The Creation – Haydn
Saturday 17th November 2018 7:30pm
Bolton Road Methodist Church, Bury, BL8 2EH
Soprano: Suzanne Mather
Born in Macclesfield but now living in Saddleworth, Suzanne Mather has sung with Ramsbottom Choral Society on many occasions, including at least two previous renditions of Creation. She is well-known in the north of England for her performances in musicals, operetta, opera, oratorio and on the concert platform.
She gives regular recitals in the North West of England but also in the South West of France and has performed at the St Gauderic Music Festival in the Aude. Back home her most recent appearances have been Vaughan Williams Benedicite and Parry’s Magnificat with the Manchester Bach Choir, Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest with Chorale Amici, Handel’s Messiah with Glazebrook Choral and Haydn’s Creation with Middleton Music Society, the last work being one of her favourites which she is only too happy to repeat tonight!
Tenor: Louis-Charles Gagnon
Canadian tenor Louis-Charles Gagnon is a graduate from Laval University and is currently a Master’s student at the RNCM. His recent engagements include the cover of Tamino and the role of the Zweiter Priester in a new production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with the Quebec Opera Festival directed by Robert Lepage and destined to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera in a few years. He also performed in Germany the role of Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in summer 2017. His other operatic roles include Septimius in Handel’s Theodora at the RNCM, Clerk of the Court in Sommers’ Louis Riel with the Quebec Opera Festival and Bastien in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne with Tempêtes et passions. In the future, he’ll be performing Conte Almaviva in Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Italia in Rome as well as Lord Lechery and Second Shepherd in the RNCM Spring production of Vaughan Willams’ The Pilgrim’s Progress. Louis-Charles is also the recipient of the Kenneth Hedley Award from the RNCM.
Bass: Samuel Jackson
Samuel graduated from the RNCM in 2016 with first class honours and is now studying there for his masters under Nicholas Powell. Recently, Samuel has given solo performances alongside the The Lancaster Singers, Warrington Choral Society, Ramsbottom and Bury Choral Societies. He has a wealth of choral experience singing with the Hallé choirs for several years and has taken part in many performances and recordings at the Bridgewater Hall and several BBC Proms. During his studies, he has performed in a variety of choral concerts, opera galas and operatic excerpts both at the college and externally and played a principle role in their production of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. Most recently, Samuel played the role of Bobinet in the RNCM’s production of La Vie Parisienne.Samuel spent the summer of 2017 performing with The National Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company for their UK tour.
Conductor: Barry Sugden
Orchestra Leader: Julie Proctor
Accompanist: Alan Beedie
PART 1
1 Orchestra Representation of Chaos
2 Bass & Choir In the beginning
3 Tenor Now vanish before the holy beams
Chorus Despairing cursing rage
4 Bass And God made the firmament
5 Soprano & Choir The marv’llous work
6 Bass Recit And God said, Let the waters
7 Bass solo Rolling in foaming billows
8 Soprano Recit And God said, Let the earth
9 Soprano solo With verdure clad
10 Tenor Recit And the heavenly host
11 Choir Awake the harp
12 Tenor Recit And God said, Let there be lights
13 Tenor solo In splendour bright
14 Choir The heavens are telling
PART 2
15 Soprano Recit And God said, Let the waters
16 Soprano solo On mighty pens
17 Bass Recit And God created great whales
18 Bass Recit. And the Angels
19 Trio Most beautiful appear
20 Trio and Chorus The Lord is great
21 Bass Recit. And God said, Let the earth.
22 Bass solo Straight opening
23 Bass Air Now heaven in fullest glory shone
24 Tenor Recit. And God created man
25 Tenor Air In native worth
26 Bass Recit And God saw every living thing …
27 Choir Achieved is the glorious work (1)
27a Trio On thee each living soul awaits
27b Choir Achieved is the glorious work (2)
PART 3
28 Intro. & Tenor Recit. In rosy mantle appears
29 Duet & Chorus By thee with bliss
Duet & Chorus Of stars the fairest
30 Recit Duet Our duty we have now performed
31 Duet Soprano & Bass Graceful consort
32 Tenor Recit. O happy pair
33 Chorus Sing the Lord, ye praises all.