Hereford Choral Society present A Sea Symphony

Supporting the 200th anniversary of the RNLI, Hereford Choral Society presents: A sea Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams together with Poulenc’s Gloria in Hereford Cathedral.

Orchestra De Cymru conducted by Geraint Bowen.  Soloists are Rebecca Hardwick (Soprano) Felix Kemp (Baritone).  Tickets: Advance booking (opens 1 October) £10, £15, £23 and £28.  On the door £10, £17, £25, £30. Under 16’s free with a  paying adult.  Box office:  herefordchoralsociety.org/tickets or 01432 751175.  £10 unreserved restricted view tickets available from the Cathedral shop from 1 October.

From the very opening fanfare that demands we ‘Behold the sea itself’ Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony dramatically defines the oceans and the ships that have historically sailed upon them. The fanfare resolves into a completely unmistakable image of rolling waves and ships, ‘their white sails, bellying in the wind’. The steamers ‘steaming in or out of port’ excitedly herald what was, in Walt Whitman’s poem of 1855 (taken from Leaves of Life), a new and busy form of transport.

This 70 min journey from the ‘beach at night’ to the ‘gardens of Asia’ will leave you licking you lips (and maybe even tasting the salt!) whilst experiencing every peak and trough of life at sea, in one of the most dramatic works in the choral canon.

The concert will begin with Francis Poulenc’s Gloria: He has been described variously as ‘a prankster with a witty sense of humour, fun loving, gregarious and a bit of a rascal’, and it’s not hard to realise why, as Poulenc varies the mood of the Gloria from jazz to musical theatre and vaudeville. Poulenc even claimed that the Laudamus te was inspired by the sight of Benedictine monks playing football!

Please do come to hear it and see if you agree.