Vivaldi in Wantage

Last night, I went to an excellent and enjoyable concert by Wantage Choral Society in Wantage Parish Church. The evening included Corelli and Pergolesi (Magnificat), but a particular highlight was the Gloria by Vivaldi. He is know to have written a number of settings for the Gloria and I learnt from the programme notes that this one (RV589, the best known) only received its first modern perfomance in 1939 and it was not until 1957 that the first really authentic performance took place. The West Forest Sinfonia provided the music for the evening with Ian Miles as Accompanist, conducted by Richard Smith. Phillippa Lay was the Soprano for the evening with Cathy Bell as Alto.

You can find more about Wantage Choral Society here. It is worth noting that their next concert in the church is on 5th December - Christmas Music with Wantage CE Primary School. It will be well worth attending on the basis of last night's performance.