Christmas  may be a time for tradition but forward-looking Leominster Choral  Society have chosen to blend new and old by giving the first performance  of a carol anthem by a local composer. The carol itself also combines  tradition and innovation by being a fresh setting of 'Away in a Manger'.  'My aim is partly to rescue this carol from the nursery' says composer  Paul Wright 'and to give these words a universal setting' he adds. "When  I first saw the music of Paul Wright's 'Away in a Manger' " said Choir  member Judy Thompson, "I thought, well, we already have an accepted  version of this carol, so why have another? But when we sang it I  realized that this lovely setting gives a new slant on the words and  stands very well alongside the traditional one; it has the same  simplicity to appeal to old and young."  Paul Wright is a retired  musician who has lived in Leominster for over five years. Although he  has a number of choral compositions to his name this is first time he  has written something for Conductor Vernon Thurgood and the Leominster  Choral Society.

 

Leominster Choral Society give the first performance of Paul Wright's 'Away in a Manger' at their Annual Christmas Concert at  Leominster Priory on 22nd December at 7pm. Tickets are  available from Fletcher's Newsagents, Broad Street, Leominster or Leominster Tourist Agents.