The Southern Cathedrals Festival (Friday 15 - Sunday 17 July) begins a summer of sublime music at Salisbury Cathedral with music by Vaughan Williams, César Franck, Haydn and Bach. A concert by organist, composer and TV presenter Anna Lapwood follows on Saturday 23 July. In August, the popular Organ Prom returns, a not-to-be-missed event performed by the Cathedral’s ‘home team’ of organists, Director of Music David Halls, Assistant Director of Music John Challenger and Assistant Organist Samuel Bristow.
SOUTHERN CATHEDRALS FESTIVAL 15-17 July
Music played as it was written…
The Southern Cathedrals Festival will feature a performance of Haydn’s Creation on Saturday 16 July, sung by the combined choirs of Salisbury, Winchester and Chichester cathedrals, accompanied by the Hanover Band, one of Britain's most distinguished professional period instrument orchestras
Named for the Hanoverian period of English history in which English music flourished, the Hanover Band boasts some of the UK’s top period instrument specialists. Along with the massed choir they will be joined by soloists are Rebecca Hardwick (soprano), Ruairi Bowen (tenor) and Jake Muffett (bass).
Haydn’s Creation received its first Salisbury performance in 1800 as part of the then Salisbury Music Festival and has since become one of the most loved oratorios for audiences and performers alike. Two performances two hundred and twenty years apart!
A feast of sacred choral and organ music can be heard across the weekend, performed by the three renowned cathedral choirs separately and together in concerts and within worship. This year’s festival marks two important musical anniversaries in concerts and services – César Franck’s birth in 1822 and Vaughan William’s birth fifty years later in 1872.
On Friday 15 July Vaughan Williams’ rarely heard song cycle The House of Life will be performed during a concert of chamber music taking place at 11.30 in the Cathedral’s North Transept. Also on the programme are Wolf’s Italian Serenade and Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet Op57. Sam Poppleton sings baritone with George White, a former chorister on viola, Daphne Moody and Rosie Tompsett on violin, Bryony Moody on cello and Festival Director David Halls on piano.
At 16.30 Evensong on 15 July, the boys and men of Salisbury and Chichester Cathedral Choirs join together to sing the Vaughan Williams’ anthem, Valiant for Truth, inspired by John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Franck’s important contribution to the romantic organ repertoire is also remembered in pre- and post-service music.
For those seeking some quiet reflection at the end of the working day, on Friday 15 July at 21.00 there’s Late Night Bach. A selection of piano solos played on the Cathedral’s very fine Blüthner grand piano by Director of Music David Halls and award-winning pianist Alistair Watson, also a member of the Cathedral Choir.
The girls and adult singers from Salisbury, Chichester and Winchester step into the limelight on Saturday 16 July, when they perform Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G Minor during the 10.30 Festival Eucharist. The Right Revd Stephen Lake Bishop of Salisbury will preach at the service.
Other concerts include a performance by one of Europe’s leading lute players, Salisbury based Elizabeth Kenny at 14.30 in St Thomas’ Church, Salisbury on Saturday 16 July.
Elizabeth recently performed at the Salisbury Cathedral Volunteers concert, receiving resounding applause. Elizabeth performs a programme that includes arrangements of the Bach violin sonatas for the lute.
The Southern Cathedrals Festival ends on Sunday 17 July with services sung by the full Cathedral Choir (adults, boys and girls) in Salisbury: 10.30 Eucharist in which Mozart’s Coronation Mass will be sung, a nod to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and Ave verum corpus.
15.00 Choral Evensong at 15.00 featuring Stanford in C, Parry’s Blest pair of Sirens and Howells’ Te Deum (Collegium Regale).
ORGAN PROM IN AUGUST (part of Salisbury Cathedral’s 2022 Organ Festival):
Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Gershwin’s classic Summertime, a Star Wars medley by John Williams and Sherwin’s A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square…
Salisbury Cathedral’s Organ Prom at 19.00 on Saturday 13 August promises to be a memorable summer evening out. Concert goers are invited to enter into the spirit of the occasion by dressing ‘promenade style and supping a glass or two of Pimm’s while basking in the sounds of the Father Willis organ. All the action from the organ loft is being relayed onto the Cathedral’s new and even bigger screen.
OTHER SUMMER CONCERTS:
The Salisbury Cathedral Organ Festival continues with monthly concerts throughout the Summer:
On Saturday 23 July organist and composer Anna Lapwood, Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge is giving a concert at 19.00.
A regular on Radios 3 and 4, Anna has presented BBC Young Musician and made her BBC Proms debut as soloist last year, playing with the Hallé Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder.
Anna was also behind this year’s Bach-a-thon in aid of the Ukraine, which brought together (virtually and in person) 70 organists across the world including Salisbury cathedral, playing the complete organ works of Bach in 24 hours.
Equally dynamic, September’s soloist Richard Pinel has been described as a ‘force of nature’. His performances as an organist have taken him across the UK and the United States and he has enjoyed international competition success with his organ playing.
Richard, who is currently Director of Music at Jesus College, Cambridge, and Director of the Edington Festival, will be playing in the Cathedral on Saturday 17 September.
TICKETS and further information:
Tickets for Southern Cathedrals Festival (15-17 July) can be purchased via the Cathedral website: https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/southern-cat... and further details can be found here: https://southerncathedralsfestival.org.uk/
Tickets for the Organ Prom (13 August) are on sale via the Cathedral website: https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/arrangements...
Tickets for Anna Lapwood’s concert and Richard Pinel’s concert are available on the Cathedral website: https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/arrangements... https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/arrangements...
To book group tickets contact groups@salcath.co.uk
Check out our Welcome to Wiltshire guide with things to do, charity updates and more