THE ADVERTISER, MARCH 10, 1989 .
‘Gloria’
VERNON
Handley,
president and former
conductor of Guildford
Philharmonic Choir, returns to take the baton
again
the
when
choir
performs William. Walton’s Gloria
in the Civic
Hall
tomorrow
(Saturday).. -
.
Composed by the man who
wrote = Belshazzar’s
Feast, it
contains all the glamorous,
brilliant and exciting style of
the better-known work.
It is.
notoriously difficult to sing,
but the Guildford choir has
shown tremendous determination to master it.
Rehearsals have beenin full
swing at the Methodist Hall on.
Monday nights, and when
“Tod”” Handley tested the
choir’s progress with a runthrough at full speed, he afterwards congratulated chorus
master Neville Creed on the
excellent state of preparation.
From beginning to end the
work is a paean of praise,
appropriate to the title with
tremendous. sweeps- of brass
and some splendid parts for
percussmn Inm the. middle
there is a most sensitive and
moving section. based around
the Miserere.
The choir is given an im-
mensely vivacious and rhyth-
mic piece, which only lasts for
20 minutes but leaves the sing-
ers quite breathless after such a
vigorous workout.
The choir has already started
work
on
its
next
piece
—
Morning Heroes, by Arthur
Bliss, which will be performed
on April 29, under the baton
of Sir Charles Groves with
Guildford
Philharmonic
Orchestra.