As we enter the season of remembrance in early November, historical performance ensemble Figure invites audiences to an evening of reflective words and captivating choral music at Union Chapel, Islington. Following their sell out performances of Bach’s St John Passion and Handel’s late operatic masterpiece Serse at Opera Holland Park last summer, Figure’s new concert will feature requiems by two enchanting French composers, Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) and Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704). Led by a fantastic guest speaker, Reflection and Remembrance will be an evening of stillness, solemnity, and poignancy.
The ‘requiem’ presented in the concert sees Charpentier’s Messe pour les trépassés (Mass for the Departed) paired with his Prose des morts (a setting of the Dies Irae). Together they form a powerful musical journey, ranging from the fiery wrath of the Dies Irae at its centre, to the plaintive lamentations which open and close the mass. Charpentier will be followed by Fauré’s 1893 Requiem. These beautiful pieces were originally intended to be performed broken up and interspersed by formal words or personal reflections, as part of church services.
Figure represents the emerging generation of historically minded musicians, eager to expand the scope of historical performance beyond the usual Baroque (1600-1750) and Renaissance (1400-1600) periods. Figure presents music from both the 17th and 19th centuries. In the Charpentier (composed in the 1670s) you can expect to see a ‘serpent’ (an ancestor of the tuba in the shape of a snake); whilst in Fauré’s Requiem (the 1893 chamber version), the string players will adopt the expressive playing style of late 19th-century France.
Formed in the wake of the pandemic, Figure has been shaped by the desire to bring music back to live audiences. Prioritising intimacy in their performances and the human connection which lends music so much of its meaning, Figure aims to marry the two by using space and light to bring audiences as close to their work as possible. Founded by conductor and harpsichordist Frederick Waxman, Figure is a forward-thinking historical performance ensemble, performing music of the past using the instruments and techniques from the era of the music’s creation. The company aim to offer more than just concerts, but full experiences, as well as improving access to classical music by taking it out of traditional venues and offering reduced-price tickets.
The work took wing, with singers and players magnificently delivering its climactic moments of terror and joy… The whole performance had thrilling immediacy.
(The Independent, on the St John Passion).
It’s a vibrant, thoroughly entertaining production, thanks to Figure’s founder, young conductor, Frederick Waxman. He assembles a superb ensemble of singers, actors and orchestral players and offers an intelligent and intimate re-examination of Handel’s opera … Waxman conducts with warmth and energy, always attentive to change of pace and dynamics.
(★★★★★ The Reviews Hub on Serse at Opera Holland Park).
Notes to Editors
Title Reflection and Remembrance: Requiems by Fauré and Charpentier
Dates Saturday 12th November 2022
Running time 110 minutes
Twitter @figureensemble
@UnionChapelUK
Website https://www.figureensemble.co.uk/
Tickets £10 – £24
Location Union Chapel, 19b Compton Terrace, London, N1 2UN
The nearest underground station is Highbury & Islington (Victoria line)
All enquiries, high res images and further information:
Phoebe Carlisle, Chloé Nelkin Consulting
E: phoebe@chloenelkinconsulting.com, T: 020 3627 2960
