Last Sunday I experienced a special performance by The New Chamber Singers to mark their 25th Anniversary. Advertised as a free concert at the All Saints’ Church on Via Babuino, (just off from the Spanish Steps in Rome) I couldn’t miss it! However, I didn’t know which music would appear in the programme.
The New Chamber Singers are a choir of about 30 English-speaking singers and was founded in January 1993. According to their website, their repertoire stretches from the Renaissance to present-day composers and they focus on music that is little-known to an Italian audience.
They are a non-sectarian choir, although they have many practicing Anglicans and Catholics amongst their members. However, they sing both sacred and non-sacred music and as per their website, they are in no way a church choir.
The choirmaster is Stefano Vasselli, who attended the Santa Celia Conservatory where he graduated in organ, composition, piano and choral conducting. He also attended courses in Gregorian Chant at the Pontifical Institute for Sacred Music.
Not knowing whether people would arrive a lot earlier, I ended up arriving a little too early (6pm for a 7pm start) and caught the tail-end of the choir’s rehearsal. I decided to stay anyway and just enjoy the contemplative atmosphere and the architectural details of the church itself whilst I waited.
The Anglican Church was built during the 19th century for worshippers who had been attending the services in Rome since 1816. Today, it is one of a handful of English-speaking churches in Rome.
When walking down Via Babuino from The Spanish Steps you can spot the church from a distance by its distinctive tower and spire. The style of the church is Neo-Gothic and is a red-brick construction. It has a rich dark oak floor, carrera marble columns and stained-glass windows made from semi-precious stones. I also like the bright red cushioned kneelers, which complement the darker colour scheme!
I first visited it a few years ago and the interior really struck me but it also has a lovely community of people there who are very welcoming. They offer refreshments after their Sunday service, as well as lunch on the first Sunday of every month, so if you’re looking for an Anglican Church community in Rome then I highly recommend a visit!
They also regularly hold classical music concerts there and this was my first but you can find the latest concerts via the website www.classictic.com
Before the start of the concert, programmes were handed out and I’ve attached a photo with a list of composers and pieces featured in the programme and there were some great names! Bruckner, Gade, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Rossini, Grieg, Rachmaninoff and Fauré.
I can’t attach all of the music in today’s post but the ones I enjoyed the most were Tchaikovsky’s ‘Cherubic Hymn’, Edvard Grieg’s ‘Ave maris stella’ and Rachmaninoff’s ‘Bogoroditse Devo’.
It was a sweet little programme whose more tender moments of singing brought tears to my eyes and although none of the pieces were my favourites, I’m happy to have been able to listen to some choral music live and at a lovely venue such as this! They all sang beautifully and their concert was a pleasure to experience!
I’ve attached Tchaikovsky’s ‘Cherubic hymn’ so you can share a little of my wonderful experience of the concert that evening!
CLASSICALISTA 