Stokesley Choral Spring Concert

Although Puccini came from a long and very well-respected line of church musicians he is best known as a composer of operas. The Messa di Gloria is one of his first works, written as a graduation exercise from Milan Conservatory, in 1880. Like the operas to follow, it is lyrical, full of catchy melodies and very 'accessible' to audiences. It was well received at the time, but not performed again until 1952, possibly because Puccini had already decided that his future was in opera. John Rutter is well known for his numerous carols, but his highly prolific output covers much more, including his Requiem, written in 1985, just 105 years after Puccini's Messa di Gloria.

The Requiem has been described as "contemplative and lyrical", "consolatory" and "approachable". Classically trained at Oxford University, Rutter sees his music as a bridge between classical, popular and musical theatre, with melody being supremely important and a great carrier of words. As a child, he wished that every school day could be a singing day, and is committed to the importance of choirs, especially in schools.

Both Puccini and Rutter have at times been criticised by music critics and academia for writing music that is "not difficult" or "not sophisticated". Rutter's response is that he aims to touch "the hearts of people outside the limited circle of contemporary music aficionados" and his advice is to "write the music that's in your heart". Did you know? The hit musicals 'Rent' and 'Miss Saigon' are based respectively on Puccini's operas 'La Boheme' and 'Madame Butterfly'. Final word from John Rutter: "One person saying I want the world to be all one - that's fine. But I think if a hundred people sing it, then it really does hit home".