Join us for an afternoon of great choral music

Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass

With
Malaspina Choir 
and
Vancouver Island Symphony

Sunday, May 4, 2:00 p.m.

The Port Theatre

Tickets: 754-8550 and www.porttheatre.com

 Nanaimo:   May 4 - time to put down the gardening tools, head to The Port Theatre and feed the soul with an aural feast of choral music. The soaring voices of the Malaspina Choir are being joined by the exquisite musicianship of the Vancouver Island Symphony in a fabulous spring choral extravaganza which features music by Handel, Mozart and Beethoven and concludes with the majestic, celebratory Lord Nelson Mass by Franz Joseph Haydn.

 “It is a concert filled with fabulous choral singing,” explains director Wade Noble of the music that will fill every inch of space in the superbly acoustic Port Theatre. “I have wanted to do the Nelson Mass with the Malaspina Choir for some time. We have over 90 members in the choir now. And, it is exciting to be working with the Vancouver Island Symphony.”

First on the program is Zadok the Priest  by George Frederik Handel. “It is a great way to start the concert – with a splash!” says Noble. “It is one of the four coronation anthems that Handel composed for the coronation of King George II of Great Britain, in 1727, and it has been sung at every British coronation since.”

Next is Exultate Jubilate by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. “Our soprano soloist, Nancy Washeim, has a real barn-burner bit of music to sing. Nancy has a wonderful voice and this is a stunning piece. Most people are familiar with the final movement.”

Elegischer Gesang by Ludwig van Beethoven follows. History tells us that Beethoven was not an easy man to live with; “But, one landlord welcomed him into their family,” explains Noble. “When the landlord’s wife died in childbirth Beethoven was deeply moved and wrote this piece for her. It is beautiful and a perfect complement to the Handel and Mozart pieces.”

Finally there is the explosive Nelson Mass, like a chocolate that erupts in the mouth and fills you with surprising and delightful flavours. “It is magnificent! It is one of my favourites, full of sparks and fireworks, and such a fun piece to perform!” Concludes Noble, “Doing an afternoon concert like this gives people who do not drive at night, and therefore would not make it to an evening show, a chance to experience the splendour of this music. It is also an opportunity for church-goers to treat themselves to a wonderful lunch followed by a nourishing no-calorie aural dessert.” 

Reception to follow in the lobby.

 Tickets to this fantastic spring feast of sound are available at The Port Theatre, 754-8550 and online at www.portthteatre.com.