THE CHOIR
“What shone through was the intelligence of Griffiths’ sequencing and the versatility of the choir in constantly switching style ★★★★”
Londinium, directed by Andrew Griffiths, is one of London's most versatile chamber choirs, particularly noted for vibrant performances of a cappella repertoire. Founded in 2005, the choir has established a strong reputation for diverse, imaginative and eclectic programming across the centuries with an emphasis on unjustly neglected or rarely-performed works, particularly of the twentieth century, and has won consistent praise from critics.
The name of the choir, the single word 'Londinium', reflects a strong connection with the City of London, where it was founded, although the majority of its concerts are now south of the river, at St John’s Waterloo.
The choir is strongly committed to contemporary repertoire; it gave the first performances of Barnaby Martin’s I saw eternity, and Perpetual Light: Requiem for an Unscorched Earth, by Jessica Curry: 'a dark, tormented piece, punctuated by moments of brightness...that radiated hope, the emotional thread that tied the whole piece together. From start to finish, Londinium perfectly captured this delicate emotion...' (Kay Kempin, Bachtrack) and the UK première of Nico Muhly's Recordare Domine. It also features on the first recording of Antony Pitts' oratorio, Jerusalem-Yerushalayim, released by Hyperion.
In March 2018 Londinium's debut album, 'The Gluepot Connection', a selection of choral music by twentieth-century British composers, was released on the SOMM label. It was a MusicWeb International Recording of the Year for 2018, and was praised in Gramophone (“impressive accomplishment and no mean flair”), American Record Guide and BBC Radio 3 Record Review. The recording also received a 5-star review in Choir & Organ and 4-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine, The Daily Telegraph and The Birmingham Post.
Londinium’s concert ‘The Grand Tour’ (12th July 2019) gained a 4-star review from Bernard Hughes on The Arts Desk (“What shone through was the intelligence of Griffiths’ sequencing and the versatility of the choir in constantly switching style”); the choir also appeared on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’, performing music from that concert programme.
In March 2022 the choir sang as the chorus in HGO’s UK premiere performance of Lidarti’s Ester, and in March 2023 appeared at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as the chorus for The Fields of Sorrow in the London Sinfonietta’s Tribute to Sir Harrison Birtwistle, conducted by Martyn Brabbins (“But the heart of the evening for me was Fields of Sorrow from 1972… the excellent Londinium choir and sopranos Abigail Sinclair and Lisa Dafydd intoned the ancient Latin text with just the right feeling of tender desolation.” Ivan Hewitt, The Daily Telegraph).
Londinium recently released ‘Every Living Creature’ (May 2023), an album of choral music by Kenneth Leighton, on the SOMM label. Around two-thirds consists of premiere recordings, including Leighton’s previously unpublished major cantata, Laudes Animantium, for double choir, soloists and a children’s chorus. It has been praised by Gramophone (“gloriously assured and superbly committed performances"), Opera Today (“superb and revelatory”), MusicWeb International (“an album to treasure”), and the British Music Society (“superb recording”), and gained 5 stars from Choir & Organ (“unmissable”).