The Treasured Crown

RODERIC DUNNETT reports in depth
on last month's Three Choirs Festival at Gloucester

Of all the choral events to be found around rural England, one most certainly holds the treasured crown. It's the Three Choirs Festival, staged by turn in the three cathedrals of Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester. Its standards are as high as can be imagined, centred around the splendidly rehearsed Festival Chorus, drawn from the choral societies of the three cathedrals, and the Philharmonia Orchestra, which after several years' association now holds a regular formal residency at the festival, and guarantees a quality of instrumental support that matches the magnificent choral singing.

There's no doubt that the mainstream choral concerts in the evenings are the highlight of the whole week, and so it proved at Gloucester, whose turn it was in 2016 [23-30 July], following the 300th anniversary at Hereford last year, to stage these events in the glorious Norman cathedral nave...

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