A Roaring Twenties Christmas
Friday 10 December 2021, 7.30pm
A PDF version of this programme can be viewed here:
Debroy Somers, arr. Iain Farrington
Savoy Christmas Medley
Trad., arr. George Morton
Good King Wenceslas
Trad., arr. Nicholas Kok
Greensleeves/The Holly and the Ivy
Trad., arr. George Morton
O little town of Bethlehem
Trad., arr. Helen Neeves
King Herod and the Cock
Trad., arr. George Morton
Unto us is born a son
Noël Coward
I Went to a Marvellous Party
Nat D. Ayer, arr. Iain Farrington
If You Were the Only Girl in the World
George Gershwin, arr. Iain Farrington
Oh, Lady Be Good!
Cab Calloway, arr. Anne Dudley
Minnie the Moocher
Walter Donaldson, arr. Anne Dudley
Because My Baby Don’t Mean ‘Maybe’ Now
George Gershwin, arr. Iain Farrington
A Foggy Day in London Town
INTERVAL: 20 minutes
Richard Rodgers, arr. Anne Dudley
The Blue Room
Walter Donaldson, arr. Anne Dudley
Changes
Jimmy McHugh, arr. Nicholas Kok
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby
Irving Berlin, arr. Iain Farrington
Blue Skies/Puttin’ on the Ritz
Jule Styne, arr. Iain Farrington
Let It Snow
Irving Berlin, arr. Iain Farrington
White Christmas
J. Fred Coots, arr. Alexander L’Estrange
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town
Trad., arr. George Morton
The Coventry Carol
Trad., arr. Nicholas Kok
God rest you, merry gentlemen/Good King Wenceslas/Jingle Bells
Hugh Martin & Ralph Blaine, arr. Iain Farrington
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Trad., arr. George Morton
Ding dong! Merrily on high
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra
BBC Singers
Nicholas Kok conductor
Presented by Petroc Trelawny
Tonight’s concert is being recorded by BBC Radio 3 for broadcast in 'Radio 3 in Concert' on Friday 17 December at 7.30pm. It will be available for 30 days after broadcast via BBC Sounds, where you can also find podcasts and music mixes. A special hour-long programme of highlights from tonight’s concert will be broadcast across Europe on Sunday, 19th December as part of the EBU’s 'Euroradio Christmas Music Day'.
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The ‘Roaring Twenties’ were a period of Western economic boom that saw the development of new technologies and the colourful explosion of popular music. With the invention of radio and the birth of the recording industry, people were gripped by the thrilling new sounds of jazz. Dance styles such as the Charleston and the foxtrot swept across the world, epitomising the energy and spirit of the times. Musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller brought an exciting spontaneity to their work. They influenced and inspired the American songwriters of the day, such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Richard Rodgers, who fused catchy melodies with the beats and harmonies of jazz.
This concert features many of these hit songs in versions for choir and big band, as well as new arrangements of traditional Christmas carols in a Twenties idiom. These are timeless tunes that soar and swing, filled with the pulsating passions of the Jazz Age.
Biographies
Nicholas Kok conductor
Photo: Andrew Price
Photo: Andrew Price
Nicholas Kok is Principal Guest Conductor of Sinfonia Viva, having been its Principal Conductor and Artistic Director from 1996 to 2006. He works frequently with the BBC Singers, with whom he has recorded an extensive repertoire, including Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s Moth Requiem and works by Robert Saxton.
Other orchestras and ensembles he has worked with include the BBC, BBC Scottish, Berlin Radio, City of Birmingham and RTÉ National Symphony orchestras, Arnhem and London Philharmonic orchestras, Munich and Scottish Chamber orchestras, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Hallé, London Sinfonietta, Symphony Orchestra of the Casa da Música, Porto, and Ulster Orchestra.
For English National Opera he has conducted Così fan tutte, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, King Priam, L’Orfeo, The Fairy Queen, The Marriage of Figaro and the world premieres of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s The Country of the Blind and Twice Through the Heart. He made his Opera North debut conducting the world premiere of Simon Holt’s The Nightingale’s to Blame and his Stuttgart Staatsoper debut conducting Purcell’s King Arthur. He has also worked with Almeida Opera, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Cologne Opera, Opera Factory London, Opera Factory Zurich, Scottish Ballet and Stockholm Royal Ballet.
