The Cathedral and Abbey Church of Saint Alban
For all enquiries relating to any of the Friends events listed below, please contact Julia Davis on 01442 258725.
For what we hope will become an annual event, we are returning to the Barbican to hear the LSO perform music by Rachmaninov, Korngold, and Bartok. Rachmaninov’s Isle of the Dead is a symphonic poem composed in 1908, as a meditation on the relationship between life and death. It is a good example of late Russian romanticism. Korngold’s Violin Concerto was composed in 1947. It deftly combines his classical music background with his experience of writing operas in Vienna and composing film scores for Hollywood. It is a virtuoso piece for a violinist, of great emotional beauty, and is deservedly popular. Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, composed in 1943, is one of his best known and most accessible works. It reflects his deep interest in Hungarian folk music and his love of Bach.
The soloist is Leonidas Kavakos, an artist of rare quality, known for his musicianship and integrity of playing, an outstanding violinist with a great reputation. Antonio Pappano is the conductor, an LSO guest conductor and the music director of the Royal Opera House, who recently conducted Rossini’s opera William Tell at the Proms to great acclaim.
This promises to be an inspirational evening. We have reserved 49 seats in the Circle. Our coach will leave Westminster Lodge car park at 5pm. There should be time for a light supper in one of the Barbican’s restaurants, and we hope to have the opportunity to meet members of the LSO at an Interval Reception. The concert starts at 7.30pm, and should end by 9.30pm. Tickets: Members £29; Non-members £31.50 (includes coach travel, admission, and interval reception).
The Amaravati Monastery is situated in a small village on the outskirts of Hemel Hempstead. It is a Theravadin Buddhist monastery inspired by the Thai forest tradition. It was opened in 1985, utilising a collection of wartime huts purchased from Buckinghamshire County Council. It has since then built a beautifully designed Temple and meditation centre. Members of the community follow a strict rule of life and teach traditional meditation techniques in their retreat centre. It is a mixed community of around 20 professed monks and 15 nuns, together with a number of lay supporters. The monastery welcomes members of other faiths. In particular, religious and lay members of both the Anglican and Roman Catholic Church maintain a link with the community.
We shall be met by a senior member of the community who will talk about the Buddhist way of life, and tell us about the community and its objectives. We shall be given a tour of the monastery, visit the Temple and meditation centre, and be offered refreshments before we return to St Albans.
Our coach will depart Westminster Lodge car park at 1.30pm to arrive at Great Gaddesden by 2pm. We shall leave there at 5pm. Tickets: Members £19; Non-members £21.50 (includes coach travel and donation to monastery).