Choral Union & Choral Scholars
The parish choirs have had a busy term so far. The Choral Scholars have been busy learning about key signatures and relative minors and improving their sight-singing—sometimes joined by enthusiastic members of the Choral Union!
Liszt’s Via Crucis
Following the special service to celebrate the Feast of Candlemas on Sunday 2 February, the choir has begun working on a new piece for this year’s Holy Week oratorio concert: the Via Crucis by Franz Liszt (1811–1886). We hope to perform this work in Sandford Church on Wednesday 16 April.
Many people only know Liszt’s flamboyant piano music, but he was deeply religious, and this also found expression in his music. Later in life he received minor orders in the Roman Catholic Church, and turned away from his earlier flamboyant style to compose some remarkable sacred music. The Via Crucis is a meditation on the Passion, based on the traditional ‘Stations of the Cross’, which centre around individual moments in the Passion story. In Liszt’s setting, much of the action is wordless, with the story evoked by the solo piano. The music the choir sings is derived in part from ancient plainsong melodies, as well as music associated with Holy Week in both Catholic and Protestant traditions.