Summer Concert – 22 June 2019
As their part of the Festival of Chichester, the Chichester Singers produced a rather special concert in the Cathedral. To an extent, it was a celebration, both of Jonathan Willcocks’ 40 years as the Singers’ conductor and also of the 60th anniversary of twinning between Chichester and Chartres. As an affirmation of the friendship between […]
St Matthew Passion – JS Bach
Lent, with Good Friday just around the corner, is undoubtedly the appropriate time in the Christian calendar to sing about the Passion. Last Saturday, the Chichester Singers did just that by performing probably the greatest of all the Passion settings – J.S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion in Chichester Cathedral. The work itself is a monumental […]
Lest We Forget – Centenary of the 1918 Armistice
And all the trumpets sounded – Ronald Corp Ein Deutsches Requiem – Brahms On the weekend before Armistice Day, The Chichester Singers put on a concert of two works that reminded us of the sacrifices made by young men in so many wars. The first work was a modern composition, And all the trumpets sounded […]
Handel’s Messiah
Handel’s Messiah Chichester Cathedral – Saturday 8th December 2018 For many, Christmas would not be complete without hearing Handel’s ever-popular Messiah, whether it be live or recorded. A packed audience in Chichester Cathedral were treated to a performance of the oratorio, given by the Chichester Singers and Southern Pro Musica, conducted by Jonathan Willcocks. Just […]
REVIEW: Vaughan Williams and Walton
The Chichester Singers and Guildford Choral Society Guildford Cathedral – 16thJune 2018 Perform Walton’s cantata Belshazzar’s Feast in Guildford Cathedral? Sixty years or so ago the idea would have seemed preposterous. Quite apart from the fact that Guildford Cathedral was not yet complete, a performance of the work in any cathedral was considered unsuitable by no […]
REVIEW: Handel, Parry and Duruflé
The Chichester Singers, with the Southern Pro Musica orchestra, served up a mixed programme of music in Chichester Cathedral, with compositions by three composers from three centuries. They got off to a wonderful start with Handel’s Zadok the Priest, with its exciting orchestral build-up and a cracking entry by the chorus. The choir were extremely […]
REVIEW: Verdi Requiem
SATURDAY, 11th NOVEMBER 2017 Chichester Cathedral – 7.30 pm It was fitting that The Chichester Singers should choose a Requiem Mass for their autumn concert this year, falling as it did on Remembrance Day. Verdi’s masterpiece, composed by that doyen of romantic Italian opera, manages perfectly to combine the sorrow of the occasion for which […]
REVIEW: Feel the Spirit – 24th June 2017
At the start of the second week of the Festival of Chichester, the Chichester Singers produced their concert, which had been prepared so as to suit the Festival. For those who have been attending the Singers’ concerts for some years, the programme was full of surprises. There was no major work by a famous classical […]
REVIEW: Rachmaninov Vespers / Jongen Mass
For their latest concert, The Chichester Singers produced a programme with a variety of little-known works, most of which were based on instrumentation by organ and brass only. However, the first, and best known work was the totally unaccompanied set of choral pieces known as Rachmaninov’s Vespers. This presented a major challenge to the Singers, […]
REVIEW: Haydn – The Creation
On a bitterly cold evening in January, how wonderful to hear this dramatic retelling of the familiar Creation story with the The Chichester Singers and Southern Pro Musica, conducted by an inspirational Jonathan Willcocks. The audience were warm with appreciation even if the air was freezing. The infectious music of Haydn and his colourful instrumentation […]