting religious texts, which have proved popular with choirs and ensembles around the world.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This setting of the&nbsp;</font><em style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">Bogor&oacute;ditse Dj&eacute;vo</em><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;was written in 1990 as a special gift to the choir of King&rsquo;s College, Cambridge, and their conductor, Stephen Cleobury.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Translation:</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Bogor&oacute;d&#771;itse D&#771;&eacute;vo, r&aacute;duys&#771;ia</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Blagod&aacute;tnaya Mar&#771;&iacute;ye, Ghosp&oacute;d s Tob&oacute;yu.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Blagoslo&#7805;&eacute;nna T&iuml; v zhen&aacute;&#7830;,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">i blagoslo&#7805;&eacute;n Plod chr&#771;&eacute;va Tvoyeg&oacute;,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">y&aacute;ko Sp&aacute;sa rod&#771;il&aacute; yes&#771;&iacute; dush n&aacute;sh&iuml;&#7830;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Blessed art Thou among women,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">for Thou hast borne the Savior of our souls</font><br /><br /><font color="#8d2424">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -&nbsp;&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024" size="4">Carlo Gesualdo&nbsp;<strong><em>O Vos Omnes</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This strangely intense and sorrow-laden work was the opening piece in Chantage&rsquo;s first ever concert programme, 25 years ago, at St Martin, Ludgate.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Carlo Gesualdo di Venosa (1561 &ndash; 1613) is a composer remembered today as much for the spectacular murder of his first wife and her lover as for his music. The renaissance was flourishing in the North of Italy and Gesualdo, a minor aristocrat in the South, himself added &ldquo;di Venosa&rdquo; to his name, most likely to try to improve his chances of success as a composer.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">His approach to&nbsp;</font><em style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">O vos omnes,&nbsp;</em><font color="#3f3f3f">a responsorial intended to be sung during Holy Week, with a text from the Book of Lamentations, is one that maintains a free style and outlines his understanding and application of chromatic harmony. This piece contains rapid stylistic shifts and moments that mirror the contemplation and understanding of this sorrowful text.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Translation:</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">O vos omnes qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Si est dolor sicut dolor meus</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">If there be any sorrow like to my sorrow</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024" size="4">Alonso Lobo&nbsp;<strong><em>Versa est in luctum</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Alonso Lobo is perhaps best known for his motet&nbsp;</font><em style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">Versa est in luctum</em><font color="#3f3f3f">. This is undoubtedly a masterpiece of its kind, published in a collection of his pieces in 1602. The work was written to mark the death of King Philip II of Spain, though it is unclear as to whether it was first performed at the King&rsquo;s funeral, or later at a memorial in Toledo.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Chantage&rsquo;s performance of this piece in the Malta International Choral Competition 2015 contributed to a mark of over 95% in the Sacred Music Category, and eventual victory in the competition&rsquo;s Grand Prix.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Translation:</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Versa est in luctum c&iacute;thara mea, et &oacute;rganum meum in vocem fl&eacute;ntium.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Parce mihi D&oacute;mine, nihil enim sunt dies mei.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">My harp is turned to grieving and my flute into the voice of those who weep.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Spare me, O Lord, for my days are as nothing.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024" size="4">Sergei Rachmaninoff&nbsp;<strong><em>Pridite, poklonimsya</em></strong>&nbsp;(from the All-Night-Vigil)</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">In November 2023, with help from Irina Walters, lecturer on Russian and Eastern European choral music, Chantage gave a candlelit performance of the All-Night-Vigil (sometimes known as the &lsquo;Vespers&rsquo;) at St Dunstan in the West, the spiritual home of the Romanian Orthodox Church in London for over 50 years.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The All-night vigil is a beautiful and moving setting of texts from the Russian Orthodox Church liturgy in 15 movements, of which this is the opening movement; a fourfold call to prayer, in six and then eight parts.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">It was composed in just two weeks in January and February 1915 shortly before the Russian Revolution, and in the depths of the First World War. However, at the outbreak of world war one most of his time was spent giving charity concerts, and working for the sick and wounded and not composing at all.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">It is widely regarded as his finest work, and is a profound plea for peace at a time of senseless destruction. Rachmaninoff was so fond of the work that he requested that part of it be sung at his funeral.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Translation:</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Priidite, poklonimsya Tsarevi nashemu Bogu. Priidite, poklonimsya i pripadem Khristu Tsarevi nashemu Bogu. Priidite, poklonimsya i pripadem Samomu Khristu Tsarevi i Bogu nashemu. Priidite, poklonimsya i pripadem Emu.