The Festival Eucharist at Norwich Cathedral

On Sunday 12th May 2013 I attended The Festival Eucharist at Norwich Cathedral. The annual Eucharist cements and renews the unique relationship between the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and Norwich Cathedral. This year the service celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation with Liturgical performances of music heard at the ceremony in 1953.

The service used Vaughan Williams' Mass in G minor for double choir and included anthems and motets by Vaughan Williams, Howells and Wesley. It closed with Walton's Coronation Te Derum which was composed to conclude the coronation ceremony and Gordon Jacob's arrangement of the National Anthem.

Norwich Cathedral was full of the pomp and majesty of great choral works from Stanford's Gloria in Excelsis which was composed for the coronation of George V in 1911 to Walton's Crown Imperial march. The Norwich Cathedral Choir directed by Ashley Grote and organist David Dunnett made this a moving and memorable service.

David Dunnett Organ Recital at Norwich Cathedral

On Monday 1st April 2013 I attended the David Dunnett Bank Holiday Organ Recital at Norwich Cathedral. The Cathedral's Organist gave us a Easter treat by performing a varied selection of organ classics. David Dunnett is a busy organ recitalist both here and abroad and also regularly accompanies singers and instrumentalists on the organ, harpsichord and piano. He is also the Choral Conductor of the Norwich Philharmonic Society.

The programme consisted of Festival Toccata - Fletcher, Allegro (from Concerto in A minor) - Vivaldi (arr. Bach), Romance (Symphony No.4) - Vierne, Concert Rondo - Hollins, Rosace - Mulet and Overture - Die Meistersinger - Wagner (arr. Westbrook).

This was a fun and jolly Organ Recital at Norwich Cathedral on Easter Bank Holiday Monday which was very much enjoyed by the large audience in attendance. These events are a great opportunity to visit this splendid historic Cathedral combined with listening to some wonderful music.

Britten and Friends at St. Peter Mancroft Church

On Saturday 16th February 2013 I attended the Keswick Hall Choir's Britten and Friends concert at St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich which was part of the Familiar Fields events to celebrate Benjamin Britten's life and music in Norfolk and Suffolk in his Centenary Year. The choir were conducted by Christopher Duarte in a programme of choral and organ music written between 1930-1950 by Benjamin Britten, Lennox Berkeley, Aaron Copland and Francis Poulenc. David Dunnett performed on Organ and Piano.

The programme consisted of Festival Te Deum op.32 - Britten, A Festival Anthem op.21 no.2 - Berkeley, Salve Regina - Poulenc, Chorale after an old French Carol - Britten, Five Flower Songs op.47 - Britten, Old American Songs, first set - Copland, Prelude to They Walk Alone - Britten, Prelude and Fugue on a theme of Vittoria - Britten and A.M.D.G. - Britten. This programme was designed to reflect some friendships Benjamin Britten formed and cemented from 1930 to 1950.

This was a wonderful concert to attend with the Keswick Hall Choir putting on a performance of the highest quality to help celebrate Benjamin Britten's Centenary Year. I particularly enjoyed Britten's Five Flower Songs which included the Ballad of Green Broom which plays out a humorous story. There's none like the Boy that sold Broom, Green Broom. Another song I very much enjoyed was Copland's I Bought me a Cat. I fed my cat under yonder tree. My cat says fiddle eye fee.

The Keswick Hall Choir received a well deserved and loud round of applause at the end of the concert to show how much everyone in attended at St. Peter Mancroft Church had enjoyed their performance. This was definitely a night to remember, with the songs and music of Benjamin Britten and his friends filling this historic Norwich City Centre venue with lots of joy.

Sounds of Splendour fill St. Peter Mancroft with joy

On Saturday 8th October 2011 it was the first of the Autumn 2011 Recitals at St. Peter Mancroft Church, Norwich  with the Sounds of Splendour featuring music for trumpet and organ. John Coulton and David Dunnett were back by popular demand to have our ears jumping for joy.

John Coulton has worldwide experience recording and performing live with some of the world's best musicians. He has performed the Shostakovich Concerto for Piano and Trumpet at the Proms and is a regular on the East of England music scene.

David Dunnett is the Organist and Master of Music at Norwich Cathedral as well as choral conductor of the Norwich Philharmonic Society. Along with John Coulton he has recorded Sounds of Splendour and Sounds of Grandeur featuring music for trumpet and organ.

The programme consisted of Prelude to the Te Deum - Charpentier, La Rejouissance - Telemann, Suite in D major for Trumpet and Strings - Handel, Trois Prieres Sans Paroles - Damase, The Prayer of Saint Gregory - Hovhaness, Marche Triomphale - Guilmant, Shenandoah - Traditional and Tico Tico - Abreu.

We had the extremes of the pair playing in front of us to them playing in the heavens of the church which made for an exciting and varied recital. This was a wonderful and splendid way to start the new series of Autumn Recitals presented by Mancroft Music.

Brahms evening at St. Andrew's Hall

On Saturday night I was at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich for Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus' last concert in their 2010-11 season. This was a joint concert with the choir of the Musik-Institut Koblenz of Bruckner Psalm 150 and Brahms German Requiem Op.45.

We were privileged to have Sarah-Jane Davies as soprano and James Rutherford as baritone on the evening who both gave excellent performances. David Dunnett was conductor on this special night at St. Andrew's Hall.

Psalm 150 was written by Brucker in 1892 which was his last sacred choral work. This was a very uplifting start to the concert. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Alleluia!

Johannes Brahms is one of my favourite composers and two days before the concert during a trip to London I purchased in HMV on Oxford Street a recording of Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra which I had on repeat play before the concert.

This work was first performed in Bremen Cathedral in 1868 with Brahms conducting. The text is taken from the Lutheran Bible that gives consolation through faith in the life to come. Brahms wanted this work to address all believers saying that he would have liked to have left out the word 'German' and refer instead to 'Mankind'.

The performance by the Orchestra and choirs were very moving and uplifting on the night. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. At the end of the concert we all applauded enthusiastically showing how much everyone present enjoyed this evening of fantastic music.