December 6 2025: Bruckner Mass in E minor and Festive music
Sat, 6 Dec 2025
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The first half of this concert was devoted to the music of Anton Bruckner - works that are well-known by the composer but not frequently performed by amateur choral societies. The two works were the a cappella motet, Locus Iste, and his Mass in E minor performed with a 15-piece Wind Ensemble. "Wow! What a performance! Dramatic, exhilarating, exciting all the way.... I really felt that everyone was working together and gaining strength from their joint efforts. A superb 'first concert' by your new musical director - who also showed his talents in composition. |
March 23 2024... 'Magnificat'
Sat, 23 Mar 2024
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This concert was a 'study' of the Magnificat (the song of Mary when she learned that she was to give birth to the Son of God) as a musical form. It included magnificats by J.S.Bach, Arvo Pärt, Henry Purcell, Marcel Dupré, Thomas Walmisely and Antonio Vivaldi The Choral Society were accompanied by The Aylesbury Sinfonia with Colin Spinks on the Organ for the Dupré. A review printed in the electronic version of The Bucks Herald can be found buy clicking here. Highlights of this review include... "an absolute delight" "they excelled" |
November 25 2023... Bach: Christmas Oratorio
Sat, 25 Nov 2023
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This was a tremendous performance of Bach's masterpiece, Christmas Oratorio which was performed with The Aylesbury Sinfonia and the most superb soloists: Eliana Pretorian, Alison Kettlewell, Timothy Coleman and Timothy Bagley. It was said after the concert that the choir was, perhaps, the most engaged and enthusiastic that we have been with the joy of the music singing out through our eyes and our voices. The review in the electronic version of The Bucks Herald can be read here: https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/arts-and- culture/aylesbury-choral-society-kicks- off-the-christmas-season- in-style-4435645 |
June 17 2024.... Music Sacred, Secular & Royal: Music for a Summer's evening
Sat, 17 Jun 2023
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We performed a range of music which included pieces to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III: Piers Maxim's The King shall rejoice and Joanna Forbes L'Estrange's The mountains shall bring peace. Supplementing these, we performed pieces ranging from the Renaissance (such as Gibbon's serene anthem, Almighty and Evaerlasting God to secular works such as Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine, to more modern works from the jazz age such as Cole Porter's Begin the Beguine; and a whole gamut of works in between. The most notable works, perhaps, as being quite different to ACS's 'standard'repertoire, were Arvo Pärt's The Beatitudes and Morten Lauridsen's O nata lux. Colin Spinks was his usual wonderful self as our accompanist and Jeff Stewart directed us with aplomb and inspiration. |
April 1 2023... Haydn: Creation
Sat, 1 Apr 2023
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We performed Haydn's Creation to a packed house at St. Mary's Church in Aylesbury to great acclaim. Supplementing the choir was the Aylesbury Sinfonia and three superb soloists: Jennire Clatk, Rhodri Jones and Simon Thorpe. The music to The Creation is sublime, full of wonderful melodic writing and so joyous and the combined forces of choir, orchestra and soloists under Jeff Stewart's baton gave a terrifically great evening full of cheer and jubilation. The review carried in the Bucks Herald can be read here: https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/arts-and-culture/aylesbury-choral-society-inspire-with-fantastic-haydn-the-creation-performance-4103887. |
December 3 2022... Saint Saëns & Britten
Sat, 3 Dec 2022
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Our Christmas Concert, 2022, included Benjamin Britten's Ceremoony of Carols (with the harp played by the superb Imogen Ridge), Saint-Saëns's generally unfamiliar but very beautiful Christmas Oratorio, and a selection of carols including Matthias's Sir Christemas and a work by our own choir member, Jenny Watkins: Lullaby. |
