Upcoming Premiere of Symphony: 'To the end, in songs.'

I am thrilled to announce the upcoming premiere of a symphony: 'To the end, in songs.'.

The first performances will be given by the excellent Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, and conducted by Dr Paul French on Sat., May 9, 2026, 7:30 p.m and Sun., May 10, 2026, 2:00 p.m. Further details on their website here.

The cover of 'To the end, in songs.' features an image of the Aurora Borealis taken by Madeleine Relph.

A Note on the Composition

In late 2023 I was delighted to be invited to write a substantial work for the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers by their Director, Dr Paul French. To the end, in songs. can be considered a companion piece of sorts to Requiem which the choir had performed earlier in 2023, building on some of the structural ideas which I introduced in that piece.

I was immediately drawn to the text of Psalm 4: the text, moving from a state of searching restlessness towards a state of peace, feels deeply resonant both in daily life and the world at large. The text itself contains two clear breaks, marked in latin as: [diapsalma]. These pauses have been used in the music to create a single work of three movements, a triptych of interconnected text and music.

The text of 'To the end, in songs.', from Psalm IV.

Plainchant and folk music from my home by the Lake District have characterised this work deeply, much as they have throughout my compositional life. The music seems also to have been influenced by the landscape of the Peak District, where I was living for a short while (and where I wrote most of this piece).

My first encounter with the text of Psalm 4 was through the service of compline, a service sung almost entirely in plainsong. The plainsong melody for Psalm IV from this service has been used as the source of many of the melodies and harmonies present in 'To the end, in songs.'. I have included the full psalm as an option to perform before the composition itself.

Plainsong melody for Psalm IV.

Each movement of the work contains three key similar structural elements, a short choral ‘intonation’, the main body of the movement (the ‘verse’), and ending in a choral ‘song’. Beginning dramatically, each movement becomes progressively calmer than the last, eventually fading to peace and rest.

PWR 2025