A celebration of Barts 900
This event has already happened
This event took place on Sunday 9 July 2023.
- Sunday 9 July 2023
- Royal Albert Hall
A celebration of Barts 900
Sun 9 Jul 2023
Need to know
Repertoire
- Parry I Was Glad
- Elgar Enigma Variations
- Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony
Features
- Ivor Setterfield Conductor
- Philippa Boyle Soprano
- James Newby Baritone
- Barts Choir Choir
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Location
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore,
South Kensington,
London SW7 2AP
United Kingdom
Barts Choir is proud to present a celebratory programme of English classical and choral music to honour the 900th anniversary of Barts Hospital in 2023, supporting the fundraising activities of Barts Charity.
“Behold, the sea itself”! With a brass fanfare and this dramatic choral declamation, Vaughan Williams launches A Sea Symphony, his first and longest symphony, on a wave of sound. He set words by the American poet Walt Whitman depicting the sea in all its aspects, reflecting, in doing so, on the larger questions of humankind’s place in nature and the cosmos, art, and exploration (spiritual as well as physical).
A Sea Symphony is complemented by two other British classics: Elgar’s Enigma Variations, in which he presents musical depictions of ‘my friends pictured within’ (actually starting with his wife and ending with himself); and Parry’s I was glad, written for Edward VII’s coronation in 1902, heard at all coronations since and doubtless to be heard again during this Coronation year.
The evening promises to be a joyous event in appreciation of Barts Hospital through whom the choir was founded 58 years ago.