Handel's Messiah – Chorus 'And the glory of the Lord...' (2mins 44 secs)

Messiah was the first work which the choir performed when it was officially formed in 1958. This performance took place in the Grange School with Isobel Baillie, a famous soprano of the time as one of the soloists. We have given complete performances of the work at least 13 times since then with 4 conductors and in various local venues. We have also sung the Hallelujah chorus countless times! We did the first ever ‘Messiah from scratch’ in St Mary’s Church in May 1973, and in February 1985 Helen Blakeman conducted a performance in the Civic Centre to mark the tercentenary of Handel’s birth. To mark the link with our foundation we also performed and recorded Messiah in Aylesbury Civic Centre 2009 during our 50th anniversary season. A double CD is available at £12.00 including p&p. Please enquire via our contact page.

David Aylett's With Voice Divine (2mins 56 secs)

This work was written by the choir’s founder and long-time conductor David Aylett. It does not really conform to any standard choral format – it is simply a choral celebration of what music means to the human spirit. Scored for soprano and baritone soloists, mixed voice choir, orchestra and organ, it sets Dryden’s “Song for St. Cecilia’s Day” together with other poems which enlarge on music’s influence on human relationships and emotions, and is set out in two main sections. It had its first performance at a celebration concert for the choir’s 50th anniversary; a happy coincidence is that this concert was held on the annual commemorative date for St. Cecilia!

David Aylett's Elegy (2mins 54 secs)

"I wrote 'Elegy' in 2003, following the deaths of my son Mark and Pamela Bowden, the choir's much-loved President. The work comprises two-thirds of Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy written in a country churchyard", and is scored for clarinet, piano and mixed voice choir. After setting the scene in this quiet graveyard at Stoke Poges, the poet's thoughts turn to the early inhabitants of the village, whose graves he considers, and whose simple lives laid the foundations for the civilised society that we enjoy today."
David Aylett