The Gluepot Connection

In 2017, Andrew Griffiths and Londinium recorded a disc of British 20th century choral music entitled The Gluepot Connection. I went along to the recording sessions and chatted to Andrew about the disc and you can read my article on this blog. The disc celebrates a loose coterie of composers and artists who met at The George Pub (on the corner of Great Portland Street and Mortimer Street, in central London). Sir Henry Wood christened it 'The Gluepot' because his musicians so often got stuck there, and the name stuck. Adjacent to The Queens Hall and not far from the BBC, it formed a meeting point for musicians and artists during much of the 20th century. Elizabeth Lutyens once wrote that if a bomb had been dropped on The George, it would have wiped out much of the British musical profession.

The choir's disc is now out on SOMM and to celebrate, they are performing a selection of works from the disc at the church of St Sepulchre without Newgate on Saturday 10 March 2018, conducted by Andrew Griffiths. The selection of composers includes Alan Bush, John Ireland, Elisabeth Lutyens, EJ Moeran, Alan Rawsthorne and Peter Warlock, plus Arnold Bax's stupendous Mater ora filium. Also being performed is Kenneth Leighton's Mass for Double Choir, op.44, not a 'Gluepot' piece but terrific all the same and undeservedly neglected.

Full details from the Londinium website.