The Choral Pilgrimage 2022: Wells

Songs of Farewell: IV. There is an Old Belief

Overview

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Access Information

Public access to Wells Cathedral is via the main entrance in the New Entrance Cloister. The main Cathedral floor (Nave) is accessed via the West Cloister, up a ramp with a handrail adjacent to 5 steps

The main body of the Cathedral has a level floor beyond this point, providing access to all areas except the Chapter House and Library, although visitors are reminded that, as with many historic buildings, some areas of paving have worn unevenly over time.

Important Information

Tonight's performance at Wells Cathedral will go ahead as scheduled and will be dedicated to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

A powerful programme of English choral music centred around Parry's emotional Songs of Farewell.

Hubert Parry’s Songs of Farewell must surely rank among some of the finest choral works ever written. Deeply affected by the First World War, Parry sought poetry that would reflect not only peace and unity and the search for a better world, but also an escape from the horrors of war.

The poems Parry chose to set are sublime, be they metaphysical poetry by John Donne and Henry Vaughan or the aching beauty of Thomas Campion’s verse. Perfectly complementing the rich sonority of Parry’s Songs are three short pieces by Campion, a selection of medieval carols and a new work by Cecilia McDowall.