We will soon make our annual trip to Wells Cathedral where, this year, we will give a concert of stunning music that stretches from the Paris of La Belle Epoque to the minimalism of 21st century Estonia.
The intimate and timeless Fauré Requiem needs no introduction, suffice it to say that distilled within its movements are some of the most beautiful melodies ever written – the sublime In Paradisum will echo in the mind for many hours after we have drifted homeward from the Cathedral into the dimpsey.
In complete contrast, the Poulenc Organ Concerto in the capable hands of virtuoso organist Simon Hogan (Southwark Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral), will have all the drama of a dizzying roller-coaster ride from Bach’s G minor Fantasia to the fairground and back again, and will remind us all that "..in Poulenc there is something of the monk and something of the rascal." (Claude Rostand)
On our journey to the current century, we will next encounter the subtly changing sound colours of Estonian Arvo Pärt, justly one of the most performed living composers in the world, and also a short atmospheric work by Ukrainian composer Galina Grigorjeva who has lived in Estonia for many years. But Paris awaits in the form of a captivating miniature by Messiaen, of the deeply expressive harmonies of Notre-Dameorganist Yves Castagnet and, stepping back 150 years, of a gloriously romantic gem by Gounod whose rousing strains will be a timely reminder that uplifting music has an ever-important role in helping us weather difficult times.