Eternal Light Wednesday 19th August 2026 at 7.30pm

A Choral Celebration of Consolation and Transcendence

19th August 2026 | 7.30pm
Great Malvern Priory

Some choral works do more than fill a space with sound — they transform it. Eternal Light brings together music of solace, radiance, and quiet exaltation, performed by the forces of the Great Malvern Festival of Singing with orchestra, in the soaring acoustic of Great Malvern Priory.

At the heart of the programme lies Fauré’s Requiem, a work unlike any other setting of the Mass for the departed. Gentle, luminous, and profoundly humane, Fauré’s vision is one of peace rather than judgement, offering consolation through music of tender beauty and inward calm.

Vaughan Williams’s Five Mystical Songs bring expansive lyricism and spiritual ardour to words by George Herbert, culminating in the exultant Antiphon, where baritone soloist and chorus join in music of blazing affirmation. The sense of wonder continues in Parry’s Blest Pair of Sirens, a towering masterpiece of English choral music whose surging lines and rich harmonies celebrate the mysterious power of song itself.

The programme also includes Mendelssohn’s beloved Hear My Prayer, with its unforgettable plea “O for the wings of a dove”, and Chris Manu’s Silentium, a striking contemporary meditation on stillness and awe, offering a moment of hushed reflection within the larger arc of the evening.

The concert features the sublime soprano of Jennifer Clark, and Roderick Williams OBE, one of Britain’s most distinguished baritones, and is conducted by Jeff Stewart. Together with orchestra and chorus, they present an evening of music that moves from quiet prayer to radiant praise — a journey from stillness into light.

Tickets £20