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Patronal Festival Weekend

     
 

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September were busy ones for the community at St Matthew's who were celebrating the 120th Anniversary of the Consecration of the church building. On Saturday the festivities began with a 10.15am Parish Mass marking
St Matthew's Day and the anniversary of Bishop Mandell Creighton opening the church and installing Rowden Hussey as its first Vicar in 1893. The choir performed for the first time This is the Day, one of this year's commissioned works from David Halls, Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral.

A busy afternoon of rehearsals followed and we

welcomed over 150 people to that evening's Festival Concert Rejoice in the Lamb. The church choir and the St Matthew's Singers performed well-known works which have been heard within the four walls of
St Matthew's many times over the church's history. As part of the concert we celebrated
St Matthew's unique contribution to the world of music and art that has been offered through the church's history of commissioning. The choirs performed two of St Matthew's most famous commissions, Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb (marking its own 70th Anniversary of the first performance) and Gerald Finzi's Lo, the full, final sacrifice, both of which have made a lasting impression on choral music on a global scale. Organ Scholar Callum Alger gave a robust performance of Britten's other
St Matthew's commission Prelude & Fugue on a Theme of Vittoria on the 1895 Walker Organ. As part of the evening's proceedings the St Matthew's Choir's new CD My Lord has come was released for sale to the public for the first time. You can order your copy by downloading and completing our CD order form.

We were pleased to welcome Friends of St Matthew's Music Patron, Malcolm Archer, for the first time and he shared the direction of the choirs with St Matthew's Director of Music, Stephen Moore. Malcolm had this to say following the concert:
 

     
   

"I am thrilled to be so involved with the music at St Matthew's as Patron, and it is wonderful to see the rich musical heritage which has always been associated with the church thriving and in such good hands. The concert on 21 September was a brilliant showcase of the quality of singing that Stephen Moore and his team are producing, and the support of the church community was obvious to see."

 
     

The choirs were ably accompanied by Thomas Moore, Director of Music at Wakefield Cathedral. It was a delight to welcome many people back to St Matthew's for the first time in a while and these included previous St Matthew's Director of Music, Michael Nicholas.

On Sunday morning the Bishop of Brixworth presided at the 10.15am Mass and dedicated the new glass doors and reading area at the West end of the building. The choir and congregation joined forces to perform David Halls� other commission, a new Mass setting entitled Mass of the Altar of Life. After Mass everyone sat down to a fantastic Sunday Roast Dinner provided by the St Matthew's Catering Committee.

In the evening Solemn Choral Evensong featured music by Bruckner, Stanford and Archer and was followed by the Festival Organ Recital given by Colin Walsh, Organist Laureate at Lincoln Cathedral. Colin's fantastic playing of music by Stanford, Bach, Franck, Messiaen and Duruflé suited the Walker Organ down to the ground and was appreciated by a large audience. A fitting end to the weekend's festivities was reached with everyone feeling justifiably pleased and proud of a weekend of worship, music and fellowship.

Please find below a selection of photos.
 
       
       
       
       
     
     
 

 


































 

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