In Paradisum

We look forward to a luminous evening of French choral and orchestral music performed by our Choir in Residence, Excelsis and the Friends of the London Handel Players, conducted by Adrian Butterfield and Robert Lewis, culminating in Duruflé’s sublime Requiem.

Programme Highlights

The June concert invites listeners into a world of serenity, beauty and spiritual reflection. Under the batons of Adrian Butterfield and Robert Lewis, the award-winning choir Excelsis and the acclaimed London Handel Players and Friends unite for a programme celebrating the richness of the French sacred tradition.

Founded in 2007, Excelsis has become one of southern England’s finest chamber choirs. Praised by BBC Radio 3 for its “beautifully balanced and emotionally intelligent” sound, the ensemble was a BBC Choir of the Year Finalist and has appeared at the Royal Albert Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and Guildford Cathedral.

They are joined by the London Handel Players and Friends, an internationally recognised ensemble whose performances at the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall and leading European festivals are noted for their “stylish, supple and technically assured” playing (The Guardian). Violinist and director Adrian Butterfield, a founding artistic director of the London Handel Festival, is renowned for interpretations that combine scholarship with vivid expression, while Robert Lewis brings deep insight as conductor and renowned choral trainer.

The programme comprises a selection of French fancies – including

Fauré Pavane, Op. 50
An elegant and wistful piece, offering a moment of orchestral reflection.

Ravel Don Quichotte à Dulcinée
This was the last of Maurice Ravel’s compositions, commissioned by the celebrated film director G. W. Pabst for a cinema version of Don Quixote.

Berlioz Les Nuits d’Été (extracts)
This piece is a song cycle by the French composer Hector Berlioz. It is a setting of six poems by Théophile Gautier. The cycle, completed in 1841, was originally for soloist and piano accompaniment. Berlioz orchestrated one of the songs in 1843, and did the same for the other five in 1856.

Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin
The word tombeau in the title is a musical term popular from the 17th century, meaning “a piece written as a memorial”. “Couperin” refers to the French Baroque composer François Couperin, whose style Ravel emulated, though Ravel stated the homage was to 18th-century French music in general, not just Couperin.

Duruflé’s Requiem
Completed in 1947, stands as one of the most serene and consoling settings of the Mass for the Dead. Blending the timeless beauty of Gregorian chant with his own rich harmonic language, Duruflé creates music of deep spiritual intimacy and radiant peace. From the tender opening Kyrie to the ethereal In Paradisum, the work offers a journey from sorrow to transcendence – music that soothes the spirit and uplifts the soul.

A concert of reflection, serenity and joy, In Paradisum offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience the meditative beauty of French sacred music performed by musicians of the highest calibre.

Name: Grayshott Concerts

Website: https://grayshottconcerts.co.uk/