Tag Archives: Adrian Partington

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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a work from the syllabus

Posted on December 18, 2023 by vhk10

Gloucester Choral Society presented a mixed programme rather than a single work for the Christmas concert this year. Introducing the four-part arrangement of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols our conductor said it should be compulsory on everyone’s syllabus in school. Well … Continue reading →

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Three Choirs 2023: Tuesday evening

Posted on August 7, 2023 by vhk10

Tuesday brought a change of orchestra with the Royal Philharmonic replacing the Philharmonia. And the most unfamiliar of the music we had to sing. Holst’s Ode to Death was only a name to me previously. As long as you can … Continue reading →

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Three Choirs 2023: the first Saturday concert

Posted on July 30, 2023 by vhk10

Our first concert, on the evening of the first day, contained two choral items in the first half. Rise up, O Sun! was a new composition by Eleanor Alberga setting words by Blake. There was plenty to get your teeth … Continue reading →

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