Buoyed on by the sell out success of their 'Christmas Sparkler', the English Arts Chorale is eagerly preparing for a spring concert. On the bill are the well loved Fauré Requiem and contemporary composer Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass.
Gjeilo (pronounced Yay-lo) is a Norwegian composer. The choir is familiar with Gjeilo’s choral compositions, having featured his work The Ground on their CD Radiance. Sunrise is a setting of the traditional church Mass as a human spiritual journey in four movements, with The Ground concluding the final movement. Founder and artistic director of the English Arts Chorale, Leslie Olive, is looking forward to conducting Sunrise Mass: “the choir specialises in a blended sound of which I am very proud; I believe Gjeilo’s work will give us a chance to show this at its best”.
Complementing this contemporary piece will be Fauré’s well-known and established Requiem. Young soloists Natalie Werner and Charlie Baigent will sing the soprano and baritone soloist roles, respectively. Natalie is a Choral Scholar at St Edmundsbury Cathedral and Musician in Residence at County Upper School, Bury St Edmunds. Charlie, who is studying for a master’s at the Royal College of Music says “The Fauré is always a favourite of mine. I have been listening to extracts of the Fauré on the English Arts Chorale website; the choir has a lovely sound and it will be a treat for me”. The English Arts Orchestra, all professional players in their own right, will accompany the choir and soloists.
You will be made most welcome by the English Arts Chorale, who recognise the benefits of sharing great music to enhance well-being. An audience member at a previous concert said, “Truly amazing, cohesive, powerful and delightfully honest, the choir was on top of their performance from the very opening few bars, in the audience there were audible whoops and murmurings of sheer delight.” Whether you want to listen to the beautiful sound of Fauré’s Requiem or be transfixed by the ethereal and contemporary Sunrise Mass, you are promised an uplifting evening.