“Undimmed grief” is what composer Herbert Howells suffered when he and his wife suffered the loss of their son, Michael, aged nine, from polio. He wrote: I am completely frozen and all the sympathy and kindness in the world couldn’t help. Friends tried, but I knew I had to get something out of me that… Read More An English Farewell
This afternoon’s concert at the Three Choirs Festival was by the world-famous Kings College Choir conducted by Stephen Cleobury. It was sponsored by the American Friends of the Three Choirs Festival to which I contributed. For decades my late husband Carl Crosier and I listened to the Kings College recordings and out of their concert… Read More The Gold Standard
It was only today, the next to last day of the Three Choirs Festival 2017, that the construction fencing came down around Cathedral Square and we were able to see the statue of Sir Edward Elgar! The plaque reads: Sir Edward Elgar, who rose from obscurity to become England’s greatest composer for 200 years, was… Read More On the next to last day…
Tonight’s two major works at The Three Choirs Festival could not have been paired more perfectly: Jonathan Dove’s There was a child and Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem. You see, the Dove piece was commissioned by Rosemary Pickering to celebrate the young life of her son, Robert, who drowned at age 19 while snorkeling in Thailand. “Jonathan has… Read More A perfect pair: Dove and Fauré
A couple of nights ago, I sat next next to a man who said that he has been coming to the Three Choirs Festival every year since 1965. That’s over 50 years! Another woman told me she has been regular attendee for the last 40 years. Many of these people sit in the front section… Read More ‘More an orgy than a mass’
This afternoon Evensong was held at 3:30 pm instead of the usual 5:30 pm because it was being broadcast live on the BBC. They actually have a regular program called Choral Evensong and every week it is broadcast from a different location. This week they are broadcasting from the Three Choirs Festival at Worcester Cathedral.… Read More Evensong on the BBC
Just six days ago, we received this notice: Dear Ticket Holder, We are delighted to announce that we will be welcoming His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to the performance of Dream of Gerontius on the evening of Tuesday 25 July. As President of the Three Choirs Festival since 2001, Prince Charles’ picture was on… Read More A royal visit for The Dream of Gerontius
I was already looking forward to tonight’s performance of the Saint-Saëns ‘Organ Symphony’ because it was one of my husband Carl’s and my ‘songs’ when we were dating. Years later I was fortunate enough to play this piece with the Honolulu Symphony, and my usual preparation included playing a recording of it at least a… Read More Not another Saint-Saëns!
Thrilling. Exhilarating. Hair-raising. Those were some of the reactions to last night’s performance of Mendelssohn St. Paul at the Three Choirs Festival Worcester. Wha-a-a-t? Mendelssohn? I must confess, that until last night, and only knowing Mendelssohn Elijah, which I consider a sleeper, I wouldn’t think of Mendelssohn as exciting. Over and over again I heard… Read More Mendelssohn St. Paul
I was intrigued by the listing of the organ prelude at Worcester Cathedral’s Sung Eucharist today: Prelude and Fugue on BACH —J.S. Bach (1685-1750). As far as I know, Bach never wrote a prelude and Fugue on these four pitches: B-flat, A, C, B-natural. As the organist began, however, I immediately recognized the Franz Liszt… Read More Sunday at Worcester Cathedral