Singers at Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral will host one of our foremost local choirs this autumn. The Harborough Singers, who regularly appear in cathedrals across the UK and sang at York Minster in March, are delighted to be able to present a concert of reflective and uplifting music, in their local cathedral on All Saint’s Day, Saturday 1 November.
Entitled ‘Music for Reflection,’ the concert will include Reinberger’s beautiful Evening Song, ‘Abendlied’, Jonathon Dove’s tricky ‘Seek him that maketh the seven stars’, and one of Palestrina’s most popular motets, “Sicut Cervus’.
But the undoubted centrepiece will be Duruflé’s ‘Requiem.’ A unique blend of Gregorian chant and rich, impressionistic harmonies. This piece features beautiful and original melodies derived from plainchant, woven into the fabric of a sophisticated 20th century sound. It is a major choral masterpiece, celebrated for its spiritual depth and ethereal and atmospheric quality.
But its meditative and serene effect might easily have never been seen or heard. Poor Duruflé suffered from chronic perfectionism. Lumbered with an unremitting lack of self-confidence, he wielded fierce self-criticism. “I work slowly,” he wrote, “and I throw a lot away”. And even when he did write something, he frequently scribbled ‘Not to be published’ in the score. Unsurprisingly, his output was painfully small – it numbers only 11 pieces.
All the more reason to savour the gems he did manage to write. Enjoy this one with The Harborough Singers, in the glorious surroundings of Leicester Cathedral, on Saturday 1 November. The Music Director is Charlie Penn, accompanist Andrew King, and soloists Gabriella Noble and Adam Hilton. The performance starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £18 and £5 from www.harboroughsingers.com
Gill Guest
Illston-on-the-Hill WI – Oct ’25
