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Celestial Harmonies | Music of Kerensa Briggs, Tallis and Duruflé | Oxford Pro Musica Singers
Oxford Pro Musica Singers are pleased to present the first Oxford performance of Kerensa Briggs' Requiem, with choral works by Thomas Tallis and Maurice Duruflé, in Exeter College Chapel, Oxford
Part of the Oxford Pro Musica Singers 2024 Season
Add to my Calendar 02-03-2024 19:30 02-03-2024 21:30 36 Celestial Harmonies | Music of Kerensa Briggs, Tallis and Duruflé | Oxford Pro Musica Singers The intimate surroundings of Exeter College Chapel will be the ideal setting for a varied programme of choral music: Celestial Harmonies.We include a recently composed setting of the Requiem Mass by the young British composer Kerensa Briggs. Her setting of the Requiem Mass for choir, soprano soloist and organ brings “her own colours to the gently assuaging tradition of Duruflé and Fauré“. The piece recently received its first recording and we think this is the first Oxford performance.The other main work in our programme is Thomas Tallis’s monumental setting of ‘Gaude gloriosa Mater Dei’ (Rejoice O glorious Mother of God). It’s a long piece in eight contrasting musical sections and was probably written in the 1550s during the reign of the catholic Queen Mary Tudor. Tallis uses varied combinations of voices for the different sections, and the piece builds slowly to a powerful conclusion.Both the main works above are based on plainsong, and we also include Maurice Duruflé’s four motets based on Gregorian themes (1960). Duruflé uses the ancient melodies to build a magical sound world in these brief pieces, as he had done 10 years earlier in his own setting of the Requiem mass. Exeter College Chapel, Oxford DD/MM/YYYYDetails
Exeter College Chapel
Turl Street
Oxford
Oxfordshire
OX1 3DP
England
Programme
Maurice Duruflé – Four motets on Gregorian themes, Op.10
Kerensa Briggs – Requiem
Thomas Tallis – Gaude gloriosa Dei mater
Performers
Mark Jordan – Conductor
Imogen Russell – soprano
Oxford Pro Musica Singers
Programme Note
The intimate surroundings of Exeter College Chapel will be the ideal setting for a varied programme of choral music: Celestial Harmonies.
We include a recently composed setting of the Requiem Mass by the young British composer Kerensa Briggs. Her setting of the Requiem Mass for choir, soprano soloist and organ brings “her own colours to the gently assuaging tradition of Duruflé and Fauré“. The piece recently received its first recording and we think this is the first Oxford performance.
The other main work in our programme is Thomas Tallis’s monumental setting of ‘Gaude gloriosa Mater Dei’ (Rejoice O glorious Mother of God). It’s a long piece in eight contrasting musical sections and was probably written in the 1550s during the reign of the catholic Queen Mary Tudor. Tallis uses varied combinations of voices for the different sections, and the piece builds slowly to a powerful conclusion.
Both the main works above are based on plainsong, and we also include Maurice Duruflé’s four motets based on Gregorian themes (1960). Duruflé uses the ancient melodies to build a magical sound world in these brief pieces, as he had done 10 years earlier in his own setting of the Requiem mass.
