French Choral Music of the Second Empire

Join the Harpenden Choral Society at 7:30 pm on June 13 at the Harpenden High Street Methodist Church for a concert of two 19th Century masterpieces of the French Second Empire; Cherubini’s Requiem, and Gounod’s St Cecilia Mass. With orchestral accompaniment by the King’s Sinfonietta, the concert will be conducted by John Andrews, and feature soloists Catrine Kirkman, soprano; Nicholas Ransley, tenor; and Jan Capinski, baritone.

Beethoven said of Cherubini’s Requiem, ‘If I were to write a Requiem, Cherubini’s would be my only model'. This Requiem was also greatly admired by Schumann, who considered it 'without equal in the world'. This is a work of intense beauty and powerful emotion, which premiered to great acclaim on 21 January 1816 at a commemoration service for Louis XVI of France.
Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass marked a turning point in his young career and captured the attention and acclaim of all of Paris. A glorious, exuberant work, admired for both its simplicity and grandeur, the St Cecilia Mass marked Gounod’s coming of age as a composer.

Tickets cost £15 for adults; £5 for children and students. Please visit our website www.harpendenchoralsociety.org, email tickets@harpendenchoralsociety.org or telephone our Box Office Manager on 01582 419379 for further information .

For more information visit http://www.harpendenchoralsociety.org/