Huddersfield Choral Society
Huddersfield Choral Society | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Classical choral music |
| Years active | 1836–present |
| Label | Signum Records |
| Website | www |
Huddersfield Choral Society is a choir based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1836, and is recognised as one of Britain's leading choirs.[1] Over the years, the choir has performed most of the major works in the choral repertoire, and has had numerous works commissioned for it, including works by Ralph Vaughan Williams and William Walton.[2] The choir has made numerous recordings and broadcasts.[3][4][5] Two of its albums made an appearance in the UK Albums Chart. These were The Hymns Album (1986, #8) and The Carols Album (1986, #29).[6]
Members of the Huddersfield Choral Society have drawn parallels between the 2025 film The Choral and their ensemble, as the plot of the film revolves around a 1916 performance of Edward Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, which the Society had also programmed during the First World War, to be conducted by Elgar himself.[7]
Discography
| Year of recording | Work / Album | Artists | Record label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Messiah, G.F.Handel | Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent (conductor) | Columbia |
| 1954 | Messiah, G.F.Handel | Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent (conductor) | Columbia |
| 1959 | Messiah, G.F.Handel | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent (conductor) | HMV |
| 1986 | The Hymns Album | Owain Arwel Hughes (conductor) | EMI |
| 1986 | The Carols Album | Owain Arwel Hughes (conductor) | EMI |
| 1993 | A Christmas Celebration | Sellers Engineering Band, Brian Kay (conductor) | Chandos Brass[8] |
| 1994 | The Wreckers (world premiere recording) | BBC Philharmonic, Odaline de la Martinez (conductor) | Conifer Records Limited |
| 2000 | A Christmas Fantasy | Black Dyke Mills Band, John Foster (conductor) | Chandos Brass |
| 2002 | Symphony No. 3 'The Muses', Cyril Scott | BBC Philharmonic, Martyn Brabbins (conductor) | Chandos |
| 2003 | Works for Chorus and Orchestra, Sir Arnold Bax | BBC Philharmonic, Martyn Brabbins (conductor) | Chandos |
| 2006 | Messiah, G.F.Handel arr. W.A.Mozart | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2006 | The Hymns Album | Darius Battiwalla (organ), Joseph Cullen (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2007 | The Carols Album | Darius Battiwalla (organ), Joseph Cullen (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2009 | The Crucifixion, Stainer | Darius Battiwalla (organ), Joseph Cullen (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2010 | Messiah, G.F.Handel | Northern Sinfonia, Jane Glover (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2016 | Anthem: Great British Hymns & Choral Works | Thomas Trotter (organ), Aidan Oliver (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2019 | Caractacus, Sir E. Elgar | Orchestra of Opera North, Martyn Brabbins (conductor), | Hyperion Records |
| 2026 | The Dream of Gerontius, Sir E. Elgar | Orchestra of Opera North, Martyn Brabbins (conductor), RNCM (choir) | Hyperion Records |
References
- ^ "Huddersfield Choral Society". Yorkshire Awards. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Huddersfield Choral Society - About Us". Huddersfield Choral Society. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "Major Past Performances to January 2011" (PDF). Huddersfield Choral Society. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
- ^ "Huddersfield Choral Society". Signum Records. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ "Reviews - Huddersfield Choral Society - Classical Music Recordings - CD, DVD, SACD". www.classicstoday.com. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 262. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Johnson, Emily (8 November 2025). "The Choral: 'It's got to be about us' says Huddersfield choir". BBC News. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
- ^ "Huddersfield Choral Society on Chandos". Chandos. Retrieved 12 September 2011.