Wokingham Choral Society autumn concert - 75th anniversary

Wokingham Choral Society will kick off what promises to be a fantastic 75th anniversary year with their autumn concert on Saturday 7 November at All Saints Church, Wokingham.

The concert will feature two magnificent works that demonstrate the richness and variety of British choral music: Rutter's Magnificat and Stanford's Mass in G Major.

In 1892, Stanford completed his Mass in G Major, one of the most substantial Latin choral works Britain produced in the 19th century. In 2014, it received its world première recording, featuring the Choir of Exeter College, Oxford, directed by George de Voil - now Musical Director of Wokingham Choral Society.

WCS will give what is believed to be only the second ever concert performance with orchestra of this opulent mass. From a new meticulously prepared edition by George de Voil and James Speakman, the vivid colours of this tuneful and characterful masterpiece will come to life, showing such diverse influences as Schubert, Dvorak, Bruckner and Beethoven.

John Rutter composed his extended setting of the Magnificat in 1990. With its colourful style and Latin American influences, it is a joyful piece in 7 movements which weaves the 15th-century English poem 'Of a rose, a lovely rose' around the traditional liturgical text of the Magnificat.