Edward Elgar: Serenade for Strings
Gabriel Fauré: Requiem
(Interval)
John Rutter: Magnificat
Start your Festival experience with an evening of music spanning all the emotions! Sherborne Festival Chorus returns with two much-loved choral works, written 100 years apart. 2024 is the Fauré centenary (d.1924). His sublime setting of the Requiem has been a favourite with choirs and audiences alike since its first performance in 1890. No rage or fury here: instead, this masterpiece is marked by solace and hope, glorious melody and angelic harmonies, including the famous Pie Jesu and sublime In Paradisum. Rutter’s joyful setting of the Magnificat conjures up the sunshine of Spain and South America and their lively street festivals celebrating the Virgin Mary. With its energetic rhythms, colourful orchestration and Rutter’s trademark melodies, it will be impossible to leave the Abbey without it ringing in your ears! Opening the concert is Elgar’s wonderful early jewel, the Serenade for Strings.
