Wareham Choral Society presents 'Dorset Jubilate'

Featuring Hardy's 'The Oxen' and 'The Darkling Thrush'

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John Challenger Philip Singleton

December 4th at 7pm in Lady St Mary Church, Church St, Wareham BH20 4ND.

In this concert, Wareham Choral Society is celebrating the return of choral singing with the first performance of a new choral work Dorset Jubilate specially commissioned by WCS from composer (and trumpeter) Philip Singleton, of the University of Surrey. This sets two well-known poems of Thomas Hardy, The Oxen and the Darkling Thrush, interspersed with the English text of the Jubilate Deo (O be grateful to the Lord...)..

Philip explains his creative thinking behind the decision to set Hardy's poems below:

'When Wareham Choral Society and their musical director, Hazel Ricketts asked me to compose a work celebrating their return to singing after such a long period of lockdown, we quickly settled upon the Jubilate Deo as a suitable text to express the joyful moment that this represented.

The Jubilate Deo - Psalm 100 - invites us to be joyful and to praise God. This is intertwined with two of Thomas Hardy’s poems: The Oxen, which takes the form of a pastoral carol-like setting, and The Darkling Thrush, in which a lone wanderer, on the point of despair, finds solace in the song of an unseen thrush.

At this difficult time, with so much uncertainty remaining, it is my hope that the Dorset Jubilate will offer a joyful, collective experience, however brief. By uniting - in music, as in the rest of our lives - we, as a society, stand the greatest chance of weathering the COVID-19 pandemic and, hopefully, emerging better for all that we have learned to endure.'

We are delighted that Philip will be playing the trumpet at our concert!

As well as Dorset Jubilate, the concert features Bach organ solos from acclaimed John Challenger, the Assistant Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral, who collaborated with Philip on Dorset Jubilate and its prominent and inventive organ part.

The concert will,also of course, include some Christmas carols, including audience carols, and some humorous and thought-provoking Christmas readings to complete what promises to be a very special Christmas concert indeed!.

Tickets - £12.50 - can be obtained from Joys' Outfitters in Wareham, by phoning 01202 632678, by email to warehamchoral@gmail.com

or online at our website https://warehamchoeral.co.uk. Tickets are also available on the door.