The Sixteen: A Ceremony of Carols
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Welcome, Yule! Benjamin Britten’s sparkling carol compendium ushers in Christmas with music that radiates with the joy and beauty of ancient seasonal words.
Written in the darkest of times on a wartime transatlantic voyage, Britten’s buoyant, brilliant music would pierce any midwinter gloom. For Harry Christophers’ superb choral forces, it is the endpoint of a journey through music from the medieval to the present day. Some of the names and music may not be familiar, but each composer beautifully captures the spirit of the season, whether reflective, exultant, poetic or peaceful.
It’s a sequence that responds to familiar words with a huge variety of styles, replenishing our spirits and finding new hope in that glorious song of old.
Programme
Britten A Hymn to the Virgin
Anon. mediaeval (c. 1420) There is No Rose
Parry Welcome, Yule
Ballet Lute book: Sweet Was the Song
Laura Sheils Adam lay ybounden
Palestrina Hodie Christus natus est
Palestrina Missa Hodie Christus natus est: Gloria
Traditional (Cornish) Sans Day Carol
Victoria Ne timeas
Anon. mediaeval Angelus ad virginem
Victoria Alma Redemptoris Mater
Francis Pott A Hymn to the Virgin
Lucy Walker There is No Rose
Cecilia McDowall Of a Rose
Anon. The Salutation Carol
Britten A Ceremony of Carols
Performers
The Sixteen
Joy Smith harp
Harry Christophers conductor
Written in the darkest of times on a wartime transatlantic voyage, Britten’s buoyant, brilliant music would pierce any midwinter gloom. For Harry Christophers’ superb choral forces, it is the endpoint of a journey through music from the medieval to the present day. Some of the names and music may not be familiar, but each composer beautifully captures the spirit of the season, whether reflective, exultant, poetic or peaceful.
It’s a sequence that responds to familiar words with a huge variety of styles, replenishing our spirits and finding new hope in that glorious song of old.
Programme
Britten A Hymn to the Virgin
Anon. mediaeval (c. 1420) There is No Rose
Parry Welcome, Yule
Ballet Lute book: Sweet Was the Song
Laura Sheils Adam lay ybounden
Palestrina Hodie Christus natus est
Palestrina Missa Hodie Christus natus est: Gloria
Traditional (Cornish) Sans Day Carol
Victoria Ne timeas
Anon. mediaeval Angelus ad virginem
Victoria Alma Redemptoris Mater
Francis Pott A Hymn to the Virgin
Lucy Walker There is No Rose
Cecilia McDowall Of a Rose
Anon. The Salutation Carol
Britten A Ceremony of Carols
Performers
The Sixteen
Joy Smith harp
Harry Christophers conductor
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Where is it happening?
Cadogan Hall, Shell Recharge, 5 Sloane Terrace, London, SW1X 9DQ, United Kingdom
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherCadogan Hall
