CPC celebrates English choral music in memory of a beloved choirmaster
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Harin Amirthanathan
The Colombo Philharmonic Choir (CPC) will present ‘Te Deum: A celebration of English choral music’ on Wednesday, September 25, at 7.30 p.m. at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Kollupitiya.
Throughout the centuries, an immense storehouse of musical treasures has been composed in the British Isles: beautiful choral settings which have come to enjoy great popularity around the world. This concert of English choral music, new and old, includes works by several distinguished English composers, including Byrd, Tallis, Parry, Stanford, Matthias and Rutter.
“For this concert, I wanted to visit the English Renaissance and Romantic eras as well as more contemporary works,” explained the Philharmonic’s choral director Harin Amirthanathan.
The English love of sonority, of the sheer beauty of rich sound and clarity of line reverberating within spacious stone walls, will be demonstrated amply by the selection of music and the venue – the church of St. Michael and All Angels, Polwatte – which provides a fantastic space to complement the music.
“It has been a challenging and exciting learning experience to tackle the ten pieces chosen by Harin for this concert,” said Sharmini Wickramanayake, Hony. President of the CPC. “We are covering so many composers with different styles… some requiring the choir to sing in eight parts!”
Since its formation in 1955, the CPC has offered diverse and innovative music and premiered notable works. This time too, the CPC is delighted to present John Rutter’s “Missa Brevis (2022)” to Colombo audiences for the first time. This Latin mass setting for choir and organ demonstrates the composer’s strong melodic sense and innate feeling for the sound of choral worship.
“It is quite different in style to the other two Rutter pieces we will be singing from 1988 and 2004, which are also works not commonly heard in the Sri Lankan repertoire,” Sharmini says, explaining that “the other composers included in this programme are a veritable “who’s who” of English choral music composers.”
These works include the anthem, “Let the People Praise Thee, O God,” a setting of Psalm 67 for chorus and organ by William Matthias composed for the marriage of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer; Stanford’s “Beati quorum via” in six parts, one of his most exquisite unaccompanied compositions; Tallis’s “If ye love me” a model of simple elegance in the homophonic texture and skilful imitative polyphony; and Sir Hubert Parry’s setting of Psalm 122 from the Church of England’s Book of Common Prayer, always known by its opening words “I Was Glad.”
Russell Bartholomeusz
The choir is conducted by Harin Amirthanathan, and will be accompanied by Denham Pereira on the organ.
Organist and Director of Music at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Denham has accompanied the CPC for many concerts since 2003.
“This performance promises to be a captivating exploration of the genre,” he says, adding that the music was “carefully chosen to showcase the rich tonal possibilities of the organ at St. Michael’s.”
The concert is dedicated to the beloved choirmaster at S. Thomas’ College (STC), Mount Lavinia, Russell Bartholomeusz, who passed away in May this year. Russell had joined the CPC as accompanist in 1963 and had been its Deputy Conductor between 1978 and 1998.
“Russell had a deep understanding of and a passion for music, particularly the music of the Anglican Church,” said David Sansoni, OAM, who knew and worked with Russell in the STC choir as well as in the CPC. “He taught us to revere and appreciate the music we sang, from the simple, strophic, unison hymn to the complex harmony and form of J.S. Bach.”
“Mr. Bartholomeusz was an ardent fan of the English choral tradition,” Denham confirms, adding that the CPC programme is “a concert he would have thoroughly enjoyed listening to.”
‘Te Deum: A celebration of English choral music’ will be presented by the Colombo Philharmonic Choir on Wednesday, September 25, at 7. 30 p.m. at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Polwatte. Entrance is by programme (unreserved) priced at Rs.1,500 and available at the door. Contact Sharmini 0777702642 for more information.
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