P a s t C o n c e r t s
Season 2019-20
Our 2019-20 season a whole host of wonderful music prior to the national lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result of tne pandemic, the choir did not perform any concerts between February 2020 and October 2021, a period containing the entirety of our 2020-21 season.
Vox in Rama: Lamentations by Phinot and White
7.30pm, Saturday 8 February 2020
St Mary’s, Bourne Street SW1
Directed by David Allinson
The Lamentations of Jeremiah inspired some of the most soulful polyphony ever written. Direct, dramatic settings of the verses alternate with lush vocal roulades. We present two of the greatest 16th century Lamentation settings, by Dominique Phinot and Robert White.
White’s astonishing Lamentations a5 are advanced in style for their time and feel like a despairing commentary on the religious turbulence of Elizabethan England. Phinot’s setting is equally pioneering, for the way he manages the double choir texture, starting with block textures but gradually opening up a kaleidoscopic range of subtle scoring combinations.
These two monumental pieces will be complemented by penitential motets by composers including George Kirby (Vox in Rama), Carlo Gesualdo (O vos omnes) and William Byrd (Ne irascaris) - music that crystallises sorrow and longing but also kindles humanity, hope and consolation.
¡Navidad en España! - A Spanish Christmas
Victoria, Missa O magnum mysterium
with motets and seasonal villancicos by Victoria, Esquivel and Guerrero
Saturday 14th December 2019, 7.30pm
Venue: The Grosvenor Chapel, W1K 2PA
Director: Dr David Allinson
A flavour of Iberia, from chapel to street! Our festive programme overflows with the fervour of a Spanish Christmas — from the sublime polyphony of Victoria to infectious, syncopated polyphonic carols (villancicos) by Guerrero or preserved anonymously in the Upsala Cancionero.
At the heart of our programme is Victoria’s beloved motet O magnum mysterium and the noble mass setting he based upon it. A selection of seasonal motets will be balanced by the irrepressible rhythms of the street, in devotional villancicos from 16th century Spain.
With Spanish wine and festive snacks available to complement the music, this concert should provide a delightful diversion from standard seasonal fare. ¡Feliz navidad!
Roma Triumphans: Palestrina, Missa Papae Marcelli and the great Marian Antiphons
Saturday 19th October 2019, 7.30pm
Venue: St. George's Bloomsbury, WC1A 2SA
Director: Dr David Allinson
The most famous Renaissance mass setting of all, Palestrina’s legendary setting in honour of Pope Marcellus II is, by turns, sumptuous, dramatic and serene. Rediscover the masterpiece that ’saved church music' in a programme that also includes Palestrina’s scintillating double-choir settings of the Salve Regina, Stabat Mater, Regina Coeli and Ave Regina Coelorum.
