The Leconfield Singers return to Chichester Cathedral

Mendelssohn conducted the premier himself at Birmingham Town Hall in 1846 – a large-scale oratorio describing biblical episodes relating to the Old Testament story of the prophet Elijah.

For Chichester, the Leconfield Singers are delighted to be joined by full orchestra – “so we are hitting 2022 in great style and very much as we mean to go on”, says musical director Graham Wili.

English Philharmonia is a freelance orchestra made up of some of the finest orchestral musicians in the UK, also under Graham. In addition, there will be four soloists, all “seasoned pros”, two of whom are new to the Leconfield Singers.

The title role will be sung by baritone Dyfed Wyn Evans. Dyfed will be joined by three other principal soloists: soprano – Gail Pearson, mezzo soprano – Anna Huntley and tenor – Rhodri Prys Jones.

Graham himself comes to the performance hot on the heels of two Messiahs with other choirs: otherwise this is his biggest concert since December 2019.

“With The Leconfield Singers we did manage to find ways to keep going somehow. We worked towards our first tour abroad and that was cancelled. We worked towards a Christmas concert and that was cancelled.

“We kept limping from one thing to another but we did manage to connect on Zoom and we did a number of projects.

“We created three videos of singers sending in their vocal parts which they did on their own which we then put together.

“We did Somewhere Over The Rainbow which captured the mood of the moment and we did a new piece which was created with the nurses in mind and we also did a Lennon and McCartney.

“I would say that just over half of the choir regularly managed to get together online but of course it was difficult. People come together to sing in a group. They are not joining choirs so that they can sit in there front rooms or bedrooms by themselves and sing alone but compared to a number of choirs I do think we did well and managed to keep in touch and I think that’s what has enabled us to get back to it so well.

“We did a Christmas concert and I think there was a bit of rustiness but the majority of singers had been through the whole of last term. But even then that was difficult with rehearsals when we had absences for Covid, but you just do what you can.

“But I think there is a real sense that the singers are determined to get back to doing this just because they’ve missed it.

“Zoom was just not the same. They want to be together. They want to be in the same room.

“ They want to hear the four parts. And it’s about the social interaction. A lot of time on Zoom they would stay together chatting afterwards just because they were keen to be together.”

Now they are getting that chance in Chichester Cathedral.

“Elijah is something we were going to do and had been cancelled several times and they are really keen to do it. It’s an instantly accessible piece that you can really warm to and it is also very dramatic.

“He brings to life a great narrative in a wonderful way and the great thing is that the choir gets to interact with the soloists almost like you would do in opera.

“It is a very operatic work in style because of its dramatic content and it is also good fun.

“It is different from doing something like Messiah where you just sing as a whole choir and then you sit down. With this one you are right in the thick of it and all the action is happening around you and there is a lot of energy. It is huge fun to do.”

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