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Come, let us worship God, our King. Come let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before the very Christ, our King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before him</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024" size="4">Ralph Vaughan Williams&nbsp;<strong><em>The Turtle Dove</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Soloist: Jonathan Bell</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote his arrangement of this piece in 1919, after he discovered the melody in 1904 while collecting folksongs. It was whilst travelling through Rusper in Sussex that he stopped at the Plough Inn, set up his Edwardian recording equipment, and captured this tune amongst the songs of the pub&rsquo;s landlord, whose crackled voice and haunting melodies can still be heard today.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The text dates back to 1710, which tells the story of two lovers that vow to remain faithful as one travels far from home.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024" size="4">John Ireland&nbsp;<strong><em>The Hills</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">John Ireland, a contemporary of Vaughan Williams at the Royal College of Music, composed this piece in 1953 as his contribution to&nbsp;</font><em style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">A Garland for the Queen</em><font color="#3f3f3f">, a collection of settings by 10 British composers of 10 contemporary poets commissioned to mark the coronation in June 1953 of Queen Elizabeth II.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">It sets words by the poet and travel writer James Kirkup (1918 &ndash; _2009) and finds beauty, and an almost religious serenity, in nature.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Arthur Bliss, Arnold Bax, Michael Tippett, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Lennox Berkeley, John Ireland, Herbert Howells, Gerald Finzi, Alan Rawsthorne and Edmund Rubbra were the composers contributing to this collection of choral songs, which was commissioned by the Arts Council of Great Britain. These ten, with their respective poets, were asked to create settings for mixed voices in the image of the famous&nbsp;</font><em style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">The Triumphs of Oriana</em><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;(1601), which was presented to Queen Elizabeth I.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024" size="4">Benjamin Britten&nbsp;<strong><em>Concord</em></strong>&nbsp;(No.2, Choral Dances from &lsquo;Gloriana)</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This choral dance is from Britten&rsquo;s opera, Gloriana; the name often given affectionately to Queen Elizabeth I. It comes at the opening of act two in the opera, when the Queen has been welcomed to Norwich on a state visit, and is presented with several dances, given by the local people, as a tribute.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The first performance of the opera was to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elisabeth II, but the music was badly received by the audience of diplomats and ambassadors who attended, resulting in heavy criticism. Successive performances have improved the opera&rsquo;s image a great deal, but the choral dances stand alone as a vibrant collection in their own right.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This favourite of Chantage features on The First, the choir&rsquo;s debut CD, and the words are in accord with the spirit of singing in harmony together.</font><br /><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#8d5024" size="4">Joanna Marsh&nbsp;<strong><em>An extra day</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Joanna was an undergraduate at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and subsequently organ scholar at Sidney Sussex College Cambridge. She studied composition with Richard Blackford and Judith Bingham, and has developed a compositional style that is winning awards worldwide to the point of being described in The Guardian as &ldquo;one of today&rsquo;s leading composers for the voice&rdquo;.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This charming setting was commissioned by Princeton University Glee Club and written to mark the 29th February, setting the text &lsquo;February 29th&rsquo; by Jane Hirshfield (a member of the first graduating class at Princeton University to include women).</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">An extra day--</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Like the painting&rsquo;s fifth cow,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">who looks out directly,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">straight toward you,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">from inside her black and white spots.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">An extra day--</font><br /><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Accidental, surely:</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">the made calendar stumbling over the real</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">as a drunk trips over a threshold</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">too low to see.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">An extra day--</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">With a second cup of black coffee.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">A friendly but businesslike phone call.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">A mailed-back package.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Some extra work, but not too much--</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">just one day&rsquo;s worth, exactly.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">An extra day--</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Not unlike the space</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">between a door and its frame</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">when one room is lit and another is not,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">and one changes into the other</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">as a woman exchanges a scarf.