The Crickhowell Choral Society is eagerly preparing for its bumper concert at Brecon Cathedral on Saturday, November 22 at 7:30pm.

The special event, in collaboration with the Brecknock Sinfonia, can't come soon enough for the choir after last year’s concert was cancelled at the last moment due to Storm Darragh.

Conductor Stephen Marshall joked: “Hopefully this time it will be the singing of the choir that takes Brecon by storm, and not the weather!”

The programme offers a rich array of musical highlights, with Schubert’s Mass in A♭ major at its centre, written when the composer was at the peak of his creative powers.

"This work is simply one of the greatest mass settings and deserves to be better known," said Steve.

"It's full of those delightful Schubert melodies and spicy harmonies that everyone loves."

The choir has been working hard to bring out the music’s many subtleties, including navigating the exciting mood swings of the Credo, the lyricism of the Kyrie and the final large-scale fugue of the Gloria.

In addition to the collaboration with the Brecknock Sinfonia, the singers are delighted to be working with the vibrant solo voices of graduates from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

In contrast to the Schubert, audiences will hear three shorter pieces, Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, a dramatic Haydn motet and a majestic setting of Psalm 98: Sing to the Lord, by Mendelssohn.

"The Mendelssohn is yet another piece that deserves to be championed by more choirs and features two choirs and soloists conversing with each other in novel ways throughout,” said Steve.

Innovative programming has become a hallmark of Crickhowell Choral, including several first modern performances of baroque and contemporary works.

Tickets at £15 (children/students free) are available from the Society's website, at Webbs of Crickhowell, or by calling 07816 991501.