Milestone performance for choral group

Aberystwyth Choral Society, Aberystwyth Arts Centre

AN arts centre is hosting a performance of a choral masterpiece and it’s not just a first for the venue – but it’ll be a first for the area as a whole.

Aberystwyth Arts Centre will host the first performance to be held in that area of Wales – of work which was performed at last year’s Proms by the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales.

The performance of Michael Tippett’s A Child of our Time by Aberystwyth Choral Society, which is being staged tomorrow, is considered a milestone by the group.

Conductor of Aberystwyth Choral Society, David Russell Hulme, explained that the piece, written at the start of the Second World War, relays themes of persecution, scapegoating, flight and statelessness.

The powerful piece draws inspiration from a tale of a young Polish Jew, whose parents had been deported, who shot a Nazi diplomat. Their reaction was devastating.

He said: “A Child of our Time is Tippett’s response to these events and to the plight of persecuted and displaced people in the war that followed.

“The theme of universal suffering is crystalized in the five beautifullyarranged African-American spirituals that frame the work.

“In between, the powerful music delivers its message with a diversity of styles and moods, gripping the listener’s attention at every turn.”

Tippett’s score is often regarded as a demanding one to perform and the Choral Society has pulled out all the stops to make this a memorable concert. David and the society’s regular professional orchestra, Sinfonia Cambrensis, come together with an impressive line-up of soloists.

Welsh tenor Robyn Lyn portrays the young man of the title and with him will be American soprano Stacey Wheeler, mezzo-soprano Gaynor Keeble and the South-African baritone Njabulo Madlala.

The performance begins at 8pm and the programme will also feature another British choral classic, Vaughan Williams’ sweeping Toward the Unknown Region.

Award-winning Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of Wales’ largest arts centre and is recognised as a national flagship for the arts.

For tickets to the event, called the box office on 01970 623232.