Choral Symphony No.4: Ode to a Nightingale (Full Score)

Other Info: Will Todd's Choral Symphony No.4 (Ode to a Nightingale) is a setting of John Keats’ famous poem which was commissioned by Hertfordshire Chorus, with generous support from Rod Jones, a patron of the choir for many years.  It was first performed on 11 May 2011 at the Barbican Hall, London. Ode To A Nightingale was recorded in June 2016 by the BBC Concert Orchestra and Hertfordshire Chorus for the Signum label for release in 2017 on a double CD album also featuring James McCarthy's work Code Breaker.

"So many new works are embellished with gimmicks and sideshows, the point being to attract performers and audiences to hear a work which cannot (and should not) survive on its own merits.  Ode to a Nightingale by Will Todd has no fancy frills - it is simply a stunning piece of music which will, like established choral works such as Britten's War Requiem and Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, rise to the top.  Listening to it for the first time is a glorious experience and it just gets better and better as you become entranced by its beauty and its depth." David Temple, conductor of Hertfordshire Chorus

"a substantial choral symphony for choir and orchestra, and very impressive. Todd creates a very convincing architecture which carries through the long spans of the structure, tied together by a recurring violin solo. The piece had something in common with the music of Britten...in that it was a serious and ambitious piece but very approachable, with a lot of surface detail to enjoy." Bernard Hughes/ Reviews Blog/ 2013

"Ode to a Nightingale is a major and profound work from a composer at the peak of his powers; clear, lucid, beautifully orchestrated and with an accuracy of voicing, a use of orchestral textures that is quite simply breathtaking at times." Stephen Jenner 2011

The instrumental parts for this work are available to hire on request.  Please contact us for more information.