Beethoven - 9th Symphony

Gloucester Choral Society are taking over Gloucester Cathedral on Saturday 20 March 2027, with the Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra joining them for a double bill of Beethoven and Vaughan Williams. It's a big night for the city's choral scene, and the venue is one of the few in the area that can really hold a performance of this scale.

The programme pairs two very different choral works. The first half is Ralph Vaughan Williams' Toward the Unknown Region, a choral setting of Walt Whitman's poetry that follows the spirit's journey into the infinite and the unknown. It's a transcendent piece of writing, and hearing it in the cathedral's acoustics is a good way to set the mood for what comes next. The second half is the one most people will be coming for: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125. It's often described as the ultimate triumph of the symphonic repertoire, and it builds to the 'Ode to Joy' finale, where the choir and soloists finally enter to lead the orchestra home.

Adrian Partington conducts the Gloucester Choral Society, and the soloists are a full line-up: Olivia Ray on mezzo-soprano, Claire Wild on soprano, Robyn Lyn Evans on tenor, and Aidan Smith on bass, with Jonathan Hope on organ. Having all four voices on stage is what the Ninth needs, and with the Cheltenham Symphony Orchestra providing the orchestral weight, it's a full-scale performance rather than a chamber version.

The concert starts at 7:00pm. Tickets are £30, £24, £18, and £10, with under-25s and students getting in for £5; all orders carry a £2.50 booking fee. If you're planning to go, it's worth booking early, as the Ninth is one of those nights that tends to fill up.