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">An extra day--</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Extraordinarily like any other.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">And still</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">there is some generosity to it,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">like a letter re-readable after its writer has died.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024" size="4">Jaakko M&auml;ntyjarvi&nbsp;<strong><em>Pseudo-Yoik</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Another competition winning piece from Chantage&rsquo;s repertory, Pseudo-Yoik is a nonsense song, and has nothing to do with the traditional Lappish or S&aacute;mi yoik. Instead it is an impression of the stereotype that most Finns associate with Lapland and its people. The meaningless text exists solely to give form to the music, although the laws of probability dictate that there must exist an obscure South American Indian language in which it makes perfectly good sense.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Finnish composer Jaakko M&auml;ntyj&auml;rvi describes himself as an eclectic traditionalist: eclectic in that he adopts influences from a number of styles and periods, fusing them into his own idiom; traditionalist in that his musical language is based on a traditional approach and uses the resources of modern music only sparingly. Because he is himself active in making music, his music is very practically oriented; he is a choral singer, and thus most of his works are for choir.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Pseudo-Yoik was commissioned by the Tapiola Chamber Choir, a 'semi-professional' group with whom the composer sings, as an encore number, premiered in 1994</font><br /></div>  <div class="paragraph"><font color="#8d5024" size="4">William Harris&nbsp;<strong><em>Bring Us, O Lord God</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">For nearly 20 years, Chantage has rehearsed weekly at the church of St Dunstan-in-the-West on Fleet Street where, announced by a plaque over the vestry door, John Donne was once a vicar. The sense of awe and of infinity he and other Metaphysical poets of the 17th century create, has inspired some of the greatest English choral music of the following centuries.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">It has been said that Donne gives us a glimpse of heaven through his sublime words, and that Harris reveals even more of its wonder in his setting for double choir: the synergistic combination of words and music shimmers in holy serenity.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This piece was composed in 1959, not long before Harris&rsquo;s retirement from a distinguished career as a teacher and director of music. A renowned choir trainer, the idiomatic part writing and textural mastery that Harris achieves in the work are testament to his tireless efforts at the musical helm of institutions such as New College and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and St George&rsquo;s Chapel, Windsor.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Bring Us, O Lord God by William Harris, was sung at the Service of Committal of the Queen in St George&rsquo;s Chapel, Windsor.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024"><font size="4">Anton Bruckner&nbsp;<strong><em>Locus Iste</em></strong></font><br />&nbsp;</font><br /><strong style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">Anton Bruckner (1824 -1896)&nbsp;</strong><font color="#3f3f3f">was born in Ansfelden, Austria, the son of a village schoolmaster and musician. Bruckner&rsquo;s father died when Anton was 13, and the family&rsquo;s circumstances were poor enough that he was sent as an orphan to the monastery at St. Florian. There he trained as a choirboy and organist, eventually becoming the most famous organist of his generation as well as a highly regarded professor of music composition.</font><br /><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Bruckner is often remembered as a great symphonist, &ldquo;a master-builder of cathedrals in sound&rdquo; who was highly influenced by Wagner&rsquo;s grand operas and in turn served as an inspiration for Gustav Mahler. However, his sacred vocal output is extremely significant and tremendously popular today. He wrote three Masses, which continued the Viennese tradition of Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert, and around thirty motets, of which this is possibly the most well known.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font size="4" color="#8d5024">Richard Allain&nbsp;<strong><em>Lullaby</em></strong>&nbsp;(World Premiere)</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Soloist: Anne-Marie Cullum</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Richard Allain is a dear friend of the choir&rsquo;s and one of Chantage&rsquo;s greatest competition triumphs was performing his Christ&rsquo;s Love Song at the Grand Final of BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year in 2006.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The performance evoked composer and poet Eugene Skeef to say &ldquo;You stole my heart away and you encouraged me to search for it by letting me float on the diaphanous cloud of your sound&rdquo;.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">We are thrilled that Richard agreed to write this commission for us, to mark our 25th Anniversary, and hope you will enjoy his exquisite setting of the text by W.H. Auden, which encapsulates so very much of the human existence.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The work is dedicated to the memory of our very dear friend, Ben Thapa.