The centrepiece of the evening will be a performance of Herbert Howells' Requiem. Though quintessentially a composer of his time and place, Howells’ music is much more complex than other choral music of the period, with long, unfolding melodies seamlessly woven into the often-dissonant textures of the piece.
 
Later compositions by female composers of more modern times will also feature in the 90-minute concert, including Gail Randall’s The Call, Rani Arbo’s Crossing the Bar and Amy Beach’s Three Choral Responses.
 
The evening’s choral delights will be led by Musical Director Alexander Eadon, a former Kings College, Cambridge chorister and Assistant Director of Music at Eastbourne College.

Alexander said: “The compositional and performance history of Howells’ Requiem has been somewhat shrouded in mystery, with Howells’ supposedly composing it in response to the death of his son Michael, at the age of nine, in 1935.
 
“We now know that the work was composed in 1932 or 1933, long before Michael’s death, and was intended for the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. For some reason, the score was never sent to King’s, and remained unknown until its publication in 1980, only three years before the composer’s own death.

“Since then, it has rightly become regarded as a modern-day masterpiece when it comes to the setting of the Requiem mass. The choir members are singing some really demanding music exceptionally well, and it’s been a real treat to be back leading them again, and after the last two years especially.”

Tickets at £10 are available on the door (children go free) or by emailing noteworthyvoiceseastbourne@gmail.com.

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