Wellington Choral Society, Wellington’s largest choir, is set to perform Johannes Brahms’ romantic and moving ‘Ein Deutsches Requiem’ at St John the Baptist church in the town.

Choral society performances are always vibrant and enthusiastic – a reputation gained under the tutelage of its musical director, Laurence Blyth who has maintained and elevated the society’s high standard. Laurence said of the Requiem: “Brahms admitted that he could have happily omitted ‘German’ from the title and simply said ‘Human Requiem’.

Although he chooses words from the Bible, this is a work meant to comfort the living rather than dwell on the departed. The resulting piece is full of great outbursts of joy and hope, rather than some of the more sombre Requiem settings that people may be familiar with.”

Dutch-Australian soprano and Royal Academy of Music graduate Krystl Ride is joined by bass soloist and renowned opera singer Tim Mirfin. The Requiem will be accompanied in the ‘London’ version for piano duet. The first half of the evening’s programme includes Brahms’ ‘Vier Ernste Gesänge’ and ‘Geistliches Lied’.

The choral society always welcomes new singers. Anyone interested is invited to go along and listen with a view perhaps to trying out the choir and singing with it in the New Year? In January the society is preparing to sing Karl Jenkins’ ‘The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace’.

Tickets for the Brahms concert on Saturday, November 30, at 7.30pm are now available from Odette’s Tearoom, 27 High Street, Wellington; via choir members; online at www.ticketsource.co.uk; or on the night at the door (subject to availability). The church opens at 6.30pm and tickets are £14, children free.