Horsham Chamber Choir offer Ruin and Resurrection

Spokesman Steve Martin said: “The audience will be treated to an evening of uplifting choral music that takes it from both earthly and spiritual crumbling ruins to sacred cities, inspired by the Easter season where heartbreak turns to joy and reconciliation.

“The programme highlights Horsham Chamber Choir’s versatility and commitment to choral music from across the ages.

“Beginning with enchanting plainsong from polymath Hildegard of Bingen, pieces will include Brahms’ Geistliches Lied, Lotti’s Crucifixus and Lux Aeterna, a heart-rending arrangement of Elgar’s Nimrod from the Enigma variations. Purcell’s Funeral Music for Queen Mary at the end of the first half is contrasted with the triumphant Coronation Anthem Zadok the Priest by Handel to round off the evening.

“Other compositions by Alec Roth, John Stainer, Cecilia McDowell and Frank Ticheli will complement the concert, and the choir is delighted to be premiering a delightful piece by one of its own members, Et Incarnatus Est by Mark Browse.”

Horsham Chamber Choir’s director of music Penelope Jane Homer added: “This is a deeply emotional programme, capturing both the agonies of loss and the joy of love. Regardless of your religious persuasion, this music reaches for the heart and cannot fail to move you. It is wonderful to share these pieces with both the choir and audience alike, and I am very excited to be presenting this concert.

“Horsham Chamber Choir is known for its high-quality performances as well as its dedication to bringing lesser known music to wider audiences, alongside much-loved choral favourites. Ruin and Resurrection promises to be an inspirational evening of reflection and musical excellence.”

Tickets can be obtained from the Horsham Chamber Choir website at www.horsham-chamberchoir.org.uk and will also be available at the door at St Mary’s Church on Saturday, March 28. The concert will begin at 7.30pm.