“From the earth another song shall rise / to meet your own in Heaven’s long delight”. On the surface, Herbert Howells was the most English of composers; the Gloucestershire lad whose choral psalms and anthems have become part of the very fabric of British choral life. But still waters run deep, and tonight another great British choral institution – the BBC Singers – joins conductor Nicholas Chalmers and presenter Ed Balls to uncover the creative personality behind that serene exterior. An evening of words and music revealing the full depth, power and playfulness of this much-loved – but still undervalued – British genius.

Programme

Howells – God is gone up  
Howells – The House of the Mind  
Howells – Master Tallis’s Testament (organ solo)
Howells – Psalm 23 from Requiem  
Howells – Magnificat from Gloucester Service
Howells – Salve Regina
Howells – A Hymn for St Cecilia
Howells – Behold, O God our defender (Coronation 1953, completed 1952)
Howells – Nunc Dimittis from Gloucester Service
Howells – Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing  
Howells – Psalm Prelude Set 2 no. 3 (organ solo)
Howells – A Grace for 10 Downing Street  
Howells – Te Deum (Collegium Regale)

Performers

BBC Singers
Ashley Grote Organ
Nicolas Chalmers Conductor
Ed Balls Presenter/conductor