Tag Archives: Adrian Partington

a Messiah about which there isn’t much to say

Posted on November 30, 2025 by vhk10

November 2025 was, I realise, a ridiculously busy month musically speaking. My final performance of the month was Messiah in Gloucester Cathedral. I’m beginning to run out of things to say about Messiah, which under natural conditions I’d aim to … Continue reading →

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a short rehearsal period for Brahms

Posted on October 11, 2025 by vhk10

The course of this blog has periodically been punctuated by performances of Brahms’ German Requiem, either sung by me (with four different choirs) or heard (curiously I’ve never sung it in Bristol though Bristol Choral Society performed it twice there … Continue reading →

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an Olympic Sanctus

Posted on July 10, 2025 by vhk10

I rejoined the South Cotswold Big Sing Group in Gloucester Cathedral to sing a work that had been on my hitlist for a while, Berlioz’ Te Deum. I’d heard a lot about performances of this piece that others had sung … Continue reading →

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the Transylvania programme

Posted on May 31, 2025 by vhk10

Gloucester Choral Society sang the same programme everywhere on our choir tour of Transylvania. Three blocks of choral music interspersed with organ pieces. (Except that in the castle we gave a cut-down unaccompanied programme twice with different singers each time.) … 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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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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choir and brass

Posted on November 12, 2024 by vhk10

The first of my two November concerts was in Gloucester Cathedral and brought in a brass ensemble to accompany us as well as the organ. The single largest piece was Joseph Jongen’s Mass of the Blessed Sacrament. Jongen is known … Continue reading →

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the great and the good in the nave

Posted on November 8, 2024 by vhk10

A gala dinner was organised in aid of Gloucester Cathedral funds, with performances from the various Cathedral choirs, and held in the nave. The Choral Society performed near the end of this, and we fitted it in after our usual … Continue reading →

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Psalm 121 (Mendelssohn)

Posted on May 8, 2024 by vhk10

The summer concerts of Bristol and Gloucester Choral Societies were nearly two months apart, but both include settings of this text. First up was Mendelssohn’s Elijah in Gloucester (where it was assigned to the Cathedral choir, singing ‘offstage’ in the … Continue reading →

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an early start for Bach

Posted on March 15, 2024 by vhk10

March was a busy month and first up was Bach’s St Matthew Passion in Gloucester Cathedral, a success to our St John Passion of 2020. I feel I know this work very well because I’ve listened to it countless times, … Continue reading →

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