Bernstein Chichester Psalms and Poulenc Gloria

Salisbury Chamber Chorus and Nova Foresta Players Bernstein Chichester Psalms and Poulenc Gloria,
in Salisbury and Lymington.

This November, Salisbury Chamber Chorus will be collaborating with Nova Foresta once more for a concert featuring two of the most exciting choral pieces of the last century. Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms was written for the Southern Cathedrals Festival in 1965. Bernstein's mix of the theatrical and the sacred became an instant classic, its haunting melodies and exhilarating percussion proving to be irresistible. It's no surprise that the second movement featured heavily in last year?s film about Bernstein, Maestro.

Francis Poulenc also wrote for the stage, and his Gloria, premiered in Boston in 1961, is another piece of dramatic rhythms and gorgeous melodies. One of his most popular pieces, its mood is often grand, echoing the great Baroque choral works; often quirky, with Poulenc's signature halting, spacious motifs; and in the second movement, quirkily jolly, inspired apparently by the sight of a group of monks running round playing football in their habits.