Concerts & Events
Saturday 5th July 2025 7.00 pm
All Saints' Church, Grange Road, Eastbourne
Summer concert - Purcell King Arthur.
The choir will be joined by a small group of instrumentalists and soloists for this concert version of a mini opera.
Soprano - Joanna Songi
Soprano - Sumei Bao Smith
Counter tenor - Tom Lilburn
Tenor - George Curnow
Baritone - Andrew Davies
Orchestra - The Eastbourne Players
Keyboard - Nicholas Houghton
Conductor - John Hancorn
This article was written by Alison Sprigg, the Press Officer of the choir
Eastbourne Choral Society proudly announces its summer concert, to be held at All Saints’ Church, Grange Road, on Saturday 5th July at 7pm. In a departure from its more usual repertoire of mainly sacred choral works, the choir will give a performance of Purcell’s semi-opera, King Arthur.
Written in the late seventeenth century with a libretto by John Dryden, the action of King Arthur is centred not on the Arthurian legends of Camelot and the Round Table, but on the battle for supremacy between the forces of Arthur, King of the Britons, and those of his nemesis Oswald, King of the Saxons. The tale centres on Arthur's attempts to recover his fiancée, the blind Emmeline, who has been abducted by King Oswald. If Arthur can recover Emmeline and defeat Oswald, his kingdom will be complete and Britain will be united.
Also involved are supernatural characters including Cupid, the Cold Genius and the Saxon magician Osmond, along with spirits Philadel and Grimbald and their respective choruses. Further choruses are provided by shepherds and warriors.
The semi-opera format features a combination of both sung and spoken parts. A synopsis of the action will be provided in the concert programme, but a concert performance of the music alone – whilst uplifting and hugely enjoyable in its own right – would not provide the full drama of the story-telling. So, for this concert, Eastbourne Choral Society will be joined by a narrator, in addition to five soloists and The Eastbourne Players led by Julia Bishop. The performance will be conducted by the choir’s Musical Director John Hancorn.
Everyone is invited to come along and enjoy this musical and dramatic entertainment for a summer’s evening.
Tickets, price £15, are available from Eastbourne Visitor Centre, at www.wegottickets.com, or at the door. A retiring collection will be taken by The Eastbourne Samaritans, a charity regularly supported by Eastbourne Choral Society. Further details of the choir and its programme of events can be found at www.eastbournechoralsociety.org.uk.