Royal Leamington Spa Bach Choir

Our concert on Saturday 22nd March, in the splendid acoustic of St Mary’s church in Warwick, presented music by two members of the Bach family, arguably the most famous dynasty in classical music, alongside works by two virtually unknown 17th century Italian nuns.

Isabella Leonarda and Chiara Margherita Cozzolani spent their whole adult lives in cloistered convents in northern Italy, yet both were talented and prolific composers, writing choral and instrumental music for performance within their communities. Leonarda’s Magnificat (1698), which the RLSBC first performed in summer 2022, sets the text for four part choir, interspersed with instrumental interludes for two violins and continuo. Cozzolani’s Dixit Dominus (1650) is an eight part setting of Psalm 110, in which alternating slow and fast passages heighten the dramatic imagery of the text.

Between these two works, the Beauchamp Sinfonietta played a late orchestral work (his Overture in D, dated 1765), by Georg Philipp Telemann, a close friend of Johann Sebastian Bach and godfather to his son Carl Philipp Emanuel. Bach senior was represented by a short Sinfonia (from a cantata dated 1725) which began the second half of the concert, followed by a performance of CPE Bach’s magnificent Magnificat (1749). This work bridges the transition from the Baroque world, of which JS Bach and Telemann form the pinnacle, to the new Classical style. It retains the baroque orchestral line-up, but also espouses new fashions such as the extended form of the final ‘Amen’ based around a motif which is a direct quote from Handel’s Messiah.

The CPE Bach Magnificat provided an opportunity for our four soloists, all of whom have local connections, to shine in extended solos and duets. Soprano Imogen Baker, mezzo-soprano Hope Pugh and bass Oliver Barker are all recent graduates of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire: Hope continues to work locally with Ex Cathedra and Birmingham Cathedral, Oliver is Ex Cathedra’s current graduate scholar and also sings with the CBSO, while Imogen is pursuing operatic studies in Switzerland. Tenor Luke Swatman is from Wolverhampton, and also sings regularly with the CBSO.

Our thanks as always to our Musical Director Jim Bate for his vision in programming this imaginative combination of well known and unknown music, for his sheer hard work in coaching the choir week by week in rehearsals, and for his energy and enthusiasm on the day of the concert, which ensured another night to remember for audience and choir members alike.