It’s a big year for the Aberdeen Bach Choir as it enjoys its 50th anniversary season. Next up is a concert in St Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen, on Sunday, December 4 (7.45pm) - and thereby hangs a tale. One of the pieces of music being sung - a Mass written by Joseph Haydn’s brother, Michael - has a link to Inverurie Academy, of all places. A former pupil, Alison Shiel, studied music at Aberdeen University and part of her course involved a stint in Vienna, using the resources in the Austrian National Library. It was there she came across a signed manuscript of the Missa Trinitatis by Michael Haydn, written when he was but a lad of 17. The Mass was given its first “modern” performance in 1969 at Aberdeen University’s King’s College Chapel- and who performed it? Yes, it was the madrigal choir of Inverurie Academy and students of the university’s music department, conducted by James Lobban. Since then it has been performed in 1976 by Aberdeen Bach Choir and last year in Newcastle where Alison now lives. James Lobban will conduct the choir and Aberdeen Sinfonietta next month when the soloists will be Nicola –Jane Kemp, soprano, Clare McCaldin, mezzo-soprano, Mark Wilde, tenor, and baritone Neil Baker. Peter Mitchell’s Diary Reproduced by kind permission of Peter Mitchell |