Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor | Bruckner Motets: Ave Maria, Os Justi Meditabitur, Virga Jesse | Bach Concerto for Violin in A minor | Bruckner Mass in D minor
Majestic Bruckner, woefully unsure of himself, worried that his music was insufficient in the eyes of God and the public. He needn’t have worried, his Mass in D minor, pure and spiritually uplifting, was favourably received when he conducted the première, and the inscription on the score ‘Omnia ad majorem Dei gloriam’ – All to the greater glory of God was a clear indication of his intentions. With their reverence and passion, Bruckner’s Motets also express his devout beliefs and are a highly powerful and moving experience.
Both Bach and Bruckner wrote music in honour of God – one within the German Lutheran tradition, the other an Austrian Catholic. Bach often wrote on his manuscripts Soli Deo Gloria – Only for the Glory of God. As an intimate contrast to Bruckner’s intricate musical structures, Andrew Beer and Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra present the richly lyrical Violin Concerto in A minor by Bach. Bruckner, a celebrated organist, admired Bach’s Motets and organ music greatly. The concert begins with one of the most famous pieces of Baroque organ music– with a particularly iconic opening: Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
Uwe Grodd conductor
Isabella Moore soprano
Sally-Anne Russell mezzo-soprano
Robert Macfarlane tenor
Joel Amosa bass
Andrew Beer violin
Dr Philip Smith organ
Auckland Choral
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Sunday 15 September, 5.00pm
Auckland Town Hall
ticketmaster.co.nz
09 970 9700
Like so many contraltos, I first got put in the alto section as a school girl because I could read music and manage to sing a line of harmony. I joined Auckland Choral when I was in high school and now I’ve been a member for 40 years! I started singing with my mum as a toddler, sitting on her knee while she played the piano and sang soprano and tenor Messiah arias. I used to come to Auckland Choral’s Saturday dress rehearsals in the Town Hall and follow the score in my early teenage years, and it was a natural step to join Mum in the choir when I was 15. I remember Choral Hall in Airedale Street where we used to meet (before Mayoral Drive was built). It was a dusty old building and freezing in winter, but the ladies in the alto section were very kind to me and welcomed me into the back row. Nothing really changes in that respect; the Auckland Choral altos today are a great bunch of people as well!
Hi! I'm Maria Millar. I'm an Alto 1, and also convener of the Auckland Choral Music Committee. I first joined Auckland Choral in 2015, in time for the Missa Solemnis. I come from a musical home, with a Dad who played Organ at church and piano for the local pantomines and performances. Thanks to his influence, I've sung for most of my life. I studied singing with Margaret Medlyn when I lived in Wellington, as well as singing simultaneously with both the Bach Choir and the Orpheus Choir. I was also a performer in two International Festival of the Arts operas: Salome and Madam Butterfly. I lived in Sydney for three years, and stepped away from the predominantly classical choir style, and sang with the gay & lesbian choir, whose repertoire was more contemporary in nature. Then, in 2001 I moved to London, and while there returned to my classical roots and sang with the Wimbledon Choral Society for a number of years. I took a bit of a break from singing when my two children came along, finding it a struggle to juggle full time work and a young family. It was when we finally moved back to NZ in 2014 that I decided it was time to get back into singing. I returned to singing lessons under the tutelage of Claire Martin, and joined the Auckland Choral Society, which was exactly what I was looking for. By day, I work as a marketing researcher and strategist, a job which I've been doing for 20 years, and which has taken me all over the world. When I'm not working or singing, my happy place is in the kitchen. I love to bake - bread, cakes, anything!
Richard has been a singing member of Auckland Choral for over 14 years, as a member of the Bass section, and is currently Deputy Chairperson and a member of the Finance and Management Subcommittee. He strongly supports the vision of the current Music Director, to develop Auckland Choral as a major symphonic choir, working with international and local artists and professional orchestras. 