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Lay your sleeping head, my love,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Human on my faithless arm;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Time and fevers burn away</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Individual beauty from</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Thoughtful children, and the grave</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Proves the child ephemeral:</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">But in my arms till break of day</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Let the living creature lie,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Mortal, guilty, but to me</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The entirely beautiful.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Soul and body have no bounds:</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">To lovers as they lie upon</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Her tolerant enchanted slope</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">In their ordinary swoon,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Grave the vision Venus sends</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Of supernatural sympathy,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Universal love and hope;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">While an abstract insight wakes</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Among the glaciers and the rocks</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The hermit's carnal ecstasy.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Certainty, fidelity</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">On the stroke of midnight pass</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Like vibrations of a bell,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">And fashionable madmen raise</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Their pedantic boring cry:</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Every farthing of the cost,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">All the dreaded cards foretell,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Shall be paid, but from this night</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Not a whisper, not a thought,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Not a kiss nor look be lost.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Beauty, midnight, vision dies:</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Let the winds of dawn that blow</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Softly round your dreaming head</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Such a day of welcome show</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Eye and knocking heart may bless,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Find the mortal world enough;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Noons of dryness find you fed</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">By the involuntary powers,</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Nights of insult let you pass</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Watched by every human love.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font size="4" color="#8d5024">Eric Whitacre&nbsp;<strong><em>With a lily in your hand</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Eric Whitacre (b.1970) has become a world-renowned composer of choral music, taking on texts and projects of dramatic scope and receiving international acclaim in the process. He burst onto the scene with pieces like his innovative, a cappella work Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, as well as Water Night. His choral music is regularly performed around the world, particularly in the USA where&nbsp;</font><em style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">With a Lily in Your Hand</em><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;was commissioned for the California All-State Chorus in 2002.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Chantage first encountered Eric Whitacre&rsquo;s music with his setting of&nbsp;</font><em style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">A Boy and a Girl</em><font color="#3f3f3f">, which the choir performed in the Choir of the Year Competition Adult Final, broadcast on BBC Radio 3.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The choir subsequently worked with Eric at the Association of British Choral Directors annual convention in 2007, in Lincoln Cathedral, where he told us we had been responsible for bringing his music to the UK.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This piece won great praise for us at the Tolosa International Choral Competition in 2008, and Eric told us that it was a vision of a scene from a Western, an image that really brings the music to life.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font size="4" color="#8d5024">Bob Chilcott&nbsp;<strong><em>Swimming Over London</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Soloist: Jeremy James</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This is the first piece that poet Charles Bennett worked on with composer Bob Chilcott. It sets a poem from 'How to Make a Woman Out of Water', which was adapted and revised for the King&rsquo;s Singers.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The song is described as a vivid musical depiction of the colourful dreamscape created in Charles Bennett&rsquo;s text. The solo tenor floats over the soft, jazzy harmonies of the other voices as he narrates the journey through London&rsquo;s sky, noting the &lsquo;blackbirds in the sleeping streets&rsquo; and a taxicab slumbering below.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The song was selected for our repertoire in 2020 in preparation for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.liccc.co.uk/" target="_blank">London International Choral Conducting Competition</a>&nbsp;but, sadly, the event was cancelled due to the pandemic. We&rsquo;re delighted to be hosting the event at last and, to close our season of performances marking our 25th Anniversary, we&rsquo;ll be performing it on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.liccc.co.uk/concerts.html" target="_blank">2nd November from the Duke&rsquo;s Hall stage at the Royal Academy of Music</a>, for LICCC 2024.