Aylesbury Consort of Voices

Performers

Notes on the performers

Aylesbury Consort of Voices was originally founded by Charles Pope in the 1950s, initially as an evening class for the study and performance of Madrigals. Charles Pope was a former teacher at Aylesbury Grammar School and was actively involved in the Aylesbury music scene at that time, effectively establishing a whole variety of music groups including the Aylesbury Choral Society, and the Aylesbury Symphony Orchestra, which has enabled successive generations of musicians to enjoy his achievements and has greatly enriched the cultural life of the area. Aylesbury Consort of Voices has evolved into a performance choir of sixteen hand-picked singers, performing music from the sixteenth century to the present day under the direction of Kelvin Turner.

Kelvin Turner is the Musical Director of the Aylesbury Consort of Voices. He lives on the Oxfordshire Buckinghamshire border with his wife – a retired music teacher, who sings alto in the choir and plays the viola. Kelvin was weaned on church choral music from the age of seven, by his father, an accomplished organist and choirmaster. Music remained a dominant subject in his education, and he formed his first eight-voiced group, the Anglian Consort in Cambridgeshire, while still in his twenties.

He moved to Buckinghamshire in 1990 and began singing with local groups. In 1993 he was appointed Musical Director of the Wingrave Singers, and led the choir in concerts and cathedrals all over England for a number of years. He sang with Cambridge Chorale for many years under Michael Kibblewhite and Julian Wilkins. Kelvin has recorded and performed with various choirs in Cambridge, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and London. He has given solo concerts and worked with accomplished local musicians and instrumental groups.

As director of the Aylesbury Consort of Voices, he is known for his attention to detail and his passion for the depth and the emotion in the music he conducts.

Lesley Vincent is the Assistant Musical Director of the Aylesbury Consort of Voices. She lives in Wendover and is a professional musician and teacher, having played with the RAF Salon Orchestra for many years. There are few instruments Lesley does not play; her specialism is the double bass and she is also a pianist, cellist and organist, accompanying services at the RAF church of St George’s on Halton Camp on a regular basis. Lesley is passionate about the outdoors and can often be found exploring the Chiltern hiking trails with her irish terrier, Bunty.

Programme

Programme notes

“Behold that Star”: The Aylesbury Consort of Voices will perform a variety of songs for Epiphany, including works by Beamish, Howells, Chilcott, Poulenc and Victoria.

Mateo Flecha (1481–1553)

Riu Riu Chiu

A Catalan composer born in Kingdom of Aragon, in the region of Prades. Ríu Ríu Chíu is a Spanish villancico that has attained some contemporary fame as a Christmas carol.

Elizabeth Poston

Jesus Christ the Apple Tree

Jesus Christ the Apple Tree is a poem, possibly intended for use as a carol, written in the 18th century.

Thomas W Talley, arr Bob Chilcott

Behold that Star

Joyful & tuneful spiritual alternating between solo phrase and choral response.

Bob Chilcott

Christmas day 1966

All the way from Oxford, ‘A contemporary hero of British choral music’ ~ The Observer.

Herbert Howells

Here is the Little Door

English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.

Francis Poulenc

O Magnum Mysterium

The warmth and joy of the Christmas season imbues these attractive pieces, with Poulenc’s penchant for lyric melodies and deliciously poignant harmonies evident throughout.

Peter Warlock

Bethlehem Down

“Bethlehem Down” is a choral anthem or carol composed in 1927 by Anglo-Welsh composer Peter Warlock.

Mykola Leontovych

Carol of the Bells

“Carol of the Bells” is a popular Christmas carol, with music by the Ukrainian Leontovych in 1914 and lyrics by Peter J. Wilhousky. The song is based on the Ukrainian folk chant “Shchedryk”.

Tomas Luis de Victoria

O Magnum Mysterium

Tomás Luis de Victoria was the most famous Spanish composer of the Renaissance. This is the second setting of O Magnum Mysterium you will hear today.

Francis Poulenc

Videntes Stellam

He experienced a religious awakening after the death of a close friend, and his compositions began to reflect his renewed Catholicism. Videntes Stallam translates as ‘When they saw the star’.

Michael Head

The Little Road to Bethlehem

The words by Margaret Rose place the Nativity in any country: the result is deeply touching in its masterly combination of text and music.

Paul Johnson

Balulalow

Balulalow is the old Scottish word for a lullaby.

Peter Cornelius

The Three Kings

The carol describes the visit of the Biblical Magi to the Infant Jesus during the Nativity and is also used as an Epiphany anthem.

Gruber, arr Barry Rose

Silent night

First performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 in German. This version of Silent
Night is arranged by Barry Rose and sung in English.

Blane/Martin

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

We wrap up the concert with Frank Sinatra’s classic song.