Author: Megan

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.

Lunchtime Lecture on Stained Glass: Saturday, 20 April | 12.30pm

All are invited to a lunchtime lecture on the Easter series of stained glass windows at Saint Bartholomew’s this Saturday, 20 April at 12.30pm.

Located in the nave, the Easter windows were presented to the church over three Easters throughout the 1870s.  Those at the west end of the church are the work of the O’Connor studio and were presented in 1873.  Their depiction of the role of women in the church served as a tribute to the late wife of vicar Richard Travers Smith.

Easter 1875 and 1876 saw the debut of the windows on the south and north side of the nave, respectively.  These were commissioned by the London firm Heaton, Butler, & Bayne.  They depict foundational events in Christianity, such as the Last Supper shown in the photo above.  Another window illustrates the calling of Saint Bartholomew.

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

Sunday, 21 April Evening Services

The choir has been invited to sing a service of choral evensong next Sunday, 21 April at 5.00pm in Nun’s Cross Church in Killiskey, Ashford, Co. Wicklow (A67 WP83).  The service will be led by the rector of Nun’s Cross, Revd. Jack Kinkead.  All are most welcome to attend.

For those who may not wish to make the drive, a service of said compline will replace evensong in Saint Bartholomew’s that evening.

Directions to Nun’s Cross Church from Dublin:

  • Take the N11/M11 towards Wexford
  • Exit at junction 15 towards Ashford
  • At the first roundabout, take the second exit towards Glendalough/Roundwood
  • At the second roundabout, take the first exit towards Ashford/Glendalough (R772)
  • At the third roundabout, take the second exit to continue on R772
  • At the fourth roundabout, take the second exit to R764
  • Veer left at the V
  • At the end of the road, turn left
  • Follow signs for Nun’s Cross Church.  The church will be to your right.  Parking is available on the roadside and beside the national school.

Photos by Robin Heather

Yeats–A Concert by New Dublin Voices: Saturday, 13 April | 7.30pm

PLEASE NOTE: Due to a match at the nearby Aviva Stadium, parking in the Ballsbridge area will be in high demand.  Attendees are encouraged to use public transport to reach the church.  We are located about five minutes’ walk from the S2, 4, 7, and 7a bus lines (use the American Embassy stop) and 10-15 minutes’ walk from the 39a, 46a, 145, and 155 bus lines (use one of the stops on Morehampton Road in Donnybrook).  The nearest DART station is Sandymount.


You read Yeats.  I read Yeats.  Next door reads Yeats.  He’s on the leaving cert.
And each of us sees something a little different…

Chamber choir New Dublin Voices with conductor Bernie Sherlock invited composers from around the world to share how they read Yeats.  They picked poems and turned them into music—fresh, striking, powerful pieces, full of light and darkness.  And then they sent them to Dublin.

On Saturday, 13 April, New Dublin Voices will lift the words of Yeats and the notes of these brilliant pieces off their manuscript pages and bring them to full dramatic and expressive life in the beautiful surroundings and warm acoustics of Saint Bartholomew’s.

The concert will include world premieres of new commissions, funded by the Arts Council, of Yeats settings by England’s Roxanna Panufnik and Ireland’s Jonathan Nangle.

Tickets are €20 (€15 concession) and available here.

Sir John Stainer’s “The Crucifixion” Event

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the performance of Sir John Stainer’s The Crucifixion at Saint Bartholomew’s on Saturday, 23 March.


Over 70 singers from far and wide took part in the event, from Lisburn to Westmeath; from Carlow to Cork, as well as many from Dublin, with a total of 27 choirs represented.

Musical direction was ably provided by Ben Barnes and supported by David O’Shea on the organ.

 

 


Our soloists were Robin Heather and Max O’Neill with three singers from Bart’s: Tim Pearson, Andrew Forrest, and Niamh Goucher.

We performed to a large and appreciative audience at 5.00pm.  We were well looked after by Julie Heather, Iris Scott, and Simone Orr in the interval with tea/coffee and hot cross buns. The day was a great success with many positive comments from the singers, and many wanting to do another event soon. Donations toward the much-needed organ restoration in Saint Bartholomew’s were gratefully received, totalling over €1300.

