|
This is an opportunity to perform magnificent music for a sung mass,
the context for which so much of the great music of the Renaissance
was conceived but which, sadly, is often not available. St Augustine’s
is under renovation this year, but I have been able to arrange for
us to sing in St Mary le Strand, a Queen Anne church by Gibbs, which
sits somewhat like a wedding cake in the middle of the Strand. It
is much smaller, and considerably warmer than the
splendour of St Augustine’s; but still wear sweaters! It looks
like a challenging programme in a new environment.
Michael writes, ‘I would like to look at the Palestrina Missa
Fratres ego enim [SSATB]. I shall have worked on this in Munich
a fortnight before. It is a splendid double-choir work, a parody
on Palestrina's own motet, which I would also like to tackle, together
with his double-choir Caro mea (some of you will know the lovely
SSATB version). ’
|
|