Choir of Royal Holloway release “The Hours” – choral music by Ben Parry

The new recording from the Royal Holloway Choir and conducted by Rupert Gough celebrates the music of Ben Parry.  Ben’s diverse compositions and arrangements include the popular Faber Carol Book and a burgeoning catalogue of choral music for Edition Peters and Oxford University Press.  Many pieces on this recording set the words of poems by Garth Bardsley, who says about Ben’s work “all of my poems stand alone but given the Parry treatment, I know that they take flight.”

1. Sun Soul
2. Early one morning
3. First Day
4. My heart’s in the Highlands
5. Music: An Ode
6. Spring Sonnet I
7. Spring Sonnet II
8. Ye banks and braes o’ bonnie Doon
9. Snow
10. New Year Carol
11. My spirit sang all day (watch on YouTube here)
12. O nata lux de lumine
13. Ave verum corpus
14. God be in my head
15. The Lord’s Prayer
16. Sonnet XXVII
17. Ar hyd a nos
18. Nunc Dimittis
19. Golden slumbers
20. Eclipse
21. Lighten our darkness

Listen to the album from your preferred source from this link.

More info is available from Signum Records here.

Choir of Royal Holloway – latest Midweek Concert performance

Weekly Wednesday lunchtime concerts

The Choir of Royal Holloway give weekly concerts during their term-time in their beautiful college chapel (pictured). The 30-minute performances are free of charge and informal, allowing people to come and go as their schedule allows. The latest performance is available to watch online here. It features music by Finzi, Holst and Ben Parry, with whom the choir is making a new album. This video includes Parry’s Early One Morning,All through the Night, and My Heart’s in the Highlands.

The series of Midweek Concerts can be seen here.

Ben Parry publishes music with Edition Peters. See his catalogue here.

Ola Gjeilo “Mass for Peace” premiere at Portsmouth Cathedral

Remembrance Day commemorations

On Sunday 11th November Ola Gjeilo will be in England for the premiere of his brilliant new 20 minute work for choir, strings and piano which will be premiered in Portsmouth Cathedral. The “Mass for Peace” features in a concert commemorating the 100th Anniversary of WW1 Armistice, and will be performed by the Portsmouth Grammar School Chamber Choir, Community Choir, Portsmouth Cathedral Choir, the London Mozart Players , and conducted by Ben Parry. Ola will play the piano part in his own piece.

Tickets are available here.

Ola’s website is olagjeilo.com.