Mid Winter Songs concert
Sat, 1 Mar 2025
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As Earth stirs in her winter sleep
And puts out grass and flowers
Despite the snow,
Despite the falling snow.
Reading Bach Choir presented a concert inspired by the poetry of Robert Graves and the music of American composer Morten Lauridsen. His monumental Mid-Winter Songs for chorus and piano redefines a cantata or choral cycle of music. Written in 1980, the settings of poems by Graves continue to sound fresh and engaging forty-five years later.
Equally engaging were the Sept Chansons and Un Soir de Neige by Poulenc in addition to the Trois Chansons of both Debussy and Ravel.
The thread of stirring through the long winter sleep continued to the modern day with Joanna Marsh’s In Winter’s House and a fitting connection to both Lauridsen and Graves with Everyone Sang by Matthew D. Nielsen.
Thank you for a lovely concert of wintry chansons and songs. A very high standard of singing. Very much enjoyed your challenging and eclectic repertoire. Keep on singing!
