FROM 3PM - 5.30PM
TICKETS £10 INCLUDING TEA
CHILDREN 11 AND UNDER HALF PRICE
FROM 3PM - 5.30PM
TICKETS £10 INCLUDING TEA
CHILDREN 11 AND UNDER HALF PRICE
Saturday 5th July
4pm - 6.30pm
£15
Classical Concert
Handel’s Dixit Dominus, performed by the Laughton Village Choir and the Clockhouse Singers, with the Modulus Quartet, who will also perform ‘Evolutional’ by Eliot Lloyd Short. Conducted by Linda Glenn.
Following the concert refreshments will be available in the Belmont Centre.
Following the concert refreshments will be available in the Belmont Centre.
With the Dixit Dominus of 1707, at the beginning of his three year stay in Italy, the 22-year-old Handel showed his complete mastery of contemporary Italian style. Though protestant himself, and wanting to prove himself as an operatic composer, it’s one of several sacred works he wrote for the Roman church at a time when opera was banned by the Papal States.
The work is a Latin setting of Psalm 110, part of the liturgy for Vespers and the most frequently quoted psalm in the New Testament, as its text, perhaps somewhat belligerent to modern tastes, was taken as both proof of the plurality of the Godhead and prophetic of the role of Jesus as king, priest and Messiah.
The Dixit Dominus, widely regarded as a compositional tour de force, is a 9-movement showpiece for both singers and players, full of energy and dramatic contrast and with particularly demanding parts allotted to the choir. It’s united by the use of a cantus firmus, a fragment of Gregorian chant which appears in both the opening and closing movements.
MODULUS QUARTET
Modulus Quartet specialises in performing original string quartet repertoire written in close collaboration with a number of international composers. Drawing on its collective experience, the quartet seeks out music of an individual style, developing creative relationships with composers and artists. The quartet explores new ways of presenting music, performing in unusual venues and incorporating visual arts and multi-media technology.
Modulus released their debut album, 12 Seconds of Light, in 2017, featuring music by composers Terry Davies, Veera Lummi, Ash Madni, Richard Norris, Eliot Lloyd Short and Matthew Slater. The tour to promote the album took in a variety of unusual locations including Honister Slate Mine in the Lake District and Carnglaze Cavern in Cornwall. Visuals were created by videographers Tom Brown and Diego Barraza. The tour was supported by Arts Council England and the quartet was featured on BBC Spotlight South West. Modulus subsequently toured the album in Romania in 2019 as well as performing other new works in the UK and making appearances on London Live and BBC Radio 3’s In Tune.. In collaboration with the Charlie Pyne Quartet they premiered new scores, by Terry Davies, for three 1920s silent Surrealist films at the Crucible Theatre for the 2019 Sheffield DocFest.
As with many artistic groups, the global pandemic put a temporary halt on plans, however since 2022 the quartet has been busy working on several projects: recording Sensoria, a multi-media collaboration with composer Richard Norris; recording Veera Lummi’s Tide Within for the film short Burning Gold directed by Matt McDermott; recording the strings for Veera Lummi’s solo vocal album Liminal; working with students at Eastbourne College; premiering Gagarin Quartets by Nicholas de Carlo at Ramsgate Festival of Sound and subsequently performing them on International Day of Human Space Flight at the Brunel Museum in London.
The quartet are busy preparing material for their second album, Evolutional, to be released in 2025 featuring works by Eliot Lloyd Short, Maria Muraru, Richard Norris, Malcolm Lindsay, Roger May and Veera Lummi. In the first half of 2024, Modulus worked with Newham Music’s Youth Ensemble Scheme, using Gagarin Quartets as the inspiration for creative composition work. Both Evolutional and Gagarin Quartets will be performed on tour in 2025.
May Abercrombie - Soprano 1
May is a recent graduate of the RCM, and has a chorus contract with Glyndebourne this summer.
Gigi Casey - Soprano 2/alto
Gigi is currently a postgrad at the RCM, and has just won a place at the National Opera Studio Academy.
Ben Hancox-Lachman -Tenor Ben is a a young tenor focusing on oratorio and song, based in the Southeast and London.
Lawrence Gillians - Baritone
Lawrence is a TCM graduate, currently singing chorus at the ROH amongst other things.
