CONCERT CONCERT CHORAL CHORAL
Chamber Choir
Chapel Choir 7.30pm
Friday 2 May, 2025 Concert starts
PROGRAMME
CHAPEL CHOIR
John Mountford conductor
Gary Sieling organ
Zadok the Priest G F Handel (1685-1759)
Ave Maria Rihards Dubra (b. 1964)
Ubi caritas Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
If ye love Me Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)
Dominus illuminatio
David Hill
Lizzie Wyer soprano (b. 1957)
Halle Stone alto
Alex Forshaw & William Hallam tenor
Otto Stone bass
A new song
For the beauty of the earth
James MacMillan (b. 1959)
John Rutter (b. 1945)
The heavens are telling J F Haydn
Evelyn Brammer soprano (1732-1809)
Ewan Stockwell tenor
Tomas Dickinson bass
I was glad
Hubert Parry (1848-1918)
PROGRAMME NOTES
Chamber Choir
Our repertoire tonight brings us on something of a tour of the liturgical year. The Chamber Choir opens the evening in Advent with There is no rose by Alan Smith, a short yet radiant setting of a medieval English text. This carol meditates on the mystery of the Incarnation, using simple yet rich harmonies to evoke the purity and awe of the Virgin Mary's role in the Christmas story. Smith’s setting is restrained but harmonically rich, allowing the ancient text to shine through a modern lens.
Next, the choir delves into the poignant austerity of Renaissance Spain with Tomás Luis de Victoria’s O Vos Omnes. This brief but powerful motet, drawn from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, is a plea of sorrow and abandonment. Victoria’s mastery of expressive dissonance and arching melodic lines draws listeners into the emotional heart of Holy Week, where lament and beauty intertwine.
From sorrow to spiritual supplication, the choir continues with one of the most iconic sacred choral works: Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere Mei, Deus. This 17th-century setting of Psalm 51, according to legend once jealously guarded by the Vatican, is famed for its hauntingly beautiful ornamented soprano lines, ethereal textures, and dramatic contrasts. The famous top C sung by the soprano in choir II has been attributed to a scribal misreading of the clef, however the use of this top note has helped to etch the work into the stable of the choral repertoire forever.
Bringing us into the present day, the choir offers a joyful contrast with Bob Chilcott’s Little Jazz Mass. A vibrant blend of traditional mass texts with jazz idioms, this work combines swing rhythms, close harmonies, and playful syncopation. Chilcott, a former King's Singer, brings deep understanding of vocal texture and contemporary style, creating a mass setting that is both reverent and rhythmically engaging. It invites the choir to explore a different palette of expression — lighter, freer, yet still rooted in spiritual purpose.
The Chamber Choir closes its set with a joyful nod to popular music: “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, arranged by Ed Rex. This soulful, upbeat number reimagined for choir retains all the infectious energy of the original, infused with clever harmonic and rhythmic playfulness.
Chapel Choir
The second half begins with the majestic strains of Handel’s Zadok the Priest. Written for the coronation of George II in 1727, this anthem has accompanied every British coronation since. Its iconic build-up — from a hushed, expectant orchestral opening to the triumphant choral entry — it is a masterclass in anticipation and release. Handel’s music radiates regal splendour and ceremonial gravitas.
A shift in scale and style follows with Rihards Dubra’s Ave Maria, a serene and luminous setting that hails from Latvia’s rich choral tradition. Dubra’s music often blends sacred minimalism with Baltic mysticism. Here, he offers a gentle, meditative invocation of the Virgin Mary, built on slow-moving harmonies and a sense of timeless devotion.
Ola Gjeilo’s Ubi Caritas continues the meditative thread. Gjeilo’s music is known for its cinematic quality, combining lush harmonies with elegant simplicity. This setting of a Maundy Thursday antiphon creates a mood of warmth and quiet reverence — a musical embodiment of the text’s central message: “Where charity and love are, God is there.”
The choir then sings Thomas Tallis’s If Ye Love Me, a quintessential example of English Renaissance choral writing. With its clarity of line and economy of means, this brief anthem distils deep spiritual resonance into a few minutes of poised polyphony. Its enduring beauty lies in its balance, restraint, and clarity.
In contrast, David Hill’s Dominus Illuminatio is a brief, modern setting of Psalm 27’s opening verse — “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” Written by one of the UK’s leading choral conductors and composers, the piece is concise and vibrant, full of luminous textures and bright tonal colours. We are privileged to count David amongst our visiting staff as he teaches the organ at Oakham. We also look forward to collaborating with David’s professional choir, IKON, for a concert in chapel on 25th September 2025, featuring our Chamber Choir.
James MacMillan’s A New Song draws us into deeper emotional waters. Known for his ability to fuse the spiritual with the dramatic, MacMillan sets Psalm 96 with Scottish inflections, rhythmic vitality, and dynamic shifts that convey both ancient reverence and contemporary urgency. The concluding organ postlude challenges both choir and listener to engage on a visceral level.
To conclude, the choir offers two uplifting affirmations of faith and creation: John Rutter’s For the Beauty of the Earth and Haydn’s The Heavens are Telling, from The Creation. Rutter’s anthem offers a more personal expression of gratitude, its lilting melody and accessible harmonies providing a warm, heartfelt end to this evening’s celebration of choral music across the centuries. Haydn’s classic anthem is both exuberant and stately, the intimate trio of angels contrasting with the flair and choral splendour of the tutti.
Drawing once again on the royal theme, Hubert Parry’s I Was Glad sets words from Psalm 122. With its exuberant choral lines and dramatic organ interjections, the piece captures the joy and solemnity of national celebration.
PERFORMERS
CHAPEL CHOIR
*denotes members of the Chamber Choir
Soprano
Alto
Shonali Banerjee*, Emilia Bond, Evelyn Brammer*, Penelope Brammer*, Emma Breag, Lottie Brown, Lucy Carr, Bea Cole*, Sophia Cure, Lillie Drennan, Serafina Griffin*, Evie Holder*, Tilly Howarth-Hale, Imogen Harrison, Rosie Johnson*, Madelaine Kluger, Xanthe Lynn-Brown, Evie Marsh, Olivia Melville, Elsa Milne, Lara Pilbeam, Eloise Snape*, Molly Sutterby, Isabelle White, Lizzie Wyer*
Ibti Al Sayigh, Alexa Berkin-Evans, Madeleine Cartwright, Sophie Cartwright, Lucy Carr*, Jessica Day, Tilly Golland, Grace Hornsby, Isabel Hurst, Isabella Kluger, Grace Lai, Natalie Leung, Elsa Marsh, Esther Morse, Ruth Pleister, Holly Prothero*, Ffion Reading*, Chloe Shaw, Halldis Stone*, Elodie Warke, Jessica Warke, Isabelle White*, Teerna Mukhopadhyay
Tenor
Bass
Ethan Chan*, Alex Forshaw*, William Griffiths, William Hallam*, Toby James, Jacob Littlewood, Finlay Mitchell, George Pepper, Aryan Shrma, Ewan Stockwell*, Campbell Tierney
Jonathan Ayre*, Prince Bharaj*, Tomas Dickinson*, Ryan Hou, Harry Kinnear, Joshua Lai, Alex Morrison, Eddie Nicholson, Ottó Stone*, James Robinson, Oliver Smith