EVENING STAR

For an autumn evening of romance and enchantment, Bath Bach Choir is delighted to present a concert spotlighting the genius of Josef Rheinberger, masterful weaver of choral harmonies from the late Romantic period (1839-1901).  

The centrepiece of the concert is the powerfully romantic Mass in E flat scored for double choir: an emotive working of the familiar words set to unusual, inventive rhythms. The choir will also sing Rheinberger’s most famous motet, the glorious Abendlied.

For the rest of the programme, Musical Director Benedict Collins Rice has selected some of Rheinberger’s most captivating sacred and secular works for unaccompanied voices. 

Born in Liechtenstein, Rheinberger spent most of his life in the German alps and was a prolific composer. The audience will be treated to a broad spectrum of his work, from the passionate musical explorations of his youth to pieces modelled on plainchant that foreshadowed the musical styles of the 20th century. In his secular songs, Rheinberger ponders on the delights of home and the comfort to be drawn from the moon and stars on a dark night, looking forward to the dawn of a new day.

Join Bath Bach Choir in the intimate setting of St Mary’s Bathwick, the perfect backdrop for what promises to be an evening of musical delight.  

Josef Rheinberger

Mass in E flat op 109
Nine Advent Motets op 176
Heimweh JWV 126
Abendlied op 69 no. 3
Zum neuen Jahr op 31 no 4
Morgenstern der finstern Nacht WoO 17
Abendfriede op 52
 

Benedict Collins Rice conductor