An Evening with English Composers - Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus in St Mark's

Region's finest large mixed choir 'up close and personal'

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus is the region's finest large mixed choir, usually to be found performing in venues such as the City Hall or the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. Here is a chance to hear them sing in St Mark's Church, Broomhill, as part of their drive to bring their concerts to a wider audience than that which frequents the City Hall. Conducted by Darius Battiwalla, with Alex Woodrow on the organ, the Chorus will sing works by English composers Finzi, Delius, Coleridge-Taylor, Dove and Parry, and there'll be organ solos by Parry and Ethyl Smyth.

Gerard Finzi’s God is gone up was written in 1951 for a St Cecilia’s Day Service at St Sepulchre’s Church in Holborn. This anthem of praise, which stretches the organ’s resources, has rightly become an integral part of the choral repertoire.

Two songs to be sung of a summer night on the water were composed by Frederick Delius in 1917. The Chorus will sing one of these wordless works in six parts, unaccompanied.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s The Lee Shore is set to a text by Thomas Hood, while Summer is Gone is a setting of a poem by Christina Rossetti, featuring lush romantic harmonies and striking dynamic expressiveness. The highly chromatic lines are extremely challenging.

Jonathan Dove’s Seek him that maketh the seven stars is a setting of Psalm 139 featuring a beautifully crafted dialogue between organ and choir. In his own words ‘The anthem begins with a musical image of the night sky, a repeated organ motif of twinkling stars that sets the choir wondering who made them. The refrain ‘Seek him’ starts in devotional longing but is eventually released into a joyful dance, finally coming to rest in serenity.’

Hubert Parry’s Songs of Farewell is a set of six choral motets written during the First World War when a number of Parry’s pupils were being killed in action. There is an old belief was sung at Parry’s funeral in St Paul’s Cathedral in 1918, and the first performance of all six songs was at his memorial service in Oxford in 1919.

• Finzi: God is gone up
• Delius: To be sung of a summer night on the water
• Coleridge-Taylor: Summer is gone
• Coleridge-Taylor: The Lee Shore
• Organ solo – Ethyl Smyth: Chorale Prelude on “Erschienen ist das herrliche Tag”
• Jonathan Dove: Seek Him that maketh the seven stars
• Organ solo – Parry: Fantasia and Fugue in G
• Parry: Songs of Farewell

Photo by Simon Wilkes on Unsplash

Performers

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus (choir), Darius Battiwalla (conductor) and Alex Woodrow (organ)

Programme

• Gerard Finzi: God is gone up
• Frederick Delius: To be sung of a summer night on the water
• Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Summer is Gone
• Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: The Lee Shore
• Ethyl Smyth: Chorale Prelude on “Erschienen ist das herrliche Tag” (organ solo)
• Jonathan Dove: Seek Him that maketh the seven stars
• Hubert Parry: Fantasia and Fugue in G (organ solo)
• Hubert Parry: Songs of Farewell