Bath Bach Choir - A Celebration of Psalms

Bath Bach Choir’s summer concert is an uplifting celebration of familiar and lesser-known psalms: the Old Testament poems, songs and prayers from Israel’s history that provide us with uniquely poetic depictions of the praise, faith and hope of God’s people. The centrepiece of the concert is Leonard Bernstein’s magical Chichester Psalms, his setting of six psalms that was commissioned by the Dean of Chichester Cathedral for the 1965 Southern Cathedrals Festival. Serenely blending biblical Hebrew verse with Christian choral tradition, the Chichester Psalms was the composer’s implicit plea for brotherhood and peace for displaced and troubled peoples. Its final lines give us a vision of a better future: ‘Behold how good and how pleasant it is, for brethren to live together in unity.’ The performance will be accompanied by The Facade Ensemble, specialists in 20th-century repertoire, playing organ, harp and percussion in a pared-down orchestration produced by Bernstein himself.

Admirers of the Chichester Psalms – a popular performance piece ever since it was written – may also enjoy the choir’s typically fearless exploration of less familiar 20th-century psalm settings at the concert. Two of these are by the Parisian prodigy Lili Boulanger (1893–1918), who studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won the Prix de Rome. Influenced by Debussy, her life was short but productive. Her psalm settings, possibly written as a response to the First World War, are among her most important works, written in a style that is both strong and subtle. Finally, the American Charles Ives’ (1874–1954) complex setting of Psalm 90 for chorus, organ and bells displays his typically avant-garde (for the time) musical ideas. Prepare for abstract harmonies alongside lyrical hymn-like passages, unconstrained by rules.

Approximate end time; check with organiser.