Oldham Choral Society and the Manchester Beethoven Orchestra to join forces at the RNCM

Oldham Choral Society and Manchester Beethoven Orchestra are embarking on a new venture in a shared concert on their return to the magnificent Royal Northern College of Music Concert Hall on Sunday, November 27.

The show will feature two lively pieces of music.

The choir will perform an abridged version of “The Creation” by Haydn – one of the greatest choral works ever written.

Composed by Haydn as far back at 1799, The Creation is as relevant today as the day it was written as we contemplate climate issues facing the world, and the irresistible force of nature.

A full performance of The Creation is in three parts, with Parts 1 and 2 illustrating the six days of creation, and Part 3 telling the story of Adam and Eve.

Part 3 will be omitted in this performance so effectively we will have the musical story of the creation of the world in 60 minutes.

The music is in the main joyous and lively, since Haydn claimed that he could not contemplate God and his works without his heart “leaping for joy”.

There are three soloists.

The soprano role will be sung by Linda Richardson who has been a regular soloist with the choir over the past 15 years.

She is a regular soloist with Welsh National Opera where she has sung huge roles such as Violetta in La Traviata, and the title roles in Madam Butterfly and Donizetti’s Anna Bolena.

She is also on the teaching staff at the RNCM.

Australian Dean Robinson will sing the bass role.

He has sung several times with the choir, most recently in the Rossini Petite Messe at the Stoller Hall last April.

Making his debut with the choir is the excellent English tenor Nicholas Watts, who has worked several times with the choir’s Director of Music Nigel Wilkinson.

This is Nigel’s 25th season with the choir and he is moving on at the end of this season having done much to raise the standards and profile of the choir.

In the first half of the concert the orchestra will play the tuneful and lively Symphony No. 5 by Anton Dvorak.

Manchester Beethoven Orchestra are an amateur orchestra attracting members from across the Greater Manchester area and are dedicated to showcasing a wide variety of classical music.

They will be conducted by Frank Lennon at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Tickets: £15, Students £10, available from OCS Ticket Secretary 0161 797 3583 or online at: rncm.ac.uk (£1 booking fee per ticket applies), or from the MBO Ticket Secretary: ros.harwood@gmail.com

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