Exeter Philharmonic Choir: The Weather Book

Johannes Brahms Tragic Overture
Ralph Vaughan Williams Toward the Unknown Region
Johannes Brahms Alto Rhapsody
Cecilia McDowall The Weather Book
Francis Poulenc Gloria

Exeter Philharmonic Choir
Bristol Ensemble
Agnes Auer soprano
Seohyun Go soprano
Cecily Shaw mezzo soprano
Howard Ionascu conductor

Exeter Philharmonic Choir launches its 2025/26 season with the world première of a new choral work, The Weather Book, by one of the UK’s leading composers, Cecilia McDowall, co-commissioned by the choir with the Gustav Vasa Chamber Choir in Stockholm. This explores aspects of the history of weather and meteorology – appropriately for the city that is home to the world-renowned Met Office!

Cecilia’s inspiration for the commission was to link the UK and Sweden through references to climate. She worked with poet and librettist Kate Wakeling to discover different aspects of weather- related topics.

The first movement, ‘Celsius Rising’, was written for the Swedish choir, who performed it in Stockholm in March.

Cecilia then wrote the second and third movements, ‘History of Air’ and ‘The Weather Book’, for Exeter Philharmonic Choir. The entire work receives its world première on 8 November.

Bristol Ensemble will open the concert with Brahms’ Tragic Overture. This is one of a pair of overtures (the other being the Academic Festival Overture) written by Brahms in 1880, to thank Breslau University for his award of an honorary doctorate.

Vaughan Williams’ setting of Walt Whitman’s poem, Toward the Unknown Region, was composed in 1906 and first performed at the Leeds Festival the following year. It reflects the spirit of adventure felt by an explorer on a journey of discovery.

Brahms composed his Alto Rhapsody in 1869, based on text from Goethe’s poem, Harzreise im Winter. In it, the alto soloist depicts the agonies of a despairing recluse, wandering through the Harz Forest, until a four-part chorus finally brings comfort with a shared prayer to the ‘Father of Love’.

Poulenc’s ever-popular Gloria, a setting of text from the Latin Mass, was written in 1959. In its six short movements, soloist, choir and orchestra display many musical contrasts, ranging from solemnity, through lyricism, to pure joy.