Four members of the Wimborne Minster band (together with the son of a previous Minster ringer) joined forces with the Wimborne Minster Choral Society, the Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir, the Wimborne Sinfonia and soloists to perform Chris Dowie’s Darkness to Light in the Minster on Saturday 7th July.
David Warwick, Sue Riley, Kathy Bentley, Gill Richards and Gavin Courtney (son of retired ringer, Liz Radford who sang in the Choral Society). Rob Child, another Minster ringer, played bassoon in the orchestra.
Darkness to Light was written in 1984 when the composer was Organist and Master of the Choristers at the Minster. It is an ambitious work combining soloists, choirs, narrators and an orchestra including twelve handbells which expresses a journey from doubt to belief through words from scripture and dramatic music.
The bells play an important role in that narrative. 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the Wimborne Choral Society and it was an appropriate choice of work to celebrate the occasion, drawing together different elements of the Minster’s musical forces.
Photos courtesy of Alan Bentley.
Wimborne Minster Bell Ringers 