A Celebration of Glory ()
Join us for a celebration of the joy of choral music, with a pairing of ‘Glorias’ by Antonio Vivaldi and Francis Poulenc.
Vivaldi composed his Gloria in Venice, probably in 1715, for the choir of the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls (or more probably a home, generously endowed, by the girls’ anonymous fathers, for the illegitimate daughters of Venetian noblemen and their mistresses). The wonderfully sunny nature of the Gloria, with its distinctive melodies and rhythms, is characteristic of all of Vivaldi’s music, giving it an immediate and universal appeal.
Poulenc’s Gloria, written for soprano, chorus, and orchestra, was first premiered in January 1961. It was commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation and was supposedly inspired by a rugby match. Scandalous for the time, the music spans from dark to whimsical. There are a total of six movements, all individually breathtaking with rich and flowing harmonies. Beginning at the declaratory entrance of the chorus in the first movement, listeners may find themselves on the edge of their seats constantly wondering what Poulenc may do next.
The first half will begin with the orchestra playing Fauré’s Masques et bergamasques which should be a lovely opening to the concert. We will then sing the Vivaldi before the interval and the Poulenc after the interval.
Our soloists for the concert are Ailsa Cochrane and Harriet Hunter.
We sang:
- Gloria, FP 177 (1959) — Poulenc
- Gloria in D, RV 589 (1715) — Vivaldi
Venue
Lichfield Cathedral, The Close, Lichfield, WS13 7LD [map]
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Reviews
Review of Lichfield Cathedral Chorus concert 9 May 26
What a feast of Glorias! After the treat of Rutter’s Gloria in November, Lichfield Cathedral Chorus once again produced a fine concert, entitled Gloria, in the Cathedral, under the baton of Ben Lamb. This time we enjoyed the familiar Vivaldi Gloria, composed in Venice around 300 years ago, and the possibly slightly less familiar, but equally vibrant, Gloria by the French composer Francis Poulenc, finished much more recently in 1960, a time of great variety and individualism in the world of composition.
The concert began with the orchestral dance suite Masques et Bergamasques by Gabriel Fauré, who is possibly better known for some beautiful piano music and his inspired Requiem, played by the splendid young group of players, the Lichfield Camerata. Vivaldi’s popular Gloria followed, and both the singers and the orchestra performed with confidence and enthusiasm throughout. A brisk opening speed set the tone, and the responsive choir sang positively throughout. The unavoidable distance between conductor and singers led to some timelags in places, which were understandably more noticeable in faster movements such as the Domine Fili Unigenite…diction was good, but occasionally the consonants were on the beat rather than before it, giving an inevitable time-lag in the rapid lines. There were wonderful oboe and cello solos by Luke Cutler and Aidan Hopkins respectively in support of the two fine soloists, Harriet Hunter (Soprano) and Ailsa Cochrane (mezzo-soprano), and these two blended well in the Laudamus Te duet. Ailsa’s wide range was also apparent in the rich alto sounds heard later in the work. The choir’s enthusiasm showed clearly in the bright singing of the final and most complex chorus, Cum Sancto Spiritu, and Vivaldi’s infectious vivacity was honoured throughout.
Poulenc’s Gloria, a more complex work both to learn and to listen to, reflects the huge variety of styles apparent in his day, but manages to incorporate them into a wonderfully homogeneous work which lingers in the memory and has enormous contrasts within a very approachable whole. Idiosyncratic rhythms, unexpected time-changes, quirky harmonies…all were handled with ease and confidence by choir and orchestra alike, with a high standard set by the opening Gloria. This work was written near the end of Poulenc’s life, and his masterful orchestration was colourful and pertinent to the text…some ideas reflecting earlier works and some used later in his set of woodwind sonatas. One could detect moments of jazz, and even of early Stravinsky…but the whole work was amazingly unified and beautifully presented.
Variety abounded, with so much rhythmic and harmonic complexity being made to sound easy by these performers. We were treated to some glorious soprano solo entries from Harriet Hunter, whose easy, floating tone blended beautifully with the choir, and gave a magical final Amen. Despite using a large variety of instruments, Poulenc’s clever orchestration produced a fully integrated sense of perfect balance between choir, soloist and orchestra, though there were just occasional moments of over-dominance by brass and winds, (always a problem in this acoustic). However, to achieve this sense of unity between the forces on just the one full rehearsal is an accolade for Ben, the choir, the orchestra, the soloist, and Poulenc himself for his clever and sensitive writing.
This was a really feel-good concert, with all participants, sizeable audience and performers alike, feeling that they had experienced a truly fulfilling and enjoyable evening. Well done Cathedral Chorus…we really look forward to the Mozart Requiem and Solemn Vespers in November!
Megan Barr, May 2026