stalbanslife

Romantic Russian music comes to St Albans Abbey on Saturday June 25th with performances of some of the most colourful and passionate scores ever composed for orchestra (7.30pm). Yet neither of the major works featured by St Albans Symphony Orchestra in its Festival Concert under conductor Bjorn Bantock is as totally Russian as it seems.

Pictures at an Exhibition was composed for the piano by Mussorgsky in 1874 as a musical realisation of paintings by Victor Hartmann, an architect friend who had recently died. But the suite’s enduring popularity is largely due to the brilliant orchestration of the work that the French composer Ravel made in the 1920s – not least its stirring finale depicting The Great Gate of Kiev. Other pictures famously include a ballet of canary chicks hatching from their eggs and the fearsome witch Baba Yaga hunting children from her hut on fowl’s legs

Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony takes listeners on another tuneful and richly orchestrated journey that leads from brooding melancholy to an ardently lyrical slow movement and a  triumphant finale. Although premiered in the composer’s homeland in 1908, the symphony was actually written in Germany, during a period of self-imposed exile. Like the Second and Third Piano Concertos, its melodic inspiration has made it a firm favourite with audiences.

Completing SASO’s Festival programme will be The Enchanted Lake, a tone poem by a third Russian composer, Liadov. Although never able to fulfil his potential as a composer, his short musical account of a misty, moonlit lake is delicate and highly atmospheric.

Tickets price £20, £16 and £12 (reserved), £10 (unreserved), £1 (accompanied children) and £5 (students) are available from the SASO Ticket Secretary (01727 857422), from the Abbey Box Office (01727 860780) or from allaboutstalbans.com.

Written by David Utting, SASO

St Albans Cathedral

This week is special for St Albans Abbey and Cathedral as 4,300 graduates from the University of Hertfordshire will be celebrating their acedemic success there. The ceremonies run from Tuesday 9th  to Friday 12th November.

The University of Hertfordshire has a student community of over 24,500 including over 2,000 international students from at least 85 different countries. This year the honorary awards are recognising Hertfordshire-based Holocaust survivor, Mrs Kitty Hart-Moxon for her commitment to education on the consequences of  ‘discrimination and bullying’.

Also being recognised for an honorary award is Michelle Mone, UK’s most respected business woman and Barbara Follet, the former Stevenage MP.   Mr Philip Waters of UH will be leading the procession and says “For the university, this is always a special time of year as people travel to St Albans from all over the world to take part in this celebration of academic success.”

Visitors are encouraged to use public transport if possible and there will be a shuttle service from Westminister Lodge carpark for those who travel by car.   For more information, contact the University of Hertfordshire on www.herts.ac.uk or St Albans Cathedral on www.stalbanscathedral.org/news/events

You live in St Albans, you are wondering what’s on to entertain you in the evening…..Read on because  we have listed some interesting events for you to choose from!

1) ST ALBANS FIREWORK SPECTACULAR – Verulamium Park – Sat 11th November

This is always an amazing event  and for £10 per family ticket, it’s good value too!

Starts at 7.30 PROMPT, car parking is free and for tickets call 01727 844488

Website; www.alban-arena.co.uk

2) JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s and Tim Rice’s Rock Opera) performed by the great St Albans Operatic Society (SAOS). It takes place in the St Albans Arena, Civic Square, St Albans

Runs from 9^th – 13^th November (7.45pm) with a Saturday Matinee 2.30pm

Phone 01727 844488 or visit www.alban-arena.co.uk  SEATS – £16.50 (£10 for restricted view – a bargain!)

To find out more about the St Albans Operatic Society visit www.saos.org.uk

3) ST ALBANS BACH CHOIR – St Albans Cathedral – Sat 13th November

‘A celebration of Peter Hurford’s Birthday’

This outstanding choir will perform J S Bach’s Magnificat, Cantata no.29 and Motet-Der Geist hilft; Handel’s Organ Concerto op.4 no.4

Andrew Lucas – conductor

Tickets range from $10 – £25. Concert begins at 7.30pm

Website www.stalbanschoir.org.uk or telephone 01582 769608

4) Chekhov’s THREE SISTERS at OVO Theatre, Pudding Lane, St Albans

Directed by St Albans own Imogen De La Bere, this is a new adaptation of an all-time classic set in Russia. It promises a top cast and a fantastic evening’s entertainment with beautiful music!

Runs from 17^th – 27^th November at 8pm. Tickets between £7.50 – £12.50

Book online at www.ovo.org.uk or phone 07807 521436

5) Comedy with HAL CRUTTENDEN at the Maltings Arts Theatre, St Albans

‘The Times’ describes this man as hugely talented, so a good evening is promised.

Friday 12^th November at 8pm. Tickets from £10.50 to £12.50. Phone 01727 844222 or email matlings.arts@stalbans.gov.uk

Last year, an ambitious new opera came to St Albans, premiering in the Abbey, the opera told the little known story of Alban himself, the first English martyr. After a sell out run, Alban the Opera is travelling to London for four nights only in October this year before heading to the US in 2011. A community opera mixing top professionals with enthusiasts and amateurs, Alban was written deliberately to include a large adult chorus. There are still a few places available in the group chorus for the London performances – a fantastic chance to share the stage with the likes of top opera professionals Louise Mott and Philip Salmon in the beautiful environs of St Alban the Martyr in Holborn. The performances are from Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd October and the time commitment for rehearsals is very reasonable.
Hazel Ireson, producer of Alban, said: “This really is a once in a lifetime’s experience – it is such an exciting project working with professionals with the highest artistic standards. The choruses are a vital part of the fast moving story and we’re really looking forward to welcoming new singers to be part of this fantastic event.”
The opera tells the story of Alban, a doctor and family man, living in Roman occupied Verulamium (later St Albans) when, one night, he is interrupted by a knock on his door. The decision Alban makes that fateful night begins a chain reaction ending in the destruction of a man and the heartbreak of his family. The dramatic and fast moving story is told using intimate scenes of family life interspersed with great crowd choruses in market places and court rooms, with the audience joining in at the climax of the opera.
Those who are interested in taking part are invited to visit www.albanopera.org.uk, email Hazel directly on admin@albanopera.org.uk or phone 01582 832312

Alban is performed nightly at 7.30pm at St Alban the Martyr, Brooke Street, London EC1N 7RD from Wednesday 20 to Saturday 23 October.

Tickets cost £16 and £8 for children under 16 and can be booked over the telephone on 0844 412 4317 or online at www.albanopera.org.uk .

Tickets can also be purchased in person from the Peacock Theatre, WC2.