Saturday 20th May 2017, 7.30pm
PROKOVIEV: ALEXANDER NEVSKY
RACHMANINOV: THE BELLS
BORODIN: IN THE STEPPES OF
CENTRAL ASIA
ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY
ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
CONDUCTOR: Richard Cooke
SOLOISTS:
Natalya Romaniw
Anna Starushkevych
Robin Bailey
Benedict Nelson
Tickets: £12 to £29
WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL
Box office: 01962 857275 or www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk
www.royalchoralsociety.co.uk
A CENTURY OF REVOLUTION . . .
In the one-hundredth year after the Russian Revolution, one of the most turbulent
events in history, the Royal Choral Society will perform two outstanding works by
Russian composers – Prokoviev’s Alexander Nevsky and Rachmaninov’s The Bells –
in the stunning surroundings of Winchester Cathedral. The choir will be accompanied
by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which will open the concert with Borodin’s
In the Steppes of Central Asia.
Alexander Nevsky, a seven-movement cantata for mezzo-soprano, choir and orchestra,
is based on Prokoviev’s score for Eisenstein’s 1938 film of the same name which
celebrated the thirteenth-century Russian prince Grand Duke Alexander’s decisive
victory over an invading force of Teutonic knights. The film’s creation was motivated by
the Soviet state’s need for propaganda to counter the rise of Nazi Germany. The film
was a huge success, and Prokoviev’s score hailed as a masterpiece.
Rachmaninov’s secular choral masterpiece, The Bells, predates the Revolution and
features Edgar Allan Poe’s poem ‘The Bells’ at its heart. It is scored for soprano, tenor,
baritone and choir, and is divided into four movements, mirroring the journey from
birth to death. The Gregorian Dies Irae chant (also prominent at the end of his Paganini
Rhapsody) is heard in various guises, though the work overall is in the composer’s
richly Romantic orchestral vein. Rachmaninov called The Bells his ‘Choral Symphony’,
and he considered it his favourite composition.
This concert will serve as a reminder of the incredible contribution of Russian music
to the Western canon. With performers of the highest calibre, this will be a truly
evocative concert.
The Royal Choral Society was formed in 1871
for the opening of the Royal Albert Hall.
The choir has been conducted by such
luminaries as Verdi, Gounod, Dvorák, Elgar
and Sargent, and today performs traditional
choral repertoire and other more unusual
music at events at venues around the UK
and abroad.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the
UK’s most prestigious orchestras, celebrated
70 years of music making in 2016. The
orchestra frequently performs across the UK
and throughout the world, with its repertoire
encompassing every strand of music from
the core classical repertoire to music of the
twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
www.royalchoralsociety.co.uk
www.rpo.co.uk