RBCS Community Choir Concert

Rotherhithe and Bermondsey Choral Society

Come and hear wonderful live music, written by Gabriel Fauré (Requiem) and Howard Goodall (Eternal Light). These are works for choir and orchestra, and will be performed by RBCS, our local community choir in Rotherhithe & Bermondsey, with the RBCS Chamber Orchestra, Musical Director Sue Heath Downey. Requiems often express deep anxiety about the soul of the departed, but these two pieces are rather different. The Fauré is very tender and compassionate and Eternal Light aims to console those left behind.

Faure was a French romantic composer, who worked for many years at l'Eglise de la Madeleine in Paris and there the Requiem, which was composed around 1900, had its first performance. St James church is not quite the same size but it has a really big acoustic, so we will get very close to the original sound! For more, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_(Faur%C3%A9).

Howard Goodall composed his piece over 100 years later using text from the requiem mass along with English poems from the last 500 years. He has also composed many TV programme theme tunes which you are familiar with eg Blackadder and Mr Bean. It is no surprise that Eternal Light is equally accessible and memorable. For more, go to http://www.howardgoodall.co.uk/works/choral-music/eternal-light.

St James church in Thurland Rd SE16 4AA was built in 1829 and melted-down cannons from the Battle of Waterloo were used to make the ten bells. For more go to http://www.exploringsouthwark.co.uk/st-james-church/4592088319.

This concert will be FREE to attend. If you are moved to make donation as you leave that will be very much appreciated. Refreshments will be available in the interval. We look forward to seeing you there.