The Power & the Glory

For this concert the Waiapu Cathedral adult choir, young people’s choir and Strings orchestra will combine to present an eclectic selection of music in a concert portraying “The Power and the Glory” of music. This is the first time that all three groups have performed in concert together, making a great opportunity for music lovers to experience the range of glorious music which the singers and players perform.

A very special feature of this concert will be a performance of four movements of the beautiful Pergolesi “Stabat Mater,” a setting of a 13th-century Latin poem exploring the sorrows of Mary as she sees Jesus dying on the cross. Soloists Amanda Faulkner and Kerry Tattersall will be accompanied by the Cathedral Strings, a small orchestra of local professional and amateur players. The Strings will play a significant role in this concert. As well as accompanying the soloists in the Pergolesi work, the group will play a Vivaldi Concerto for two violins and strings, contrasting works by Byrd and Piazzola, and “Gabriel's Oboe,” the theme for the 1986 film The Mission. They will also join with cathedral Musical Director Anthony Tattersall to present two movements of Handel’s Organ Concerto “The Cuckoo and the Nightingale” and accompany several of the choral works.

The Young People’s Choir, a group of singers aged 7 – 14 years, will sing two songs which celebrate the beauty of the natural world, both written by eminent British composer Sir John Rutter: “All Things Bright and Beautiful”, and “Look at the World”.
The Waiapu Cathedral Choir is a group of adults who love to sing in their “spare” time. The choir will perform two songs based on the grandeur and power of the sea, two movements of Gabriel Faure’s lovely Requiem, the lively Spirituals “Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho” and “This Little Light…” and some traditional anthems usually sung in cathedral services. Finally, the audience will be treated to English organist John Bertalot’s glorious settings of the familiar hymns “Amazing Grace” and “Abide with Me,” which have been immensely popular at previous concerts. And listeners will be able to join in singing some of the verses of these hymns. Everyone is welcome, whether they like to sing, or not!