- In Perfect Harmony
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Date Posted: Fri, 6 Jun 2025
Many thanks to all who came to our concert at St John’s, Maindee on Saturday 17th May, which raised an incredible £1500 for the St John’s fund for the development of the choristers’ musical talent.
In addition to the choristers and Lillian Felvus, the St John’s organ scholar, we were joined by Chepstow Chatelaines and soloists, Jenny Chen, Alfie Matthews and Ellie Rees. The variety of performers meant that we were able to present a wide range of music, ranging from classical to musicals to pop, sung in several different languages – there was undoubtedly something for everybody in the audience.
We were delighted to see so many people in the church and are grateful to the Mayor of Newport, Kate Thomas and the Vicar of St John’s, Rev. Linda Batt for their support.
Finally, thanks must go to all the Music Directors – Guy Harbottle and Martyn Jones for Newport Philharmonic Choir, Jayne Thomas and Peter Banks for Chepstow Chatelaines and John Granger of St John’s – for their hard work in rehearsing all those on stage.
A collection of short clips of the choir singing have been kindly donated by a choir friend and can be viewed on YouTubeFor more information, see: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJopi8qsKpS6M4W8TyhFQDyAmwHa-dS5r&si=5dxsf1kP-ofHGyCR
- Choir Repertoire: Sure on this Shining Night
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Date Posted: Wed, 12 Mar 2025
The work's text is taken from James Agee's poem "Descriptions of Elysium" which was published in his 1934 poetry collection Permit Me Voyage by the Yale Series of Younger Poets. It was first published by Samuel Barber in his 1938 “Four Songs”.
The Newport Philharmonic Choir will perform the Morten Lauridsen version in May 2025. It is taken from his Nocturnes work of 2005 which includes three other pieces describing aspects of the evening/night.
Lauridsen’ works have been recorded on more than 200 CDs, five of which have received Grammy Award nominations, including O Magnum Mysterium which was performed by NPC at our recent concert before Christmas.
You can hear Lauridsen talking about Sure on this Shining Night by following the link below.For more information, see: music.usc.edu/mortenlauridsen/celebrating-morten-lauridsen-sure-on-this-shining-night/
- Choir repertoire: The Rose
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Date Posted: Sun, 2 Feb 2025
The Rose by Ola Gjeilo is a recent addition to our choir repertoire. It was written for the Winter Songs album and is a setting of a poem by Christina Rosetti, who also wrote In the Deep Midwinter. Ola began life in Norway but lives in New York, where he has built a reputation for evocative and cinematic compositions.
As much as it is named for a summer flower, The Rose is a Winter Song in character and carries the plaintive melancholy that has endeared Nordic music to so many listeners. Ola's elegant and flowing music complements the mysterious metaphors of the poem. The tune is shared across different parts, making it a popular choice among the whole choir.
The concept of Hygge has been resonating widely in the early 21st century. The Bridge brought Nordic Noir into the mainstream, and Disney chose Norwegian composer Frode Fjellheim to add authenticity to the soundtrack of Frozen. The growing popularity of young talents such as Gabriel Olafs and Vikingur Olafsson continues the trend for music evoking snowy landscapes and fireside evenings.YouTube Video URL: For more information, see: https://olagjeilo.com/
