An Evening of Advent Carols

Accompanied and a capella carols, traditional and modern, with some for audience participation.

In the interval there will be light refreshments and an opportunity to meet members of the choir. Tickets are available in advance from the Tourist Information Centre (at the top of Antelope Walk), from choir members, or on the door.

'THE OCCASIONAL SINGERS
St Mary’s Church, Dorchester

CONCERTS at this time of year sometimes tend to have a sameness about them but this can never be said for events put on by this group of singers.
The sensitive blend of voices in four part harmony and some excellent solo singing is a quality we have come to associate with the local choral group and this concert gave the audience plenty to enjoy in the appropriate venue of a church.
The evening was a shared experience in more ways than one as the musical direction was equally divided between Richard Hall and Rick Birley while the audience were encouraged to join in some of the songs which added to the festive atmosphere.
An eclectic mixture of advent songs from all parts of the world ranging from Latin texts to spirituals adorned the programme, many of which were sung without musical accompaniment.
The occasional musical accompaniment was provided by organist Duncan Honeybourne but the fact that many of the works were performed acapella proved to be a bit of a bonus at times as even with the renowned expertise of Duncan, the church instrument proved to have a mind of its own at times and insisted on playing slightly out of tune.
The next concert by the singers at the same venue will take place in May where they will be performing Rachmaninov’s Vespers, an occasion not to be missed.'

Concert review from the Dorset Echo 14/12/11
by Marion Cox
 

Music for a Summer Evening

Sacred Choral Classics

Concert review from the
Dorset Echo 08/03/11

Come and celebrate the extraordinary wealth of unaccompanied sacred choral music with the Occasional Singers, in the wonderful acoustic space of St Mary's Church, Dorchester on Saturday March 5th at 7:30pm.

In addition to the well-known motets of Bruckner and Stanford the choir will be performing the intense, deeply-felt motet by Brahms "Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Muhseligen?", composed in 1878. The programme presented is rich in its diversity: the earliest piece is a setting of Ave Maria by Josquin Desprez, one of the great 15th century composers whose music represents the fullest embodiment of the ideals of the Renaissance. By comparison the 1949 setting of the same text by Stravinsky presents an entirely different approach to these wonderful words. In addition the choir will perform music by Parry (from the Songs of Farewell), Poulenc, Mendelssohn, Rheinberger (the lovely Abendlied), Rachmaninov (excerpts from the Vespers), Hassler, Casals (his haunting setting of O vos omnes)and Grieg. Such an eclectic mix will offer a wonderful choral experience of great interest, with the huge range of works spanning six centuries of European – and Russian – sacred music.

In the interval there will be light refreshments and an opportunity to meet members of the choir.

Tickets are available in advance from the Tourist Information Centre (at the top of Antelope Walk), from choir members, or on the door.

Romantic Choral Classics

Date: Time: Tickets: Venue:	14th February 2009 7.30pm £8 on the door (£2 children and students) St Mary the Virgin Edward Road Dorchester Dorset DT1 2HJ
Enjoy your Valentine's Day celebration with an evening of sublime music given by the Occasionals in the wonderful acoustic of St Mary's Church, Dorchester. Music (both sacred and secular) that spans the centuries and inspires the listener. In the first half the choir will perform classic Russian orthodox music by Arensky, Tchaikovsky, Glinka and Rachmaninov [from the Vespers], European masterpieces by Verdi, Rossini and Grieg, two sumptuous Psalm settings by Mendelssohn and two lively pieces from the Renaissance period (Viadana & Sweelinck).
In the second half the programme is secular, including folk-song settings by Tippett and Rick Birley and three substantial part songs by Elgar. February 14th is a time to indulge yourself... what better way is there than sampling such choral delights in such majestic surroundings? We hope to see you there on the 14th! Tickets, available on the door, are £8 (£2 for children & students).

The Advent Carol Succession

Date: Venue:	29th November 2008 St Mary the Virgin Edward Road Dorchester Dorset DT1 2HJ
The Occasional Singers with Pippa Goss (Soprano) & Chris Price (Tenor) gave the first performance of Rick Birley’s Advent Carol Succession. The choir was accompanied by a small ensemble: Nikki Olson (flute/piccolo), Walter Brewster (clarinet/bass clarinet), Sally Stell (cello) & Duncan Honeybourne (organ). The work was composed exactly a year before, just too late to have been performed at the previous Advent. In fact the first major rehearsal for it was in early January 2008 - about as far away as you could be from its correct position in the Church year! The work is in a single movement although the texts are taken from several different sources, many of which are medieval. Extensive use is made too of two plainsong chants: Descendit de Celis and Veni Creator Spiritus. All the texts were chosen because of their Advent characteristics except the second of these two plainsongs. The words actually relate to Pentecost, the period in the Church year which celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit after Christ's resurrection.

Its inclusion in an otherwise Advent set of texts seemed entirely appropriate, and provides some sort of symmetry to the structure of the whole. The period of Advent is a time of heightened expectation prior to the Nativity, and the ethos of this Carol Succession is all about that very first Advent without any hindsight of Christmas to come. There is a fervent anticipation: a young and unmarried teenager expecting a child, an enormous sense of something incredibly important about to happen, all contained in intense feelings of excited hope.

Walter Brewster will also play the Variations on a Plainsong for solo clarinet, first performed to great acclaim in the church in May 2008.