Southampton Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra
James Atkins, conductor
Alongside Fauré’s Requiem, Frank Ticheli’s Earth Song reflects on the fragility of our planet, while Cecilia McDowall’s Ave Maris Stella draws on the ancient image of the sea as a source of guidance and renewal — an idea that resonates especially strongly for a choir from a maritime city. Edward Elgar’s Chanson de Nuit and Chanson de Matin offer contrasting musical reflections on night and morning, and the slow movement from Florence Price’s String Quartet No. 1, heard here in an arrangement for string orchestra, brings warmth and lyricism to the programme’s orchestral writing with a new setting of O Sacrum Convivium by Jamie.W.Hall and Nadia Boulanger’s expressive Cantique, while Fauré’s Pavane adds an elegant contrast. Rich in colour and reflection, our concert traces a path from the rhythms of the natural world to a vision of peace and consolation beyond it.