Students go Gothic for Prom concert at Albert Hall
By: Alison Field
Last updated: Thursday, 21 July 2011
Pip Crane, left, Lexy Reed and members of Brighton Festival Chorus in rehearsals in the JMS lecture hall
Sussex students joined more than one thousand other musicians at the Royal Albert Hall in London to perform, as part of the BBC Proms, one of the largest symphonies ever composed.
Students Pip Crane and Lexy Reed are members of Brighton Festival Chorus, which has rehearsed on the Sussex campus for more than 40 years.
The two were among fellow students who joined with the rest of Brighton Festival Chorus in a rare performance of 'The Gothic' (otherwise known as Symphony No. 1 in D Minor) by Havergal Brian for the BBC's fourth Promenade concert on Sunday (17 July). The 2011 Prom is only the fifth occasion on which the symphony has been performed.
'The Gothic' was composed between 1919 and 1927 and sets to music the Latin text Te Deum from the Book of Common Prayer. The work is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest symphony ever composed: its performance involves 800 singers, 200 orchestra members, four offstage brass bands, a trumpet group and four vocal soloists.
But the occasion wasn't about to overawe Pip (soprano) and alto Lexy, who have both performed at the Royal Albert Hall previously.
Pip, who is studying for a Masters degree in Science and Technology Policy, says: "'The Gothic' is an incredibly challenging piece, with 37 choral parts being sung at once. To sing at the Albert Hall is to see a dream come true."
Lexy Reed, who has just finished her first year studying Psychology, is one of the younger members of the choir and was glad of the support offered by other choir members. She says: "I think what we bring is a bit of diversity."
Gill Kay of Brighton Festival Chorus says: "I have been in the classical music business for over 35 years and this concert was by far the biggest and loudest I've ever heard! To be part of something like this is really astonishing and unlikely to be repeated in my lifetime. It was a very special event."
Now the student singers are looking forward to a busy winter with gigs at the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall again and Brighton's Dome.
The Brighton Festival Chorus was founded in 1967 by Laszlo Heltay, who at the time was Director of Music at the University of Sussex.