Music Society to Celebrate Anniversary of popular English Composer with Special Cathedral Concert

One of Cheshire's top choirs is set to celebrate the 150th anniversary of one the Country's best-known classical composers with a special concert at Chester Cathedral.

Chester Music Society will mark the milestone anniversary of the birth of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams by staging a celebratory concert at the Cathedral on Saturday 19^th November at 7.30pm. 

Speaking about the concert, John Wishlade of Chester Music Society said "Vaughan Williams was born in 1872 and, along with Edward Elgar, is perhaps the best-known of English composers of the 20th century. It is therefore appropriate that this year, Chester Music Society choir celebrates his 150th anniversary with two of his finest compositions including "The Lark Ascending" which is based on a poem by the English poet George Meredith contemplating the song of the skylark, "impossibly beautiful, almost heavenly". First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon called it "matchless of its kind". In a poll of BBC listeners, held to choose Britain's favourite Desert Island Discs, the work was the chosen favourite, and from 2007 to 2010 it was voted number one in the Classic FM annual ‘Hall of Fame’ poll. On this occasion we welcome as solo Violinist, Georgina Bloomfield from the Royal Northern College of Music. We are extremely grateful to the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust for the support they have given us to enable us to stage what we hope will be an uplifting celebration of the work one of the Country's best loved classical composers."

The second Vaughan Williams composition being featured during the evening is "A Sea Symphony" which is among the best-known of a host of sea-related pieces being written around the same time in England. Speaking about the work, John said "Vaughan Williams set the text of "A Sea Symphony" from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass". He was attracted to them for their ability to reflect the sea in all its various moods, from violent storm to still contemplation, transcending both metaphysical and humanist perspectives."

The concert will also include another composition with a nautical theme, "Songs of the Fleet", a cycle of five songs by Charles Villiers Stanford for baritone, chorus and orchestra, set to poems by Henry Newbolt and comprising "Sailing at Dawn", "The Song of the Sou'wester", "The Middle Watch", "The Little Admiral" and "Fare Well".

Chester Music Society will be accompanied by the Liverpool Sinfonia with soloists Soprano Susanna Fairbairn and Baritone James Cleverton, all under the baton of the Society's regular Music Director Graham Jordan Ellis. 

Full details of the Concert can be found at:

www.chestermusicsociety.org.uk 

...where tickets can be booked online.

Tickets can also be booked in person at Chester Cathedral.

Pictured - Chester Music Society Choir will stage a special concert at Chester Cathedral celebrating the 150^th Anniversary of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.