Tag Archives: Elgar

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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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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Mathias and Matins at York

Posted on October 31, 2024 by vhk10

The Erleigh Cantors were due to visit York in 2020 and we’ve had to wait for our turn to conquer the North (the furthest north we’d been before this was Lichfield). Most of the music we used was drawn from … Continue reading →

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recapitulating the wedding

Posted on August 12, 2024 by vhk10

Bath Abbey Chamber Choir made the second of its Cathedral visits, a rather shorter distance to Bristol Cathedral, where the quire is full of scaffolding and the organ has been dismantled, so we were in temporary stalls in front, and … Continue reading →

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a farewell service and Benedictus

Posted on February 13, 2024 by vhk10

For her final service at church, our priest in charge requested a setting of the Benedictus (meaning the morning canticle ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel’, not the movement from the Mass). This is my favourite canticle, but unless … Continue reading →

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I’m Canterbury Cathedral, who are you?

Posted on October 24, 2023 by vhk10

(Title adapted from Last Orders by Graham Swift.) October’s weekend with the Erleigh Cantors was my first visit to Canterbury for a while. I have mixed memories of the previous one – with an under-prepared choir on what turned out … Continue reading →

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Three Choirs 2023: the final evening

Posted on August 15, 2023 by vhk10

The Apostles – relatively rarely done because of the number of soloists required – was missing piece needed to complete my performances of the three great choral works by Elgar. I remarked before that The Kingdom will do its best … Continue reading →

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Three Choirs 2023: the evensongs

Posted on August 1, 2023 by vhk10

I made it to two of the evensongs during the Festival. The first one was on the first Saturday: Jonathan Hope conducting the Saint Cecilia Singers, many of whom had sung in the opening service that morning and would sing … 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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Coronation pieces

Posted on May 27, 2023 by vhk10

I watched the Coronation ceremony with a keen ear for the music performed. I wonder which of the various new pieces I’ll be asked to sing first? (My money’s on Tarik O’Regan’s.) British coronations have been over recent centuries been … Continue reading →

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