If my Blogs have any unifying theme, it is the relationship between words and music. To vary the mix a little, this Blog is about words on music, namely 'Leporello' by John Heath-Stubbs, which is, in my opinion, the finest English language poem with opera as its subject. It is a long poem, but I make no apology for quoting it in full. Leporello Do you see that old man over there? - He was once a gentleman's gentleman; His skull is bald and wrinkled like a leathery snake’s eg

My survey of Christmas music continues with five miniatures. They all offer a intense distillation of experiences associated with the Nativity. I suggest sampling them one at a time and sitting in silence once they have finished. Ideally, limit yourself to one piece a day. We begin with Gerald Finzi's final work, 'In Terra Pax'. This exquisite evocation of contrasting yet connected Christmas scenes is scored for chorus and orchestra, with soprano and baritone solos. The ope

Hodie ( This Day ) is a cantata by Ralph Vaughan Williams . Composed between 1953 and 1954, it is the composer's last major choral-orchestral composition, and was premiered under his baton at Worcester Cathedral , as part of the Three Choirs Festival , on 8 September 1954. The piece is dedicated to Herbert Howells . The cantata, in 16 movements, is scored for chorus , boys' choir , organ and orchestra, and features tenor , baritone , and soprano soloists.Stylistically,

BIRD/SONG Collegium Musicum of London Chamber Choir (Greg Morris conductor) Temple Church Saturday November 22 2025 I have been to a number of Coll Mus concerts, as my son Sam is a member of the tenor section. I might not be a totally disinterested party but my opinion of the high quality of this concert was so obviously shared by the large and very enthusiastic audience that I feel justified in speaking my mind... Quite simply: this is the best I have heard this choir sing

The Christmas Story ( Weihnachtshistorie ), SWV 435, is a musical setting of the Nativity in German by Heinrich Schütz , probably first performed in 1660 in Dresden . It was published as Historia der Geburt Jesu Christi ( Historia of the birth of Jesus Christ). After the grand edifices of 'Messiah' and 'Christmas Oratorio' let us turn to something shorter but no less moving. In this work of about 45 minutes, Schutz distills his material into something quite wonderfu

It's taken me a long time to realise the rather close connection Philip Larkin had with Roger McGough. At first sight, any connection seems unlikely. It is true that both are popular poets, but their readerships are probably not that closely aligned - although research might prove me wrong. Their public profiles are certainly very dissimilar: Larkin, the deeply private academic librarian writing poetry of febrile subtlety, and profound feeling, which underlines his complex, i

Alfred Schnittke 'Concerto for Choir' - The Cantus Ensemble - Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception Farm Street - Saturday 8th November 2025. Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) was a self-defined 'polystylist' composer who often introduced contrasting, even conflicting elements in the same work - heterogeneous ideas yoked by violence together to borrow Dr Johnson's famous definition of metaphysical poetry. This polystylism extends to his work over all. Schnittke wrote a good d

For many years, my personal acknowledgement that Christmas is upon me has been a private recital of Bach's 'Christmas Oratorio' . This has usually taken place in the week before Christmas with the First Part (there are six) repeated at some point on the Day itself, when it was originally performed. For several years my recording of choice was from 1958, conducted by Kurt Thomas and featuring Agnes Giebel, Marga Hoffgen, Josef Traxel and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. I still have

Wandering through London's Belgravia (a rare event for me) I came across a notice in an upmarket wine merchants: 'Customers, please note: we shall be closing at 5.00 pm on Tuesday 4th November to allow our staff the opportunity to enjoy a well-deserved Christmas party.' Chistmas comes earlier every year, and already the supermarkets are glittering with festive delights. With this in mind, and pausing only to wish the staff at Belgravia's Jeroboam's a happy and profitable Yule

Adolescence has a lot to answer for. Harry Enfield's Kevin goes from pleasant, polite young boy to foul mouthed pustular monster when he...

Apologies for my rather lengthy absence. A summer of marking public exam papers is largely to blame, but now all those have been safely...

Collegium Musicum - London - 'Mass in B Minor' (J.S. Bach) - St James' Clerkenwell. Saturday 3rd May 2025. The title of this Post comes...

Wilfred Glenn (1881-1970) and Frank Croxton (1877-1949) This is another of my 'one thing leads to another' musings. My post on Lawrence...

I have mentioned before in these posts how one thing frequently leads to another, and so it was when I wrote about Stainer's ...

Stainer's 'The Crucifixion' Temple Church Wednesday 16th April 2025 My maternal grandparents, who were both fine amateur singers,...

'Songs of Eden' London Choral Sinfonia Sinfonia Smith Square Tuesday 15th April 2025 This concert forms part of an enterprising Easter...

Bach - St Matthew Passion - Southwark Cathedral. Thursday 3rd April 2025 I attended this performance of Bach's 'St Matthew Passion' for a...

The Magic Flute - Charles Court Opera - Wilton's Music Hall My varied singing career saw me perform five roles in 'The Magic Flute':...