The Providence Singers will begin its 2013-14 season with “The Britten Legacy,” presenting some of Benjamin Britten’s most beloved choral works in the centennial year of the 20th-century master’s birth.
“The Britten Legacy” will include Rejoice in the Lamb and Hymn to St. Cecilia, as well as the Festival Te Deum, a work Britten composed when he was 16 years old. Artistic Director Christine Noel has set the Britten pieces in the context of works by important predecessors who had begun a revival of English music — Gerald Finzi, Charles Villiers Stanford, and Edward Elgar.
“As Benjamin Britten helped to fortify the English revival, he distinguished himself from his predecessors in his leaning toward European modernism with more ‘advanced’ techniques,” Noel has written in program notes for the concert. Those techniques, apparent in the music of “The Britten Legacy,” were on full display last year when the Singers presented Britten’s monumental War Requiem.
Full concert information and program notes are online at www.providencesingers.org
Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten was a central figure in classical music of the 20th century, with works in operatic, orchestral, vocal, and chamber music. Born on November 22, 1913 — feast day of St. Cecilia, patron of music — he was the youngest of four. He studied piano and viola at a young age and began composing at the age of 7. He began writing music steadily at the age of 9 and continued his composing until his death in 1976. His most noted works include the opera Peter Grimes (1945), the War Requiem (1962), and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (1945). Information about Britten is available online in the program notes.
Tickets and Venues
- Saturday, November 9, 2013, 8 p.m. – Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Providence
- Sunday, November 10, 2013, 3 p.m. – Immaculate Conception Church, Cranston
Tickets are $28 for general admission and $5 for students with ID. Tickets are available at www.providencesingers.org, or by phone at 401-751-5700 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Discounts are available for seniors and groups of six or more.
The Providence Singers
Established in 1971, the Providence Singers is one of the leading choral performance organizations serving southern New England. Led by artistic director Christine Noel, the 100-voice auditioned chorus presents an annual concert series and frequently makes guest appearances throughout the region, including annual concerts with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. The chorus has also performed with the Kronos Quartet at the FirstWorks Providence Festival and with the Dave Brubeck Quartet at Lincoln Center and the Newport Jazz Festival.
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