Author Archives: vhk10

Gloucester Choral Society plays Transylvania

Posted on May 31, 2025 by vhk10

It’s a remarkable choir that persuades dozens of its members (and hangers-on) to spend over three days travelling by train from one end of Europe to the other to go on their choir tour. But many of us on the … Continue reading →

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Bookending with Bach

Posted on May 15, 2025 by vhk10

The centrepiece of Gloucester Choral Society’s final concert of the season was Rheinberger’s Mass in E flat for double choir. I’d actually previously sung this with two other choirs, the Erleigh Cantors (alongside another current GCS member) and Priory Voices. … Continue reading →

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a farewell organ recital

Posted on April 30, 2025 by vhk10

I went to what was billed as an ‘Easter Bank Holiday Bonanza’, Dewi Rees’ final organ recital before leaving Bath Abbey for St Alban’s Cathedral. For this, a small part of the quire was cordoned off so that the audience … Continue reading →

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Thin Riga Viking

Posted on April 15, 2025 by vhk10

Years back, I and my circle went through a phase of creating anagrams out of one another’s names, aided in part by a computer program. The title of this post was the best one anyone could come up with for … Continue reading →

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Morley at Passiontide

Posted on April 8, 2025 by vhk10

Bath Abbey Chamber Choir’s final performance with Dewi Rees (an evensong originally planned for Holy Week was cancelled) was one of music and readings for Passiontide. The music included a couple of pieces from our repertoire (Elgar’s O salutaris hostia, … Continue reading →

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Modernism in London

Posted on April 5, 2025 by vhk10

I was not going to pass up an opportunity to hear Der Wein, the centrepiece of a concert at the Barbican themed around Baudelaire given by Ryan Wigglesworth and the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Sophie Bevan. The concert opened with … Continue reading →

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Verdi or Dixit?

Posted on March 31, 2025 by vhk10

I had a choice between two concerts on the same night: either singing Handel’s and Scarlatti’s settings of Dixit Dominus with a larger choir than they were written for in Bristol, or singing Verdi’s Requiem with a smaller orchestra than … Continue reading →

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the 15th evening at Exeter

Posted on March 18, 2025 by vhk10

Bath Abbey Chamber Choir joined forces with our opposite number at Exeter Cathedral, the St Peter’s Singers, for an evensong in Exeter. Exeter is one of the few Cathedrals now that does the BCP psalms for the day (Christ Church … Continue reading →

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Modernism in Cardiff

Posted on March 12, 2025 by vhk10

As a slightly belated birthday celebration for me we went to hear the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ commemoration of the centenary of Pierre Boulez in Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff. I’d never been to a concert here, although I have used … Continue reading →

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Norma vs. Brecon Baroque

Posted on February 26, 2025 by vhk10

Bath Opera returned to Bellini (a few years ago they did La Sonnambula) for this spring’s production of Norma. Given the demands of the two principal roles, they were double-cast and tickets were sold to what was nominally the dress … Continue reading →

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Billing, Chorus Angelorum or Gerontius?

Posted on February 14, 2025 by vhk10

Bath Abbey hosted a well-attended evening event: a hymn forum in which four people involved with compiling hymnbooks (in particular the Revised English Hymnal) discussed hymnody, the part it had played in their lives, the history of recent hymnals, and … Continue reading →

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Praise Him with Trumpets

Posted on January 31, 2025 by vhk10

We weren’t able to have an in-person launch of Bristol Choral Society’s first CD, so it was good to be able to inaugurate the second one this way. It was made with Delphian back in autumn 2023 and I sang … Continue reading →

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