World Day of Prayer Service: Saturday, 8 March | 11.00am

This year’s artwork, entitled “Wonderfully Made”, was created by the mother-daughter team Tarani Napa and Tevairangi Napa.

 

This year’s Women’s World Day of Prayer service will be held in the Methodist Centenary Church (Leeson Park) on Saturday, 8 March at 11.00am.  The order of service has been prepared by the churches of the Cook Islands, with its theme—I Made You Wonderful—inspired by psalm 139.  All are welcome.

More information about the artists, the Cook Islands, and the annual World Day of Prayer may be found here.

Gaudete Singers: Saturday, 8 March | 8.00pm

The Gaudete Singers return to Saint Bartholomew’s for their spring concert, Vinea Mea Electa: Music for Lent by Poulenc and Vaughan Williams.  This performance will showcase two sacred masterpieces of the early twentieth century that, although both contemporary, represent very different and contrasting styles.  Vinea Mea Electa is the second of Francis Poulec’s Quatre motets pour un temps de penitence, a series of four Lenten motets produced during a period of mourning for his friend and fellow composer Pierre-Octave Ferroud.  The Gaudete Singers will perform all four of these motets before moving on to Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Mass in G minor.  Although Vaughan Williams was a self-declared agnostic, he composed several well-received liturgical pieces throughout his career.  Mass in G minor reflects the influence of Byrd and Tallis, but in the distinctive twentieth century style for which Vaughan Williams is known.

Tickets are €20 (€15 concession; €5 students) and available at the door.  Payment may be made by cash or card.  All tickets include a glass of wine or soft drink after the concert.

Christmas Service Schedule

Our services over Christmas are as follows:

Tuesday, 24 December

23.15: Midnight Mass of Christmas
Setting:  Widor  Messe solennelle
Anthem:  Stewart  On this day

 

Wednesday, 25 December

11.00: Solemn Eucharist of Christmas Day
Setting:  Haydn  Little Organ Mass
Anthem:  Dexter  The holly and the ivy

 

Sunday, 29 December

9.00: Said Eucharist

11.00: Solemn Eucharist

 

Wednesday, 1 January

13.00: Said Eucharist [The naming and circumcision of Christ]

 

All services will be held in Saint Bartholomew’s.

Quartet Slavey Concert: Saturday, 7 December

Quartet Slavey is a Bulgarian vocal group specialising in traditional folk music, and we are pleased to welcome their unique sound to Saint Bartholomew’s on Saturday, 7 December at 5.00pm for an a cappella Christmas performance.  Their repertoire comprises folk music from all parts of Bulgaria, along with Church Slavonic chants from the 19th and 20th centuries and original arrangements of some of Bulgaria’s best-known composers.  The creation of Nadka Karadjova, known as “the nightingale of Bulgaria,” Quartet Slavey has performed over 3000 concerts worldwide since its founding in 1991.  They have also featured on Hollywood soundtracks and collaborated with numerous pop singers.  Admission to this concert is free, but it is strongly recommended that you reserve a spot on Eventbrite.

This concert is organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Ireland.

For more information, please visit Quartet Slavey’s official website.

Termination of Wednesday said Eucharist

From this month forward, there is no longer a said Eucharist every Wednesday.  Instead, these said Eucharists will now be celebrated only on feast days (or the nearest possible date) at 1.00pm.  The first of these will be the feast of Saint Matthew, which will be celebrated on Saturday, 21 September.  The feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be observed on Sunday, 8 September and the feast of Saint Michael and All Angels will be observed on Sunday, 29 September, both at the main services.

Mornington Singers Concert: Saturday, 15 June | 6.00pm

The Mornington Singers return to Saint Bartholomew’s on Saturday, 15 June at 6.00pm for Natural History: Musical Explorations of the Natural Universe.  Conducted by Orla Flanagan, this concert is a choral exploration of the natural world featuring pieces by such classical composers as Stanford, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Alfvén; as well as contemporary works by Eoghan Desmond, Emma O’Halloran, Roxanna Panufnik, Chris Sivak, and Laura Sheils.  Tickets are €15 (€10 concession) and may be found on Eventbrite.

Lunchtime Recital: Saturday, 18 May | 12.30pm

All are invited to a lunchtime recital at Saint Bartholomew’s on Saturday, 18 May given by baritone Padraig O’Rourke and pianist Michael Grant.  The programme features Copland’s Old American Songs and Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte.

The Old American Songs were written in the 1950s and comprised two sets.  The first was premiered by Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten; the second by William Warfield.  They are an expression of Copland’s modernism and his distinctly American style, which utilised simple harmonies, folk melodies, and a lucid orchestration.

An die ferne Geliebte (To The Distant Beloved) was written in 1816 and was Beethoven’s only song cycle.  Its text was written by an Austrian doctor and writer named Alois Isidor Jeitteles, possibly at Beethoven’s request.  The composition’s theme is that of intense and painful longing, likely a reflection of the failed romance with the “Immortal Beloved” of Beethoven’s famous 1812 letter.

Padraig and Michael’s musical collaboration spans more than fifty years.  Their talents have seen them feature in a large number of concerts, operas, and recitals worldwide.  Both have also enjoyed extensive careers as broadcasters, with Padraig’s Music Choice classical music programme being a Sunday morning staple of RTÉ’s Radio 1 for twenty-three years.  Michael’s annual series of lectures for Dublin City Libraries is widely acclaimed and regarded as a highlight of the library service.

This recital is free of charge, but donations to the organ restoration fund will be most gratefully received.