one of the most complex undertakings of the BBC Choral Society, for the choir was split into three groups, and positioned around the arena in the Albert Hall. Both this, and another 1975 contemporary work, Mortales by Wilfred Josephs, were conducted by John Poole. In 1976 the work of the BBC's professional choir, the BBC Singers, increased and John Poole gave up his work with the BBC Choral Society in order to concentrate on the BBC Singers' activities. Brian Wright, then took over as Chorus Master, and in the following year himself conducted the chorus in public in such works as Duruflé's Requiem, Kodály's Missa Brevis, and Gustav Holst's Choral Symphony. In 1977, the Chorus adopted its current name of the BBC Symphony Chorus, in recognition of its status as a choir appearing in professional concerts under leading conductors, "with a repertory second to none". It made its first appearance under that name in the Sea Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams on 12 October 1977. In September and October 1978 the Chorus travelled to the Festival of Flanders, appearing under the baton of the new Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, as well as that of their Chorus Master Brian Wright. They sang the Mass in F minor and motets by Bruckner. Works performed later that same season in 1979 included Thea Musgrave's Five Ages of Man, Michael Tippett's Vision of St Augustine, as well as performances in the Royal Albert Hall of the B Minor Mass on 10 January 1979, conducted by Brian Wright, to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Chorus and Elgar's The Music Makers on 8 April 1979 to mark the 90th birthday of Sir Adrian Boult. 1980s Specialities such as Britten's Spring Symphony and Berlioz's The Trojans were added by Gennady Rozhdestvensky, and repertoire from Mozart's Requiem to Alexander Goehr’s Babylon the great is fallen (in 1983) under Sir John Pritchard, who was principal conductor the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1989. Other important premieres in this period included the European premiere of Tippett's The Mask of Time at the 1984 Proms, the first European performance of Roger Sessions's When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd at the 1985 Proms, and the British premiere of Penderecki's Polish Requiem (conducted by the composer) in 1986. From 1984 to 1988 the director of the BBC Symphony Chorus was Gareth Morrell, who served in