2012 Concerts and Services

Click here to read about Choral Evensongs in 2012.

GOOD FRIDAY: Friday 6 April

TWO PERFORMANCES: 3:30pm and 8:00pm

St Matthew-in-the-City

Admission FREE: exit by donation (suggested amount $20 per person)

Sunday 10 June

5:00pm

St Michael's, Beatrice Road, Remuera (venue to be confirmed)

In 1942 or 1943 Stravinsky by chance came across some Masses by Mozart in a second-hand music store in Los Angeles. He obviously viewed Mozart's decorative style with distaste; in his Expositions he wrote: `As I played through these rococo-operatic sweets-of-sin, I knew I had to write a Mass of my own, but a real one.' He said that he wanted to write `very cold music, absolutely cold, that will appeal directly to the spirit.' The Mass is accompanied by 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets and three trombones.

Each movement of the Stravinsky will be interspersed with selections from the Codex Calixtinus, the 12th-century illuminated manuscript that contains the earliest known 3-part writing and that was sensationally stolen from the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in 2010. Some of Stravinsky’s procedures in the Mass are strikingly medieval, so it will make for a very interesting juxtaposition.

Writing of Frank Martin's Mass for Double Choir, the Hyperion Records website says: “One of the greatest a cappella works written this century”; so writes Gramophone's Marc Rochester in the sleeve note to this recording, and this is no exaggeration. Written in 1922, with a devastatingly effective Agnus Dei being added in 1926, Frank Martin's Mass for double choir is a truly wonderful work, combining intensely personal moments of religious contemplation with outbursts of overwhelming glory.”

The admission price of $40 includes a glass of wine from our sponsor Crossroads Winery and tapas.

 

Wednesday 22 August

8:00pm

Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

Musica Sacra is delighted that we have once again been able to arrange to bring Dr John Scott LVO from New York to work with us. He inaugurated our chamber organ in 2006. He is the Organist and Director of Music at St Thomas, Fifth Avenue; before that he was Director of Music at St Paul’s Cathedral, London. he is undoubtedly one of the greatest organists in the world, and he is also a wonderful choir trainer and conductor. Dr Scott will be taking the choir in a special workshop (more details on this will follow in due course). In the Town Hall concert we will sing his exciting new composition, a joyfully festive Missa dies resurrectionis for choir, organ, brass and percussion with Easter tunes woven into it. A large part of this concert will be organ solos by Dr Scott.

Tickets will be on sale through THE EDGE.

Sunday 11 November

5:00pm

St Michael's, Remuera (venue to be confirmed)

For this concert of beaitiful early renaissance music we shall be joined once again by Ben Hoadley (dulcian, bassoon, recorder) and John Gluyas (sackbut) with a wonderful selection of choral and instrumental works by Josquin Desprez, Pierre de la Rue. After the success of last year's Spanish Renaissance concert, described by one reviewer as "definitely the choral concert of the year", we look forward to another programme of early music.

Saturday 22 December

8:00pm

Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall

The choir sings Choral Evensong at 5:00pm on the last Sunday of each month (February to November inclusive but, in 2012, not in August). These services take place at the beautiful church of St Matthew-in-the-City in central Auckland. The services follow the 1662 Book of Common Prayer: they are short, fully choral with music from the Anglican Cathedral tradition, and there is no sermon. Free parking on Sundays is available in the church parking building immediately adjacent to the church, on the south side of the building (NB not on the forecourt).

Evensongs in 2012:
Feb 26;Mar 25; Apr 29; May 27; Jun 24; Jul 29; Sep 23; October 28; Nov 25

Click here to read the archive of our performances in 2006.

Click here to read the archive of our performances in 2007.

Click here to read the archive of our performances in 2008.

Click here to read the archive of our performances in 2009.
Click here to read the archive of our performances in 2010.
Click here to read the archive of our performances in 2011.

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