John Rutter CBE is one of the UK's best loved composers. Famed for such works as Requiem, Mass of the Children and Magnificat, his pieces have sound-tracked everything from anniversaries (such as the Queen’s Golden Jubilee) to Royal Weddings (William and Kate's, Harry and Megan's, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's), as well as filling many of the world's greatest concert venues.
Additionally an accomplished conductor and editor, he's also famed for his many Christmas carols, some of which he'll be airing on Thursday 13 December 2018 at Birmingham's Symphony Hall for John Rutter’s Christmas Celebration. He’ll be conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra along with The Purcell Singers, The Temple Church Choir and soloists Melanie Marshall (Mezzo-soprano) and Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano, who also sang at Harry and Megan’s wedding).
Taking a brief early morning break from composing and Christmas prep’, Rutter chats to What's On ...
What can the audience expect from your Christmas Celebration?
The first half of the concert is always fairly legit, we’ve got some Bach, some Handel this year; and for the second half the orchestra puts on silly hats and we look upon it as a Christmas party. This year we’re very fortunate to have the boy choristers from the Temple Church Choir, in London, as our guest artists, and they will be there alongside the adult choir, which is the Purcell Singers. So there will be some input from the young choristers, which I think our audience members will enjoy – they like to hear young voices in these concerts, and I like to feature young people in these concerts. So it’s going to be a rich mixture of all sorts of things, with, I hope, something for everyone. And, of course, what you can do when you have a Christmas concert with an orchestra, is have some orchestral show pieces as well. We have Nigel Hess’ wonderful Christmas Overture to start the second half, which is a gigantic casserole of favourite Christmas carols skilfully woven together. It’s a bit of everything. It’s a large cast, one way or another, and we’re very much looking forward.
You’ll also be playing lots of favourites such as O Come All Ye Faithful and Hark The Herald Angels Sing. Will there be Frosty The Snowman ...?
We have indeed got Frosty The Snowman, with the choristers as elves and Elin as Mrs Santa!
You're very associated with Christmas - is this your busiest time of year?
I’m always busy because a musician’s life is what you’d call organised chaos. I’m both a composer and conductor. As a composer I always have plenty to do, and new pieces to write; and as conductor that’s where the travel comes in. As it happens this year my Christmas concerts are all within the United Kingdom, but I’m all over the place, I have seven of them in the month of December.
You've written a new carol, which will be premiered at the Royal Albert Hall ...
Yes, later in December. I’m President of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. It’s plural because they have a children’s choir, a training choir and a senior choir, there are actually three choirs this is for the senior choir and I’ve written it for them. As President it’s difficult to say ‘no’ to anything they may ask of me and, of course, I don’t want to because I very much support them. They said they had a string of, would you believe, five concerts in two days on December 23-24, and they’ll be in the Royal Albert Hall as guest artists as part of the RAH’s Christmas Festival and I have written them a new carol - I’m just in the middle of doing the orchestral scoring now. It will be written on time … and I’m sure they trust me. It’s under wraps until it’s been premiered, [but] I will do it next time I’m in Birmingham …
John Rutter’s Christmas Celebration is at Symphony Hall Birmingham on Thursday 13 December 2018.
For more information and tickets call 0121 345 0600 or see: www.thsh.co.uk
John Rutter CBE is one of the UK's best loved composers. Famed for such works as Requiem, Mass of the Children and Magnificat, his pieces have sound-tracked everything from anniversaries (such as the Queen’s Golden Jubilee) to Royal Weddings (William and Kate's, Harry and Megan's, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's), as well as filling many of the world's greatest concert venues.
Additionally an accomplished conductor and editor, he's also famed for his many Christmas carols, some of which he'll be airing on Thursday 13 December 2018 at Birmingham's Symphony Hall for John Rutter’s Christmas Celebration. He’ll be conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra along with The Purcell Singers, The Temple Church Choir and soloists Melanie Marshall (Mezzo-soprano) and Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano, who also sang at Harry and Megan’s wedding).
Taking a brief early morning break from composing and Christmas prep’, Rutter chats to What's On ...
What can the audience expect from your Christmas Celebration?
The first half of the concert is always fairly legit, we’ve got some Bach, some Handel this year; and for the second half the orchestra puts on silly hats and we look upon it as a Christmas party. This year we’re very fortunate to have the boy choristers from the Temple Church Choir, in London, as our guest artists, and they will be there alongside the adult choir, which is the Purcell Singers. So there will be some input from the young choristers, which I think our audience members will enjoy – they like to hear young voices in these concerts, and I like to feature young people in these concerts. So it’s going to be a rich mixture of all sorts of things, with, I hope, something for everyone. And, of course, what you can do when you have a Christmas concert with an orchestra, is have some orchestral show pieces as well. We have Nigel Hess’ wonderful Christmas Overture to start the second half, which is a gigantic casserole of favourite Christmas carols skilfully woven together. It’s a bit of everything. It’s a large cast, one way or another, and we’re very much looking forward.
You’ll also be playing lots of favourites such as O Come All Ye Faithful and Hark The Herald Angels Sing. Will there be Frosty The Snowman ...?
We have indeed got Frosty The Snowman, with the choristers as elves and Elin as Mrs Santa!
You're very associated with Christmas - is this your busiest time of year?
I’m always busy because a musician’s life is what you’d call organised chaos. I’m both a composer and conductor. As a composer I always have plenty to do, and new pieces to write; and as conductor that’s where the travel comes in. As it happens this year my Christmas concerts are all within the United Kingdom, but I’m all over the place, I have seven of them in the month of December.
You've written a new carol, which will be premiered at the Royal Albert Hall ...
Yes, later in December. I’m President of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. It’s plural because they have a children’s choir, a training choir and a senior choir, there are actually three choirs this is for the senior choir and I’ve written it for them. As President it’s difficult to say ‘no’ to anything they may ask of me and, of course, I don’t want to because I very much support them. They said they had a string of, would you believe, five concerts in two days on December 23-24, and they’ll be in the Royal Albert Hall as guest artists as part of the RAH’s Christmas Festival and I have written them a new carol - I’m just in the middle of doing the orchestral scoring now. It will be written on time … and I’m sure they trust me. It’s under wraps until it’s been premiered, [but] I will do it next time I’m in Birmingham …
John Rutter’s Christmas Celebration is at Symphony Hall Birmingham on Thursday 13 December 2018.
For more information and tickets call 0121 345 0600 or see: www.thsh.co.uk
By Dave Freak