JS Bach wrote his Magnificat in 1723 during the first months of his appointment as Director of Music at Leipzig.
Being new to the job he wanted to show off his immense musical abilities, and in the Magnificat he did just that. Today - as the climax of our concert - we perform it exactly 300 years later, complete with Bach's original Christmas additions, as a festive and fitting tribute to him and his enduring genius.The work, though just thirty minutes in length, is conceived on a truly grand scale, requiring five soloists, a five-part choir and, for its time, an unusually large orchestra including trumpets and timpani as well as flutes, oboes, strings and continuo. As the choir and soloists together present the story of the Virgin Mary as told in the Gospel of St Luke, concluding with the Gloria, the beautiful and seductive momentum of the piece keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. The work radiates splendour and jubilation from the very first note and moves eloquently through each section of the text before reaching its exuberant and dramatic conclusion. This is truly feel-good classical music.
To start the concert, The Geldart Ensemble will perform Arcangelo Corelli's Christmas Concerto, which he wrote to be performed on the night of Christmas. It was published in 1714 but was probably first performed years earlier in 1690. There are six short movements.
The next part of the concert is devoted to the music of Marianna Martines. Born in Vienna in 1744, she showed great musical gifts from an early age. As a girl she was taught keyboard by Haydn (who lived upstairs!) and went on to develop exceptional abilities as a keyboard player, composer and singer, and also as a linguist and singing teacher. She was very active in the musical life of Vienna and was a trailblazer for female musicians in many ways, including founding a singing school for young women. Her fame and her music spread far, and she was acknowledged internationally as one of the greatest composers of her time.
Today we're excited to be performing two of her works, Dixit Dominus, a beautiful and complex work which has been described as her masterpiece and, after the interval, Laudate Pueri Dominum. Both works are intricately woven and rich in texture and variety, and we're delighted to be bringing them to Bury St Edmunds, for the first time ever. Do come!
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VenueThe Apex
AddressCharter Square, Bury St Edmunds, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk,
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The Old Cannon Brewery
A Suffolk pub with its own on-site brewhouse, The Old Cannon Brewery offers accommodation and dining less than 10 minutes walk from Bury St Edmunds Abbey. The Old Cannon has a brasserie restaurant and provides free parking and Wi-Fi..
Dog and Partridge
In central Bury St Edmunds, the Dog and Partridge is within 2 minutes walk of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, the Theatre Royal and the Greene King Brewery Museum. This Suffolk inn has a restaurant and provides free parking and WiFi..
Beech Tree Cottage
Beech Tree Cottage offers pet-friendly accommodation in Bury Saint Edmunds, 700 metres from Bury St Edmunds and 3.7 km from Ickworth House. It provides free private parking.
The Abbey Hotel
The Abbey Hotel is comprised of a Tudor house built around 1530 and a medieval merchants house built around 1350. Free on-site parking is available and Bury St Edmunds town centre is just over a mile away..
Best Western Priory Hotel
The Best Western Priory Hotel is an ideal getaway from the frenetic pace of modern life, offering value for money without compromising on quality. The award-winning Garden Restaurant has a long-standing reputation for formal, yet relaxed, dining..
The Ickworth Hotel And
This luxury retreat features The Spa at Ickworth and many on-site activities within its 1800 acres of National Trust parkland. The Ickworth Hotel is a few miles from Bury St Edmunds and the A14, which leads to Newmarket and Cambridge..
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