Somerset Chamber Choir – The Poets Inspire

Somerset Chamber Choir under Conductor Richard Laing
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS The Lark Ascending (violin & piano)
MacCUNN The Wreck of the Hesperus
STANFORD The Princess
STEPHEN PAULUS The Day is Done
ERIC WHITACRE I will wade out
ELGAR Spanish Serenade
RICHARD DANIELPOUR As Night Falls on Barjeantane (violin & piano)

Shulah Oliver violin

Richard Laing violin/conductor

Turn-of-the-20th & 21st-century masterpieces from the British Isles and America, inspired by classic poetry.

Along with Elgar’s delightful Spanish Serenade, this concert offers a rare opportunity to hear Hamish MacCunn’s dramatic portrayal of Longfellow’s Wreck of the Hesperus, and Stanford’s unjustly neglected but beautiful setting of Tennyson’s The Princess. There is also an unusual chance to hear Vaughan Williams’ iconic masterpiece The Lark Ascending, inspired by George Meredith’s poem of the same name, in the original setting for violin and piano. Three instant classics from the 21st Century, including settings of Longfellow and e e cummings, will complete what we hope will be an afternoon to inspire us all.