Smith Square
London SW1P 3HA
The Outcry Ensemble and English Voices perform Stephen Dodgson’s full-scale upper-voice Hymn Harmony at St John’s Smith Square alongside other works by Gibbons, Vaughan Williams and Coleridge-Taylor. The evening constitutes the final concert of their ‘Music for a Great City’ series, which explores the essence of a city as portrayed through its music, its history, its people and their perpetual sense of spirit through a rich variety of pieces.
Directed by James Henshaw and comprised of young, exceptionally skilled professionals poised to become the next generation of global orchestral leaders, The Outcry Ensemble brings together vibrant energy and captivating performances. Their repertoire programming strikes a balance between cherished classical works and new compositions commissioned from emerging composers.
Programme
The concert opens with Gibbons’ earthy Cries of London depicting the sometimes vividly raucous street vendors of his time. Next follows Vaughan Williams’ lyrical Serenade to Music, whose 16 soloists pay homage through Shakespeare’s text to the power and beauty of music. We continue to honour London composer Stephen Dodgson’s centenary with his Hymn to Harmony for upper-voice choir, which sets William Congreve’s text likewise celebrating music (‘The secret force of tuneful Sound’) and honouring its patron saint, Cecilia. The concert ends in a spirit of festivity captured by an under-celebrated British Black composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, in his Feast of Hiawatha.
Orlando Gibbons – Cries of London
Ralph Vaughan Williams – Serenade to Music
Stephen Dodgson – Hymn to Harmony
Samuel Coleridge Taylor – Feast of Hiawatha
Tickets: https://www.sinfoniasmithsq.org.uk/book-online/10801/
