BBC Singers announce a series of four concerts in London’s newest
concert hall, the Guildhall School’s Milton Court,
as part of their 2013-14 season
Highlights
- An exciting series of four concerts in Milton Court Concert Hall
- The return of ‘Singers at Six’ in four early-evening concerts in St Giles’s Cripplegate
- Britten 100 celebrations include a concert in the Aldeburgh Britten Centenary Weekend
- BBC Singers celebrate the choral works of Thea Musgrave and Heitor Villa-Lobos as part of the BBC Symphony Orchestra Total Immersion Days
- BBC Singers premiere a recently rediscovered C.P.E. Bach St John Passion with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Karabits
Milton Court
London’s newest concert hall plays host to a range of choral masterpieces in the BBC Singers’ series of four concerts at Milton Court. Chief Conductor David Hill leads two concerts in the series, firstly with soloist Jennifer Johnston and the ensemble Endymion (October 15) in an American programme including Steve Reich’s The Desert Music; then for Richard Strauss’s Deutsche Motette (7 April) performed in the 150th anniversary of Strauss’ birth. Four accomplished soloists star in Rossini’s operatic Petite Messe Solennelle (4 February), including soprano Ruby Hughes and mezzo soprano Clara Mouriz, conducted by Paul Brough. The BBC Singers join forces with charismatic composer-conductor Eric Whitacre (10 June), who curates a concert of his own choral music alongside works by Bob Chilcott and Morten Lauridsen, with guest artists The King’s Singers.
Handel’s Messiah
Chief Conductor David Hill conducts the BBC Singers, St James’s Baroque and a team of young soloists including Ruby Hughes and Robin Tritschler in Handel’s Messiah (20 December) in the atmospheric Temple Church – the concluding event of Radio 3’s week of Christmas concerts from this London landmark.
Total Immersion
The BBC Singers take part in the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s series of Total Immersion days; full days of concerts, talks and events. A celebration of distinguished Scottish composer Thea Musgrave in her 85th year will include a performance of her choral works conducted by Paul Brough, ranging from the setting of medieval Scottish words Rorate coeli, to her interpretation of verse from Poems On The Underground (15 February). In contrast, on 8 March Brazil’s most famous composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos, will get the Total Immersion treatment, including a concert of his choral music rarely heard outside his native country, directed by Brazilian conductor Celso Antunes.
C.P.E. Bach St John Passion
In a special Easter concert (16 April), the BBC Singers help bring back to life the 1784 St John Passion by C.P.E. Bach, long thought lost until its re-discovery a few years ago in a Ukrainian library. In the year marking the 300th anniversary of C.P.E. Bach’s birth, the BBC Singers and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra perform the UK premiere of the work, with the orchestra’s Principal Conductor Kirill Karabits.