www.finchleychoral.org.uk

Music Director: Grace Rossiter

Registered Charity No. 265563

Press Release: 8 February 2010

A celebration of French choral favourites

Finchley Choral Society’s Spring concert will feature an all French programme. Duruflé’s Requiem and Poulenc’s Litanies á la Vierge Noire will form the central part of the concert.

Undoubtedly the more performed of the French composer’s choral works, Maurice Duruflé composed his Requiem in 1947. Known mainly as a composer of organ music, Duruflé was writing an organ piece at the time based on Gregorian chants. He incorporated many of the same elements into the Requiem. The use of plainchant provides the music with a meditative spirituality, making it stand out as a work of sublime beauty and peace.

FINCHLEY CHORAL SOCIETY

ST. BRIAVELS. WYE VALLEY

Sat 22nd MAY 2010 @ 7.30PM

PROGRAMME

Durufle - Introit, Kyrie, Agnus Dei, Lux Eterna, In Paradisio

Poulenc - Litanies a la Vierge Noire

Laloux -  O Salutaris; Tantum Ergo

INTERVAL

Scarlatti - Stabat Mater [excerpts]

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic

FINCHLEY CHORAL SOCIETY

Finchley Choral Society, based in North London, has been making music for more than a century. Our choir includes approximately 80 members from a range of age groups and backgrounds, who all enjoy coming together to make music. The choir’s repertoire is large and varied, including Rachmaninov’s Vespers (in Russian), a cappella pieces by Mendelssohn and Benjamin Britten, and Bach Masses. It is always a great moment when, after weeks of rehearsals, the choir reaches the final performance - and this is a very special performance for us, in this beautiful church in the Wye Valley.

If you find yourself in North London in the future, look us up and come and see one of our concerts or join us. For more information, please see our website www.finchleychoral.org.uk

THANKS

We owe many people thanks for organising, arranging and rehearsing this concert.  But a particularly big thank you should go Judy Craven, one of our past members who moved to Wye and initiated the whole project, offered hospitality and generally enthused all of us to take part.