The Passing of the Year

The choir’s spring concert celebrates the changing seasons through a rich tapestry of choral colour. The evening opens with Judith Weir’s Love bade me welcome, a luminous setting that invites listeners into a world of warmth and reflection. Ola Gjeilo’s Northern Lights follows with its shimmering harmonies, paired with the stillness and clarity of his piano solo Before Dawn.

Will Harmer’s Three Madrigals bring a burst of freshness and charm—Spring in all her glory, Sweet eyes, and Sing we at pleasure capture the joy, tenderness, and playful energy of the season. The journey continues with evocative miniatures: John Ireland’s pastoral The Hills, Tchaikovsky’s lyrical August, Finzi’s buoyant Haste on my joys, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s wistful Summer is gone. Owain Park’s radiant setting of Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day adds a contemporary glow, while Sibelius’s Le Sapin offers a moment of Nordic stillness.

The programme culminates in Jonathan Dove’s The Passing of the Year, for double choir and piano, a vibrant and deeply expressive cycle that traces the emotional arc of the seasons. We are delighted to be joined by pianist Alexandra Standing for this moving work.