Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Announces TUDOR PORTRAITS Performance

Music transports us to other times and places - join the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Symphony Chorus on a journey to Elizabethan England with works inspired by the golden age of English art. The choir introduces a cast of raucous and falteringly human characters; good time girl Elinor Rumming, the hard-to-get Pretty Bess, and a mourned dead pet sparrow, to name a few.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Music Director and Conductor, Brett Weymark said 'I am very excited about this concert as it gives the audience a chance to hear the incredible range of expression available to us in Vaughan Williams' magnificent works. From the haunting harmonies of the Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis to the exquisite beauty of his setting of Shakespeare's text in Serenade to Music to the burlesque and jazzy setting of John Skelton's descriptions of everyday Tudor life in his Five Tudor Portraits. You will realise why Vaughan Williams is one of the most important figures in 20th century music and one of the most enjoyable!'

A review of the first ever public staging of Five Tudor Portraits noted that rarely had the writer seen an audience 'so relieved of concert-room inhibitions'. Known for a deft ability to give voice to profound and moving works, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, will take a joyful and rowdy romp through some of the Elizabethan era's most scintillating and humourous choral works from the masters of the age, Thomas Tallis, Thomas Tomkins and, the inimitable, Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Brett Weymark leads four talented, young soloists including Morgan Balfour - a 2016 IFAC Australian Singing Competition finalist and Bronwyn Douglass, a participant in the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Foundation prize. All four soloists are young performers carving out exciting careers, and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs are proud to be able to nurture these young people as they move to becoming professionals.

This suite of earthy and rowdy pictures of life in the 16th century are an extended love letter to Merrie Olde England. Teeming with humanity and humor, Five Tudor Portraits, is deservedly one of Vaughan Williams' most beloved works and a showpiece for this spirited and brilliant choir.

About the choirs

Symphony Chorus is the official choral partnership between Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. The relationship between the Sydney Symphony and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs dates back to September 1936 when our earlier incarnations, the ABC Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Hurlstone Park Choral Society performed Verdi's Requiem Mass at Sydney Town Hall under the baton of conductor Malcolm Sargent. The last eighty years have seen this close relationship bring to life masterworks for the people of Sydney and beyond. Performing with the SSO offers choristers the chance to sing great choral works supported by the best orchestral performers in the country, with them performing Strauss' Alpine Symphony, the ever-popular Last Night of the Proms, Debussy's dreAmy Pelleas et Melisande, Mahler's dramatic Symphony No.3, and Belshazzar's Feast by William Walton in 2017.

Details

When: Thursday 24 August, 7.30pm | Sunday 27 August, 2pm
Where: City Recital Hall
Tickets: $49-$109 plus booking fees
Available online

In 2017, they will offer pre-concert talks at all Sydney Opera House and City Recital Hall events. These will be held 45 minutes prior to the performance and are sponsored by Fine Music FM 102.5.

Conductor: Brett Weymark
Soprano: Morgan Balfour

Mezzo Soprano: Bronwyn Douglass

Tenor: Evan Kirby

Baritone: Jarvis Dams

Devoted to presenting the art of choral singing at the highest standard, and fostering the signing community in Sydney and beyond, Sydney Philharmonia choirs is Australia's finest choral performing arts company. SPC is led by charismatic and dynamic Music Director, Brett Weymark and is made up of 1500 people, across four choirs, who volunteer their time and talents to rehearsals and events year-round. The choirs regularly perform at the Sydney Opera House and City Recital Hall, and other prestigious venues around the city, alongside the world's best conductors, soloists, and orchestras, including the Sydney Symphony and Sydney Youth Orchestra. Founded in 1920, SPC will celebrate their centenary in 2020, with a huge line-up of concerts and events. For more information visit www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au.

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