Recent highlights include Semele at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, a tour of Mark Simpson’s Pleasure and a project with Ensemble Ascolta in Stuttgart. He also toured a production of Peter Eötvös’s The Golden Dragon to South Korea with Music Theatre Wales. Current engagements include performances with Sinfonia Viva in Nottingham and the Danish Radio Choir performing Simon Steen-Andersen’s Trio.
Nicholas Kok has recorded for radio and television, and has written and arranged music for both mediums, as well as working as Assistant Conductor on various recordings for Opera Rara and Chandos. He also conducted several works on Errollyn Wallen’s 2016 disc Photography.
Coming up at Milton Court Concert Hall
Sunday 13 February 2022, 4pm
Howard Goodall conducts the BBC Singers
Howard Goodall conducts the BBC Singers in a concert of restorative, radiant choral music separated by a century but united by tragedy.
Book tickets
Guildhall Jazz Orchestra
The Guildhall Jazz Orchestra is one of two full-time big bands within the Guildhall School of Music & Drama Jazz Department. Recent highlights with the band’s regular director, Guildhall professor Scott Stroman, include projects with Trevor Watkis, Yazz Ahmed, Byron Wallen, Liane Carroll, Gary Crosby, Norma Winstone, Ivo Neame, Iain Ballamy and Jovino Santos Neto.
The Jazz Department at Guildhall is one of the most renowned and established of its kind. Now in its fourth decade, the department comprises an inspirational team of professors, led by Malcolm Edmonstone, who are uniquely placed to oversee the development of creative jazz musicians. Our core focus is the teaching of musics around the jazz tradition, including studio and world specialisms, and preparing improvising musicians for high-profile careers in the music industry.
Director
Scott Stroman
Saxophones/Clarinets
Jess Bullen
Asha Parkinson
Maddy Coombs
George Shrapnell
Trumpets
Josh Elcock
Finn Bradley
Joseph Oti-Akenteng
Trombones
Oli Rath
Leon Middleton
Felix Fardell
Guitar/Banjo
Emily Roberts
Piano
Innes Yellowlees
Bass Guitar
Lucy Clarke
Drums
Harry Ling
BBC Singers
The BBC Singers have held a unique place at the heart of the UK’s choral scene for almost 100 years and have collaborated and performed with many of the world’s leading composers, conductors and soloists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The current Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers is Sofi Jeannin.
The BBC Singers promote a 50:50 gender policy for composers whose music they perform, and champion inclusivity for composers from all backgrounds. Recent concerts and recordings include music by Joanna Marsh, Cecilia McDowall, Roxanna Panufnik, Sun Keting, Errollyn Wallen and Roderick Williams. In addition, recent seasons have seen diverse creative collaborations with singers Katie Melua, Laura Mvula and Clare Teal, South Asian dance company Akademi, world music fusion band Kabantu and choreographer Duwane Taylor alongside artists from East London Dance.
As well as their annual performances at the First and Last Nights of the BBC Proms, the 2021 season saw them perform a conceptual Prom featuring composer and turntablist Shiva Feshareki.
The BBC Singers are based at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios, where they rehearse and record regularly for BBC Radio 3. They also perform an annual series of concerts at Milton Court Concert Hall in London. The 2021–22 season includes a concert conducted by Howard Goodall featuring music by Errollyn Wallen, Judith Weir, Vaughan Williams and Goodall himself. The group also gives free concerts at a number of venues across London and appears regularly at major festivals across the UK and abroad, with the vast majority of its performances broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
The BBC Singers also offer a wide programme
of innovative learning and community activities, working with schools, colleges/universities and community groups, and take a leading role in BBC Ten Pieces and BBC Young Composer. When vacancies arise, the group encourages applications from all areas of our diverse UK community.
Chief Conductor
Sofi Jeannin
Principal Guest Conductor
Bob Chilcott
Sopranos
Alice Gribbin
Rebecca Lea
Helen Neeves
Olivia Robinson
Emma Tring
Altos
Nancy Cole
Jessica Gillingwater
Eleanor Minney
Katherine Nicholson
Tenors
Benjamin Durrant
Stephen Jeffes
Andrew Murgatroyd
Tom Raskin
Basses
Charles Gibbs
Jamie W. Hall
Edward Price
Ben Rowarth
Andrew Rupp
Keep up to date with the BBC Singers
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