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Touches of Sweet Harmony

‘Touches of Sweet Harmony’

Supertonic is excited to return to the stage this June with Touches of Sweet Harmony. This concert celebrates the music and friendship of Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst, representing some of their finest choral music and showcasing the special relationship between these two master composers.

Musical director Isaac Stone says the concert's inspiration came from the deep personal connection these two shared in their now-famous letters to one another. Far from the usual polite pleasantries between professional contemporaries, their decades of writing exhibit a range of conversation styles, deftly moving from the frank and substantial to the banal and irrelevant in the way only true friends can.

The music has been selected to bring to life the idioms of each composer, while at the same time highlighting the influence from each other's musical output and candid feedback.

From Vaughan Williams, Supertonic will tackle the incomparably beautiful Mass in G Minor for double choir. This will be followed by the ever popular Serenade to Music, known for its setting of prose from The Merchant of Venice and utilising a full complement of 16 soloists. This piece will be accompanied by piano and an ensemble of instruments, led by violinist Vivian Stephens.

From Holst, who was heavily influenced by Vaughan Williams' pioneering work in traditional English music, Supertonic will perform the Six Choral Folksongs (featuring the enduring and haunting I Love My Love.) Contrasting this will be two Psalm arrangements for choir and organ, blurring the lines between congregational hymn and impressive concert piece with an unravelling structure, unexpected twists and turns in tonality, and a grand finale.

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The whole programme balances secular with sacred, a cappella with accompanied, and illustrious masterpieces with little-known gems.

Supertonic itself is a relatively new player in the classical music scene, but the sixty-strong choir of Wellingtonians in their twenties and thirties has quickly established a reputation for excellence through both traditional classical performances and more innovative and experimental choral endeavours. The choir emphasises a spirit of serious musicianship within a collaborative and social environment that members both value and enjoy.

With Touches of Sweet Harmony, the choir hopes not only to inspire audiences with some of the most beautiful music of its time, but to also give them a glimpse into a truly compelling friendship between two great artists.

ENDS

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