Director of Music at St Michael’s Church, Laurence Williams and organist, Jeremy Cole, present Sir Charles Villiers Stanford’s “Bible Songs” (Op. 113), interspersed with organ music composed by his students. These sacred choral works, composed as a collection of anthems, offer a profound musical interpretation of biblical texts. Stanford’s signature harmonic richness and expressive melodic command, bring to life the verses with acute sensitivity to the nuances of the Biblical text.

PERFORMERS
Laurence Williams, Baritone
Jeremy Cole, Organ

PROGRAMME
Vaughan Williams Prelude on “Bryn Calfaria” (from Three Preludes founded on Welsh Hymn Tunes)
Stanford “A Song of Freedom” (When the Lord turned again, Psalm 126)
Brahms “Herzlich thut mich erfreuen” (Eleven Chorale Preludes, No 4)
Stanford “A Song of Trust” (I will lift up mine eyes, Psalm 121)
Dyson “Love of the Father” from Orlando Gibbons Song 22 (from Variations on Old Psalm Tunes, Book 2)
Stanford “A Song of Hope” (Out of the deep, Psalm 130)
Howells Psalm-Prelude Set 2 No 1 (Out of the deep)
Stanford “A song of Peace” (And there shall come forth a rod, Isaiah 11)
Bridge Andante moderato (from Three Pieces for Organ, H. 63)
Stanford “A song of Battle” (If the Lord himself, Psalm 124)
Stanford Postlude in D minor, Op. 105 No 6
Stanford “A song of Wisdom” (I came forth from the mouth, Ecclesiasticus 24)