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A word from our Musical Director

Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb, alongside Bernstein's Chichester Psalms stand as two pillars of the choral repertoire; both are substantial in length but also in performance, in understanding and interpretation. To have the chance to perform this is rare and takes a particular strength of vocal ensemble to manage a performance.
Southern Voices certainly have this in spades and I'm very much looking forward to tackling these works with the choir.

The link to Walter Hussey brings in other great works of his commissions and, again, the opportunity to introduce and work on repertoire such as Walton's Chichester Service is one that I'm sure the choir will relish. There is a particular harmonic language and musical style that composers of this era produced in their writing - all subtly different but at the same time completely recognisable in their own, individual right.

As a choir that welcomes new challenges and the opportunity to study and understand more (dare I say) modern music, Southern Voices will approach this challenge with excitement and anticipation, I'm sure. Celebrating Benjamin Britten, one of the great composers of our time, with fabulous instrumentalists and in the modern space of St. Paul's, Winchester, this concert promises to be very special indeed.

Programme

Soloists

Alis Huws, harp
George English, percussion

We have consciously moved away from the theme of Remembrance for our autumn concert this year, setting the date slightly earlier in the term, and thus giving us more freedom to explore other themes. This has resulted in a truly exciting programme with much energy and colour.

A concert built around the visionary commissions of Walter Hussey becomes, in effect, a portrait of one of the twentieth century’s great artistic impresarios, and this programme brings that legacy into vivid focus by placing Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms at its heart.

In the second of our Britten 50 concerts, Hussey’s instinct for pairing bold modern voices with sacred tradition shines through Britten’s ecstatic, idiosyncratic cantata, whose mix of mystical poetry, quirky character pieces and radiant choral writing, reflects the daring trust Hussey placed in contemporary composers.

Bernstein’s contribution, written two decades later for Chichester Cathedral, channels Hebrew psalmody through the rhythmic vitality and harmonic colour of mid-century America, creating a work that is both deeply devotional and unmistakably modern. Around these two works, the programme gathers other Hussey commissions – each one a testament to his belief that sacred music should be alive, challenging and artistically ambitious – so that the evening becomes not just a concert but a celebration of the creative partnerships he forged and the musical daring he championed.

Walter Hussey’s legacy of twentieth-century choral commissions ranks him among a rare breed of discerning and impassioned benefactors who inspired genius and left the world a more beautiful place. His deeply held convictions and urbane aesthetic sense, combined with a diligent charm, helped produce a catalogue of choral works that is at once remarkable and inspirational. The programme will also feature works by that great school of English composers of the time – Walton, Elgar and Stanford.

We are thrilled to welcome back harpist Alis Huws who will once again join us for this performance. Alis joined us in 2024, accompanying Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, and we look forward to performing with her again.

We also welcome London orchestral percussionist George English to add flavour and colour to the repertoire and, alongside the myriad sounds from the organ, instrumental accompaniment will make this a particularly enjoyable and memorable evening.