New music

We are active exponents of C20/C21 music, and have forged relationships with a number of contemporary composers, including Bob Chilcott, James MacMillan, Tarik O’Regan, Howard Skempton, Philip Stopford and John Woolrich. We have regularly premiered and commissioned new works, including five in 2016 alone, Exile Lamentations by the Australian composer Paul Stanhope, which we co-commissioned in 2009, andTimepieces, a commission from Ian Stephens in 2011, the third movement of which we premiered on Radio 3. All six works on our 2014 CD Timepieces were premiered by the choir.

The choir has won awards from the PRS Foundation for New Music, Making Music and from The Holst Foundation for outstanding enterprise in choral music. It has some thirty First Recordings to its name, as well as numerous premieres, which are listed below (B first broadcast performance, C Elysian Singers’ commission, E Winning Elysian Singers Psalmfest composition competition entry, I Irish premiere, J joint commission, L London premiere, R first SATB recording, S Spanish/Basque premiere, U UK premiere, W World premiere). Selected sound tracks are available at the foot of the page.

Julian AllwoodMettimi come un sigillo L
Tom ArmstrongBrontë Antiphons W
Colin AttardThe Lord is my Shepherd W
Bertie BaigentNoli claudere aures tuas W
Richard BakerHuiusmodi sunt omnia R
Stuart BeatchPsalm 53 E
Gavin BryarsOn Photography L Là ver l’aurora W
Geoffrey BurgonThe First World L Five love songs L
Diana BurrellCome Holy Ghost L Creator of the stars of night L
Julian ButcherCome, everyone that thirsteth W
Bob ChilcottFour carols by Kevin Crossley-Holland W Our Father W
Danyal DhondyStill the Sirens W (Video here)
Antonin DvořákDmitrij (concert performance) L
Aidan FisherAllu Mari C
Mark FlemingKeep thou not silence W
Philip GlassThree Songs (1984) U
Michael Zev GordonThere we sat down R
Henryk GóreckiMiserere, Op. 44 BL Songs of Rodziny Katynskie U Three Kurpian Songs, Op. 75 L Three Lullabies, Op. 47 BL
John HabronSalve Regina W
Bernard HughesPsalm 56 E
Andrew HugillLes Origines Humaines C (more details on Andrew Hugill’s website)
Alexis KirkeOpen Outcry W (trailer on YouTube)
Erich KorngoldDie Tote Stadt (concert performance) U
David LancasterBliss W Feathers W Crucifixion W
Owen LeechIf you are Fire W
Jeffrey LewisRecordatio W
David LumsdaineFive travelling songs WR
James MacMillanInvocation L Tenebrae Responsories L
Peter Maxwell DaviesCorpus Christi with cat and mouse L O verbum patris L
Philippe MazéTrois motets pour un temps de pénitence U
John McCabeAmen/Alleluia U
Michael McHaleCross Road Blues W
Per NørgårdD’Monstrantz Vöögeli U Halleluja – vor Gud er forrykt! U
Chris O’HaraBe merciful unto me, O God E
Tarik O’ReganAve Maria IL Bring rest, sweet dreaming child CR Dorchester Canticles L Surrexit Christus ILS
Michael ParsonsFarthest North W
David PowerThe Transfiguration W Two Emily Bronte settings W
Daniel RollisonAdiuva nos, Deus salutaris noster W
Malcolm SingerSongs of Ascent C
Howard SkemptonThe Flight of Song L Roundels of the Year C Song at the year’s turning L
Paul StanhopeExile Lamentations JR
Ian StephensThe Ecchoing Green B Funeral Blues B Timepieces CR
Philip StopfordAve regina caelorum W
John TavenerMany Years W Monument for Beethoven W
James WhitbournMagnificat and Nunc dimittis L
John WoolrichOver the sea C

The choir has a PMLL licence.

A selection of tracks from the choir’s archive of concert recordings
(year of composition in parenthesis):

Ian Stephens (2011): Funeral Blues (excerpt)

Ian Stephens (2011): Our Bias (conclusion)

Paul Stanhope (2009): Eykhah (excerpt)

Paul Stanhope (2009): Deserts of exile (excerpt)

Paul Stanhope (2009): Lament (conclusion)

Stuart Beatch (2016): Psalm 53 (conclusion) Sound Engineer: Calum Bell

Bernard Hughes (2016): Psalm 56 (conclusion) Sound Engineer: Calum Bell

Chris O’Hara (2016): Be merciful unto me, O God (excerpt) Sound Engineer: Calum Bell

John Duggan (2009) Returning, we hear the larks

Philip Stopford (2011): Ave Regina Caelorum (excerpt)

Judith Weir (2005): Vertue

Judith Weir (2005): Prayer

Judith Weir (2003): A blue true dream of sky (excerpt)

Tarik O’Regan (2002): Surrexit Christus (excerpt)

Gabriel Jackson (2007): A prayer of King Henry VI

Bob Chilcott (2009): The Heart-in-Waiting (conclusion)

David Lumsdaine (2012): Roman Wall Blues

James Macmillan (2006): Tenebrae factae sunt (excerpt)

James Macmillan (2006): Tradiderunt me (conclusion)

James Whitbourn (2005): Nunc dimittis