Nicola Lisle talks to tenor James Gilchrist about his recital in Oxford

If things had worked out differently, James Gilchrist would now be working as a doctor. Instead, the former medic got sidetracked into a musical career and has never looked back.

“I worked for a good few years trying to do both things,” he says. “After about four years of being a doctor I came to a natural break in my career, and it just happened to coincide with a time when I had quite a few things in my diary musically.

“I thought I’d just take a few months off but never quite got round to applying for my next job! That was nearly 20 years ago, so I think I’d find it jolly difficult to go back to it now.”

Fortunately, it’s unlikely he’ll ever need to. Over those 20 years he has become a popular exponent of the song and oratorio repertoires, both of which have taken him to major concert halls all over the world.

Tomorrow night he and his regular accompanist Anna Tilbrook will perform in a special fundraising concert for the Oxford Bach Choir, of which he recently became vice president. His programme will focus on what he describes as “the exciting medium” of German, French and English song.

“The first half is Romantic music by Mendelssohn and Schumann, which includes some well-known songs by Mendelssohn, which are just gorgeous, and Schumann’s song cycle Liederkreis Op 39, which is an amazing piece because it’s very Gothic.

“He wrote it in the year he got married and it’s a celebratory piece but also remembering all the troubles they had getting together.

“It’s got one of Schumann’s most famous songs in it, Mondnacht, and that’s a one-in-a-million song, an amazing piece of music.”

The second half of the concert moves to the 20th century, with music by Poulenc, Gurney, Vaughan Williams, Quilter and Finzi.

“It’s a celebration of what was going on on both sides of the Channel, with a hint towards some of the wartime memorials that we’re thinking of at the moment,” James explains.

“Ivor Gurney, of course, was very involved in the First World War and wrote very movingly about it, both as a poet and as a composer.

“The Poulenc songs are from the Second World War and they’re absolutely gorgeous.

“I hope the programme shows what an amazing art form works for the voice and piano are, and allows people to delight both in the poetry and in the music that’s inspired by the poetry.”

It may be some years since James worked in medicine, but music is also a very powerful if rather different form of healing, I suggest to him.

“Yes, I think there is some truth in that. People come to concerts with all sorts of thoughts and feelings, and sometimes it’s wonderful to stop and concentrate on something else that is intellectual or beautiful or from a different sphere to our usual round of busyness.

“To stop and meditate for a while is brilliantly beneficial for us all. And something like the Oxford Bach Choir, of course, enables people to participate.

“It’s certainly been shown that singing is a huge benefit to us all and literally makes us feel better.”

Tomorrow night’s recital should be a tonic – just what the doctor ordered.

Where and when
James Gilchrist, St John the Evangelist Church, Iffley Road
Tomorrow, 7.30pm
Tickets: 01865 244806 musicatoxford.com