A Royal Celebration

Wakefield Grammar Schools Foundation Choir

Rothwell Temperance Band Thomas Moore – organ QE Hall – Queen Elizabeth Grammar school

Saturday June 30th 2012

We never expected to be waving our flags, but then why wouldn’t we, it was only one month after the Jubilee weekend and at the end of a week when the Olympic Flame had travelled through Wakefield and District. Tails were up in anticipation of a brilliant summer of sport, and we were not going to be disheartened by poor summer weather! We were not disappointed!

The Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir rose to the occasion and presented a concert full of Royal ‘specials’ with Andrew Padmore acting as master of ceremonies as well as conductor. ‘Zadok the Priest’ and ‘Blest Pair of Sirens’ [both accompanied by Tom Moore on a specially imported organ] were in the programme, but then so were ‘Crown Imperial’ and ‘Enigma Variations’ brilliantly played by the Rothwell Temperance Band. The concert was staged in the QE Hall at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, and it was fitting that the school choir was able to take part giving the audience a taste of what the Spanish might hear when the choir tours Barcelona in July/August as they sang Goodall’s ‘Love Divine’ and ‘O Magnum Mysterium’ by the Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. And that was only the first half!

The pace certainly hotted up in the second half with the band giving us ‘Dambusters March’, ‘Rule Britannia’ and ‘Jupiter’ [from Holst’s Planets Suite]. The choirs responded with the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’, ‘Jerusalem’ and the inevitable ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ – why not, and that’s when the flags waved – so much so that the audience demanded an encore. Dr Padmore was not disappointed and with all forces available – organ, band and two choirs – a second rendition of ‘Land of Hope’ lifted the rafters!!

A fantastic end to yet another exciting season of concerts by the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir.

HDR.