Tag Archives: Gloucester Cathedral

the first time on the road

Bath Abbey Chamber Choir has not sung outside the Abbey until now. An early promise of a visit to Southwark Cathedral when the choir was a few months old had to be withdrawn, and more recently a planned evensong at … Continue reading

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Cimbalom for Peace

Gloucester Choral Society’s Concert for Peace unfortunately turned out to be more timely than intended. It matched a rarely heard work with one that has been extremely popular in recent years. I looked for recent performances of Donald Swann’s Requiem … Continue reading

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Three Choirs 2023: the final evening

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: From Pub to Pulpit …. to pub

The Festival Chorus had fewer concerts than in 2016, but took park this morning event on the Thursday, a collaboration with folk ensembles Broomdasher and Coracle. Like Sancta Civitas, this was a hangover of Vaughan Williams-related programming that had been … Continue reading

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Three Choirs 2023: Tuesday evening

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 evensongs

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

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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Three Choirs 2023: the opening

As already remarked the opening of the Festival was different this year, with a shorter service in the Cathedral after processions through the city centre had converged on it. Dr Foster would have recognised the weather, and after gathering at … Continue reading

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Three Choirs 2023: the general view

Before I move on to actual concerts and services I’ll start with a few general impressions from Gloucester 2023, as compared with Gloucester 2016. The Festival Chorus was rather smaller this time, although I’d say it was at least as … Continue reading

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I sell my soul to the Three Choirs Festival …. again

Actually not quite as thoroughly as last time, but I’m in the Festival Chorus for TCF Gloucester 2023 and been in rehearsal for it since the end of April. I’m singing in 3 evening concerts plus a late-morning one and … Continue reading

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a dodransbicentennial memory test

Howells Hymnus Paradisi is the major choral work which I had not sung for the longest time. I did it as a student, but never since then, although I have twice sung Howells’ Requiem, which is the source of some … Continue reading

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an unheated Messiah

I try to space out performances of Messiah – helped by the pandemic I’d managed to go four years since the last one – and in fact I’d never performed it in Gloucester Cathedral. I rejoined Gloucester Choral Society (having … Continue reading

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