16th European Concert Tour to Luxembourg, Summer 2019
Hillingdon Choral Society joined together with Amici Chamber Choir, Individual Singers, Guests and Orchestral Players, and toured under the name Hillingdon Chorus. Photos by Eirwen Smith and David Heath.
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Eglise St. Laurent, Diekirch: Concert and Champagne reception
Our first concert took place at the beautiful Eglise St. Laurent, where we sang to a large audience of church members and town residents.
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The church members welcomed us to a post-concert champagne reception. A great evening.
Eglise St. Alphonse, Luxembourg City
“'Felicitations a tous' - congratulations to everyone.” Priest at St Alphonse
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“What a delight it was to hear the Hillingdon Chorus sing John Rutter's Requiem in St Alphonse Church in Luxembourg City. The concert was breathtaking, with beautiful singing exquisitely supported by the orchestra and soloist Marianne in the glorious surroundings of the church.
“The performance of the movement based on Psalm 23 - 'The Lord is my Shepherd' from Rutter's Requiem was for us particularly magical and poignant. The effect on the audience was palpable and memorable. This performance reminded us again of the pure and everlasting joy of music.” Pauline Atkins and William Bayly
Sightseeing and socialising
Having walked along the peaceful river at Vianden, some of us were brave and took the chairlift over the river and up a steep mountainside. The view was well worth it!
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At a lovely restaurant in the middle of Luxembourg City we enjoyed good conversation and a delicious meal together.
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“I had the pleasure of listening to some beautiful and expressive music making during the recent tour of Luxembourg by the Hillingdon Chorus and Orchestra.
“It is never easy to perform in an unfamiliar venue with limited rehearsal time to sort out the logistics and acoustics of a building, but Peter, in his usual calm and professional way solved all the vagaries of the two wonderful churches where the concerts were held.
“The orchestral playing in Schubert's Overture in the Italian Style was exciting and vibrant, it was evident that everyone was thoroughly enjoying the experience and the trumpet soloist, Ian Cumming gave superb renderings of the second movement of Haydn's trumpet concerto.
“The choir made a magnificent sound in Handel's Ode to St.Cecilia the singing was very stylish and beautifully clear, it was thrilling and uplifting and Elspeth's wonderful warm toned cello playing was a real treat. The performances of Rutter's Requiem were profound and deeply moving, the words were skillfully coloured to express the sentiment of each movement. Marianne was the splendid soprano soloist in both choral works, floating the high notes with ease and totally engaging the audience.
“As I sat in Eglise de Diekirch-St Laurent, with the evening sun streaming through the beautiful stained glass windows, listening to Psalm 23, wonderfully sung and accompanied by Lydia's expressive oboe playing it was as if I was experiencing a little bit of heaven.
“Peter's skillful and inspiring leadership brought out the best in all the performers and it was a real privilege to be at the performances.” Lynne Hirst
Our Holland Tour, Summer 2016
Click here to see photos from our 2016 tour to Holland.