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font size="4" color="#8d5024">Thomas Dorsey arr. Louise Marshall&nbsp;<strong><em>Precious Lord</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Soloist: Josh Robinson</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Chantage recorded this fabulous arrangement as the closing number on their debut CD, The First (you should listen out for the secret track that follows it), and it has been a favourite at weddings over the past 25 years.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">In one day the choir performed it for 20 weddings at the Southbank Centre&rsquo;s Big Wedding Weekend, and then again the same day on a double decker bus, following the wedding one of our own members, Tomas.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Louise Clare Marshall, a recording artist in her own right, has toured with Beverley Knight as a backing vocalist, supporting &lsquo;Take That&rsquo; concerts across the UK, and regularly appears with Jools Holland.</font><br /><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Louise&rsquo;s choral arrangements are not yet published, and mostly written for friends and colleagues, such as this arrangement that was written for the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. The solo part, originally sung by Louise herself, is not written into the score, and will tonight be improvised by Josh.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp; &nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font size="4" color="#8d5024">Anders Edenroth&nbsp;<strong><em>Chilli Con Carne</em></strong></font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Written for Sweden&rsquo;s long standing&nbsp;<em>a cappella</em>&nbsp;ensemble The Real Group,&nbsp;</font><em style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">Chilli&nbsp;</em><em style="color:rgb(63, 63, 63)">Con Carne&nbsp;</em><font color="#3f3f3f">formed a part of Chantage&rsquo;s concert repertoire during a trip to the Basque Region for the Tolosa International Choral Competition in 2008.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">It features a whole host of complex rhythms supporting a fully working recipe for everyone&rsquo;s favourite Mexican dish!</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</font><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&#8203;- - - - - - - - - - - - -</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(141, 36, 36)">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><font color="#8d5024"><font size="4">Simon &amp; Garfunkel arr. Marshall&nbsp;<strong><em>Bridge over Troubled Water</em></strong></font><br />&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">Paul Simon wrote our final song with Art Garfunkel&rsquo;s high tenor voice in mind. The songs title &lsquo;Bridge Over Troubled Water&rsquo; is ironic because by the time this song was released, the duo had spilt up because of disagreements with their album.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">This arrangement is another fabulous choral adaptation by Louise Marshall, sister to the organist Wayne Marshall.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">It has such an uplifting theme and has been at the heart of many concert programmes Chantage has performed over the years. For many of the choir it is nostalgic, but for all of us it is steeped in camaraderie and joy.</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">&nbsp;</font><br /><font color="#3f3f3f">The perfect close to our celebrations this evening!</font></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[L'entente Chorale - Chantage in Paris]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/lentente-chorale-chantage-in-paris]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/lentente-chorale-chantage-in-paris#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sun, 16 Jun 2024 21:38:02 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Performances]]></category><category><![CDATA[Previous concerts]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/lentente-chorale-chantage-in-paris</guid><description><![CDATA[A joint concert featuring Chantage and Ch&oelig;ur43Saturday 8 June 2024Eglise Anglicane de Paris,&nbsp;7 Rue Auguste Vacquerie,&nbsp;75016 Paris,&nbsp;FranceWe visited Paris for a special Franco-British choral concert on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale. [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph" style="text-align:left;"><font color="#8d2424" size="4">A joint concert featuring Chantage and Ch&oelig;ur43</font><br /><br /><strong><font color="#3f3f3f">Saturday 8 June 2024</font></strong><br /><font color="#2a2a2a" size="3"><strong>Eglise Anglicane de Paris</strong>,&nbsp;7 Rue Auguste Vacquerie,&nbsp;75016 Paris,&nbsp;France</font><br /><br /><span><font color="#2a2a2a">We visited Paris for a special Franco-British choral concert on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.</font></span></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Lark Ascending - a concert for choir and solo violin]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/the-lark-ascending-a-concert-for-choir-and-solo-violin]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/the-lark-ascending-a-concert-for-choir-and-solo-violin#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sun, 21 Apr 2024 17:43:13 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Performances]]></category><category><![CDATA[Previous concerts]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/the-lark-ascending-a-concert-for-choir-and-solo-violin</guid><description><![CDATA[St Dunstan in the West, LondonThu 18th April 2024The concert featured music inspired by birds, flight, folksong and the landscapes of the British Isles, with new works for choir and solo violin. A highlight was a performance of&nbsp;Ralph Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending, arranged for choir and solo violin.We were joined for the concert by the superb violinist, Lizzie French.         