“Gentle, tender and infinitely compassionate, this is an intimate musical embrace that speaks straight to the heart with courage and honesty.”
St James’s Church
Press Release
City
SYDNEY CHAMBER CHOIR’S TENDER EMBRACE… IN EPIC SPACE
Fauré Requiem: Saturday, 5 April 5pm
St James’ Church, 173 King Street, Sydney
“Gentle, tender and infinitely compassionate, this is an intimate musical embrace that speaks straight to the heart with courage and honesty.”
Fresh from its sold-out (and critically acclaimed) Bonhoeffer Project event, Sydney Chamber Choir returns to epic form – in its celebratory 50th anniversary year – with Fauré’s Requiem on 5 April at 5pm. With its rich sounds filling beautiful St James’ Church, this promises to be a fantastic program of lavish choral music.
Celebrate the warmth and wonder of the choral sound with Gabriel Fauré’s sublime and radiant Requiem. Blending the pure lines of Gregorian chant with the elegance and intensity of his own melodic genius, wrapped in delicate yet sensually lush harmonies, Fauré reinvented the Requiem in the image of love. Gentle, tender and infinitely compassionate, this is an intimate musical embrace that speaks straight to the heart with courage and honesty.
The Choir is joined in this performance by Andrew O’Connor (bass-baritone), Angela Brun (soprano), and Thomas Wilson on St James’ wonderful new Dobson organ, installed just last year.
Sydney Chamber Choir Conductor and Artistic Director, Sam Allchurch said he was looking forward to approaching one of the classics of the repertoire with fresh eyes. “I grew up with Fauré’s much-loved Requiem as a young chorister and performed it many times liturgically, but this is my first time directing it in concert. The soaring melodies and the drama of the harmony makes for a winning combination. This concert will give audiences the chance to hear the new Dobson pipe organ at St James, a perfect instrument for Fauré.”
In addition to the Fauré Requiem, the choir will perform several works it is touring to Germany in May 2025: the warmest of Mendelssohn and two exquisite motets from Australian composer Brooke Shelley. An unforgettable afternoon of pure choral pleasure, don’t miss the opportunity to hear these works before they are showcased to international audiences!
Sydney Chamber Choir
Sam Allchurch, Conductor
Soloists
Angela Brun, Soprano
Andrew O’Connor, Baritone
Thomas Wilson, Organ
Gabriel Fauré – Requiem
Felix Mendelssohn – Jauchzet dem Herren (Praise the Lord)
Brooke Shelley – Heavenly Father; Praise the Lord
Tickets from $30 | Bookings & info: www.sydneychamberchoir.org/faure-requiem-02
