Kingston Choral Society marks a Musical Milestone
Where better to celebrate a milestone in the English musical tradition than the historic setting of All Saints, Kingston? That is where, on Saturday 19 March at 7.30pm, Kingston Choral Society will pay tribute to sometime Surrey resident Ralph Vaughan Williams and take a musical journey back through the centuries. An enticing programme of well and lesser-known English compositions is Kingston Choral Society’s contribution to the RVW 150 celebrations.
RVW 150 is the national festival of concerts across the country during 2022-23 to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams. The concert will feature two Vaughan Williams pieces, and the works of two other composers which demonstrate the evolution of the lush English tradition to which RVW was central.
Leith Hill Place was Ralph Vaughan Williams's childhood home, which he gifted to the National Trust in 1944
Kingston Choral Society Musical Director, Andrew Griffiths, who will conduct the concert, says, "Toward the unknown region is always a thrilling work for performers and listeners alike: Vaughan Williams rises supremely to the challenge of Walt Whitman's ecstatic vision of the beyond. We pair it with his beloved Fantasia on Greensleeves, which sets the scene for the vividly colourful Agincourt by his close contemporary George Dyson. John Rutter's winningly melodic, consolatory setting of the Requiem completes our programme."
The Thames Sinfonia and acclaimed soprano Rhiannon Llewellyn will accompany the choir.
Kingston Choral Society gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Sir George Dyson Trust for this concert.