Artwork and design by&nbsp;In This Room studio [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"></span>St Dunstan in the West, London<br />Thu 18th April 2024<br /><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><br />The concert featured music inspired by birds, flight, folksong and the landscapes of the British Isles, with new works for choir and solo violin. A highlight was a performance of&nbsp;Ralph Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending, arranged for choir and solo violin.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">We were joined for the concert by the superb violinist, Lizzie French.</span></div>  <div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;text-align:center"> <a> <img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/240307-lark-ascending-socials-artwork_orig.jpg" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>  <div class="paragraph"><em>Artwork and design by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inthisroom.co.uk/" target="_blank">In This Room studio</a></em></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chantage at Christmas - a double concert day]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/chantage-at-christmas-a-double-concert-day]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/chantage-at-christmas-a-double-concert-day#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Sat, 16 Dec 2023 21:30:00 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Performances]]></category><category><![CDATA[Previous concerts]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/chantage-at-christmas-a-double-concert-day</guid><description><![CDATA[For the first time, we performed two Christmas concerts in a single day - a relaxed performance for families in the afternoon followed by an evening concert! [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph">For the first time, we performed two Christmas concerts in a single day - a relaxed performance for families in the afternoon followed by an evening concert!</div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rachmaninoff - All Night Vigil, Op. 37]]></title><link><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/rachmaninoff-all-night-vigil-vespers-op-37]]></link><comments><![CDATA[https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/rachmaninoff-all-night-vigil-vespers-op-37#comments]]></comments><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 21:03:34 GMT</pubDate><category><![CDATA[Performances]]></category><category><![CDATA[Previous concerts]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.chantage.org/news--reviews/rachmaninoff-all-night-vigil-vespers-op-37</guid><description><![CDATA[On Thursday 2 November 2023, Chantage performed Rachmaninoff's All-night vigil Op.37 (sometimes known as the &lsquo;Vespers&rsquo;) by candlelight, marking 150 years since the composer's birth. The All-night vigil is a beautiful and moving setting of texts from the Russian Orthodox Church liturgy. It was composed in just two weeks in January and February 1915 shortly before the Russian Revolution and is considered by many to be the culmination of an era of Russian sacred music. Rachmaninoff was  [...] ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="paragraph"><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">On Thursday 2 November 2023, Chantage performed Rachmaninoff's All-night vigil Op.37 (sometimes known as the &lsquo;Vespers&rsquo;) by candlelight, marking 150 years since the composer's birth. The All-night vigil is a beautiful and moving setting of texts from the Russian Orthodox Church liturgy. It was composed in just two weeks in January and February 1915 shortly before the Russian Revolution and is considered by many to be the culmination of an era of Russian sacred music. Rachmaninoff was so fond of the work that he requested that the &lsquo;Nunc Dimititis&rsquo; be sung at his funeral.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">An introductory talk was delivered by Irina Walters, lecturer on Russian and Eastern European choral music. The performance took place at&nbsp;</span><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">St Dunstan in the West, the spiritual home of the Romanian Orthodox Church in London for over 50 years.</span></div>  <div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;text-align:center"> <a> <img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/chantage1_orig.jpeg" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>  <div><div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-none " style="padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;text-align:right"> <a> <img src="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/chantage2_orig.jpeg" alt="Picture" style="width:auto;max-width:100%" /> </a> <div style="display:block;font-size:90%"></div> </div></div>  <div class="wsite-scribd">			  			  			 			<div title="Scribd: rachmaninov-transliteration-translation.pdf" id="doc_682053771" style="background-color:#fff"></div> 			 			 			</div>  <div><div style="margin: 10px 0 0 -10px"> <a title="Download file: rachmaninov-transliteration-translation.pdf" href="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/rachmaninov-transliteration-translation.pdf"><img src="//www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/pdf.png" width="36" height="36" style="float: left; position: relative; left: 0px; top: 0px; margin: 0 15px 15px 0; border: 0;" /></a><div style="float: left; text-align: left; position: relative;"><table style="font-size: 12px; font-family: tahoma; line-height: .9;"><tr><td colspan="2"><b> rachmaninov-transliteration-translation.pdf</b></td></tr><tr style="display: none;"><td>File Size:  </td><td>180 kb</td></tr><tr style="display: none;"><td>File Type:  </td><td> pdf</td></tr></table><a title="Download file: rachmaninov-transliteration-translation.pdf" href="https://www.chantage.org/uploads/2/0/1/3/20136351/rachmaninov-transliteration-translation.pdf" style="font-weight: bold;">Download File</a></div> </div>  <hr style="clear: both; width: 100%; visibility: hidden"></hr></div>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>