Holy Week Services

Holy Week Services at Saint Bartholomew’s

 

Palm Sunday, 24 March

9.00am  Said Eucharist
11.00am The solemn Eucharist of Palm Sunday is a sung service that includes the blessing of palms and a reading of the passion narrative.
5.00pm  Choral Evensong

Spy Wednesday, 27 March

10.30am Said Eucharist
7.30pm  Tenebrae, the ‘service of shadows,’ includes readings, prayers, and music by candlelight.  It is an ancient service of the Church traditionally held on ‘Spy Wednesday’ to reflect the events of the passion.

Maundy Thursday, 28 March

7.30pm  The solemn Eucharist of Maundy Thursday is a sung service that marks the institution of the Lord’s Supper and the events that followed when Jesus finished the meal with his disciples.  The altar is stripped and the mood changes from one of celebration to a sober vigil.  The service ends in darkness and a period of prayer and watchfulness around the altar of repose.

Good Friday, 29 April

12.00pm Choral Matins
1.30pm  The Liturgy of Good Friday includes the reading of the passion narrative, the litany of Good Friday, the veneration of the cross, and Communion from the reserved sacrament.

The church will remain open from 12.00pm-3.00pm on Good Friday.
You are welcome to come at any time during this period.

Holy Saturday, 30 March

7.30pm  The Great Vigil of Easter is a sung service beginning with the lighting of the Easter candle around the Paschal fire.  On this night, we renew our baptismal vows and celebrate the Eucharist together as we keep the vigil and await the joy of Easter.

Easter Sunday, 31 March

9.00am  Said Eucharist
11.00am The solemn Eucharist of Easter Day continues the jubilant celebration of the resurrection begun the previous evening.  This year, we will once again have timpani and trumpets to accompany the choir and organ as a musical expression of that joy.

There will not be a service of Choral Evensong on Easter Sunday.

The Gaudete Singers Concert: Saturday, 9 March | 8.00pm

“Composers who are female are not rare. They are just too rarely performed, even today.”
—Jessica Duchen

The Gaudete Singers return to Saint Bartholomew’s for their spring concert, Assisted by Angels: Women Composers from Bingen to Bingham.  This performance will showcase a millennium’s worth of women whose musical works are all too often overlooked, from the 12th century scores of Hildegard von Bingen to the pieces debuted by English composer Judith Bingham in recent years.  Other artists in the programme include Caterina Assandra, Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, Susan Spain-Dunk, Imogen Holst, Betty Roe, and Judith Weir.  Tickets are €20 (€15 concession; €5 students) and will be available at the door.

Sir John Stainer’s “The Crucifixion”: Saturday, 23 March

Following discussions with Church Music Dublin and in order to correct a recent post in the February Church Review, please note that Church Music Dublin has kindly agreed to promote this event on our behalf, but this event is not an official reunion of the very successful CMD online production of 2021.  We are, however, encouraging those who participated to join us on the day!

The choir of Saint Bartholomew’s Church and the Sandford & St. Philip’s Choral Union invite singers from across the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough to take part in a rehearsal and performance of The Crucifixion by Sir John Stainer.

Musical Director: Ben Barnes
Organ: David O’Shea
Tenor: Max O’Neill
Bass: Robin Heather

Schedule:

2.30pm: Registration
3.00pm: Rehearsal
4.30pm: Break with tea/coffee provided
5.00pm: Performance
Please bring your own scores. (Some may be available on the day.)
The performance at 5.00pm is open to all, and hymn sheets will be provided.

About The Crucifixion:

A very appropriate work to be sung on the day before Palm Sunday as we enter Holy Week, The Crucifixion: A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer is an oratorio by Sir John Stainer written in 1887 for SATB choir and organ with solos for bass and tenor.  The format follows that of the Bach Passions and tells the story of the passion and crucifixion of Jesus.  The text was written by W.J. Sparrow Simpson based on the King James Bible.  Stainer dedicated the work to “my pupil and friend W. Hodge and the choir of Marylebone Church,” who first performed it on Ash Wednesday in 1887.  It has been sung in Marylebone Church every year since then. There are five hymns sung by the choir and audience throughout the work, culminating in the final and most well known, For the love of Jesus, also known as All for Jesus, All for Jesus.

Please come and join us for what promises to be a very enjoyable afternoon and help us raise some much needed funds for the continuing restoration of the Saint Bartholomew’s organ.