Music update

By Graeme Stevenson

With the start of semester, all the musical activities resume with renewed vigour. Over the summer, music has been selected and purchased, rights for shows organised, performers booked and all the other organisational aspects prepared.

A wonderful programme of concerts has been organised by the music society beginning at the end of November with a choir concert. The University Choir will be performing Durufle's Requiem while the Chamber Choir will sing Haydn's Little Organ Mass and Durufle's 4 motets based on Gregorian chants. There are three versions of the requiem and the University Choir will be performing the 1947 version for organ and solo cello. Like the motets, the requiem is based on Gregorian themes and is one of the highlights of 20th century choral music.

A week or so later, the Orchestra and Big Band will give a concert much lighter in tone: the Big Band will do their usual stylish turn while the Orchestra will perform music by Vaughan-Williams and a more unusual work: the Beatlecracker Suite. This work originated in the 1960s for Roy Castle’s television programme when a celebrated ballet dancer insisted that she dance to Beatles tunes. The musical director arranged a number of Lennon/McCartney songs in the style of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. Such was the success of this piece that the work was extended into eight movements.

Following the success of 'Return to the Forbidden Planet', OPSOC have come back to earth and are beginning work on their annual show: Stephen Schwartz's Godspell. Despite the serious subject matter of the show there are some very light-hearted moments and is always fun to perform. As well as their annual show, the society are hoping to perform at other concerts throughout the year to give all cast members an opportunity to shine.

String Ensemble will continue to meet and this year's programme stretches from the 18th century with JS Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.4 right up to the present day with Professor Teddy Bor’s classic "McMozart's Eine kleine bricht Moonlicht Nicht Musik".

The Bach Consort have a busy programme for the whole year but their first performances take place at the end of November when as well as their annual Advent service in the Chaplaincy Centre, they will be giving a concert in All Souls' Invergowrie. This will take the form of an "Abendmusiken" concert that Buxtehude established in Lubeck in the late 17th century: a mixture of choral and organ music.

New members, both staff and students, are always welcome and more information on the groups can be found via www.dundee.ac.uk/music

As usual, the lunchtime concerts on Fridays offer the usual wide selection of styles: from Barbershop, to Big Band as well as solo instrumentalists and trios. Due to the works taking place at the Chaplaincy over the summer, the first four concerts of the Autumn lunchtime series will be held in Dundee Parish Church, St. Mary's.

The evening concert series begins on 21October in the Bonar Hall at 7.30pm with Joseph Fleetwood on piano. Joe is a Dundee High FP who is currently studying at the RCM in London. Murray McLachlan has hailed him as 'an outstanding young performer' and his programme will include music by Haydn, Beethoven and Ginastera.

Individual tickets are: £7; £5 (concession); £3 (student). Season tickets cost £25, £18 (concession) or £10 (student). For more information on the rest of the concert series, log on to www.dundee.ac.uk/music/evening.htm