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Choral Course Friday July 11th - Sunday July 13th 2008 Y Galeri, Caernarfon. Director: John Huw Davies Y Galeri, Caernarfon, is Wales’ newest purpose-built arts centre, and is situated by the side of the Menai Straits (your yacht could be moored 20 yards from the concert hall!) and is a three minute stroll around the yacht basin from the new Premier Inn hotel. NWSS’ policy has always been to study outstanding works which by some quirk of fate are less well known than they deserve to be, and indeed many works studied over the years have been enthusiastically taken up by choirs in North Wales and beyond. The main work for the 2008 course, in keeping with this idea, will be ‘Confiteor Tibi Domine’ (‘I will give thanks unto the Lord’) by Michel-Richard de Lalande, described by Grove as ‘the leading composer of the late Baroque ‘grand motet’‘(and the cause of a recent court action which nearly resulted in the demise of the Hyperion record label). From 1683 until his death in 1726 he was involved in the royal chapel of Louis XIV and XV, writing over 70 motets, contemporary with and of similar stature to Bach’s church works. This 30-minute piece is in 10 sections, the choruses interesting and exciting but not difficult, interspersed with solos and ensembles, with an unmistakeable French flavour, and accompanied by strings. We will also sing Psalm 46 by Roman (known as the ’Swedish Handel’), a piece not unlike one of the Chandos anthems. Other pieces (’lollipops’) will include the ever-popular Rossini’s ‘O Sacrum Convivium’, Elgar’s ‘Ave Maria’ and Quilter’s ‘Lead us Heavenly Father’. CGWM (Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias / Williams Mathias Music Centre) is based at Galeri and we are delighted to be working in conjunction with them; they are also running an opera weekend at Galeri from July 18-20 which will be of interest to choral singers North Wales Summer School of Music Email: info@nwssm.org.uk
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