Wigton Choral Society are putting the finishing touches on the music for their summer concert later this month.
On Saturday, June 17, they will perform Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem op. 45) in its entirety and two well known works by the same composer.
Under the baton of Ian Wright, who has directed the society since 2008, the choir will be accompanied by a small orchestra – the Throstle Ensemble. They will be using a new orchestration of the requiem which is more suitable for smaller choirs and recently published by Carus-Verlag.
The choir have also chosen to distinguish their performance by singing each piece in its original German version, rather than using an English translation.
In celebrating Brahms, the choir are also paying tribute to one of their former musical directors and her family.
Bernice Joachim directed Wigton Choral Society for a few years until the early 1970s. Her husband Joseph taught English at the Friends’ School (Brookfield) in Wigton.
Known locally as Joe Joachim, he was the grandson of the famous Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim (1831-1907) who was a great friend of Brahms. The relationship between Brahms and Joachim is well documented, with Brahms regularly seeking the violinist’s advice when composing his violin concerto and other works for string instruments.
The Joachims continue to be remembered and respected in Wigton. A number of current Wigton Choral Society members still recall having piano lessons with Bernice, who is known to have been a gifted and inspirational teacher.
In addition to the requiem, the choir will perform Brahms’ Begräbnisgesang (Burial Song op. 13) – a rarely heard work written when the composer was still in his twenties. It has been specially arranged for performance by Ian Wright. The third item in the programme will be the Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny op. 54), written a few years after the Requiem.
The concert is supported by Aspatria and District Community Charity Association
The concert will take place in Wigton’s St Mary’s Church, beginning at 7.30pm. Tickets are available on the door (£15) or can be booked in advance (£13) from [email protected] or 016973 51934 (under-16s free).
