Southampton Philharmonic Choir | Earth & Eternity

Southampton Philharmonic Choir presents an evening of choral and orchestral music exploring the beauty of the natural world and the hope of peace beyond it.

At the heart of tonight’s programme is Gabriel Fauré’s much-loved Requiem, whose gentle and consoling vision of eternal rest has made it one of the most cherished works in the choral repertoire, offering comfort not only in memory of the departed but also for the living who remain.

Alongside it, 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. 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.

Music of quiet devotion also shapes the evening, including a new setting of ‘O Sacrum Convivium’ and Nadia Boulanger’s expressive ‘Cantique’, while Fauré’s Pavane adds an elegant contrast.

Rich in colour and reflection, the concert traces a path from the rhythms of the natural world to a vision of peace and consolation beyond it.