MUSIC SOCIETY CHOIR TO STAGE "CHORAL GREATEST HITS" SEASON FINALE AT CHESTER CATHEDRAL

A Chester choir is preparing to stage a concert featuring the "Greatest Hits" of church anthems, which will showcase 16 well-known choral works including pieces used at Coronations and weddings.

Chester Music Society Choir will stage the concert entitled "The Hallelujah Chorus and other Scared Anthems" in the majestic surroundings of Chester Cathedral on Saturday 23^rd May at 7.30pm. They will be joined on stage by soloists from Chester Cathedral Choir and conductor Graham Jordan Eliis, accompanied by organist Graham Eccles at the Cathedral's mighty pipe organ. 

Opening with Hubert Parry's glorious Anthem 'I Was Glad', used at the Coronation of every English Monarch since 1626, including that of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and King Charles III in 2023, the concert will showcase works by composers including Purcell, Vivaldi, Mozart, Brahms, Haydn, Bach, Elgar, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Handel, Hubert Parry and Sir Karl Jenkins. 

The concert will include performances of several pieces which are popular at weddings, from 'Panis Angelicus' and 'Ave Verum Corpus' to 'Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring' and 'Cantique de Jean Racine'. Two pieces by living composers, 'A Gaelic Blessing' by John Rutter and 'Benedictus' by Sir Karl Jenkins, from his work 'The Armed Man' will also feature. Other works set to be performed include Purcell's 'Te Deum', 'Creation's Hymn' by Beethoven and 'Hear My Prayer' by Mendelssohn. 

The evening will conclude with a performance of the world famous 'Halleuljah Chorus' from Handel's 'Messiah'. Written by George Frideric Handel in 1741, 'Messiah' was first performed in Dublin in April 1742, although, Handel famously stopped off in Chester en-route to Dublin in November 1741 when bad weather delayed his sailing from Parkgate. A hastily arranged rehearsal of 'Messiah' using choristers from Chester Cathedral was held at The Golden Falcon Inn on Northgate Street, where Centurion House now stands. 

The concert gives Chester Music Society Choir the opportunity to showcase the Cathedral's pipe organ which will be played by renowned organist Graham Eccles. Built in 1884, the organ has 69 stops and 86 ranks of pipes, the largest of which is 32 feet long. After refurbishment in 1968 it was re-inaugurated by the French Composer Maurice Durufle. 

Speaking about the concert, John Ferrari, the Chair of Chester Music Society Choir said:

"What better way to bring our current season of concerts to a close than with a concert featuring "the greatest hits" of choral music. The 16 composers you will hear are Purcell, Vivaldi, Mozart, Brahms, Haydn, Bach, Elgar, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Faure, Rutter, Handel, Parry, Franck, Jenkins and Lotti. It’s a fantasy football league collection of the great classical composers of all time, and you get to hear them all in one night!"

Full details of Chester Music Society Choir's season finale concert can be found at: 

https://chestermusicsociety.org.uk/choir-concerts 

...where tickets can be purchased online.

Tickets can also be purchased in-person from the Chester Cathedral Box Office.