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Details
St Margaret's Church
St Margaret's Road
Oxford
Oxfordshire
OX2 6RX
England
Tickets
Prices: £15 (£12 concessions) under 16s free
Book Tickets
Programme
Frank Martin – Mass for Double Choir
Jeanne Marie-Madeleine Demessieux – Consolamini (world premiere)
Pierre Villette – Ave Verum
Roxanna Panufnik – Deus, Deus Meus
Joanna Marsh – Evening Prayer
Ralph Vaughan Williams – O Vos Omnes
John Harper – Ubi Caritas
Kerensa Briggs – Media Vita
Performers
Matthew Berry – Conductor
Tim Robson – Assistant Director of Music
Programme Note
Step into an evening of choral brilliance that crosses borders and generations.
The first half of the programme celebrates French and Swiss masterworks, culminating in a rare and remarkable moment: the world premiere of a motet by the legendary French organist and composer Jeanne Demessieux (1921–1968). Lost for decades and only recently rediscovered in a Dutch library, this extraordinary work finally receives its first performance. The half concludes with Frank Martin’s much-loved and profoundly moving Mass for Double Choir, a cornerstone of the modern choral repertoire.
After the interval, the focus turns to Britain, with a radiant selection of contemporary and 20th-century gems. Highlights include John Harper’s breathtaking setting of Ubi caritas, a rarely heard treasure by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Roxanna Panufnik’s luminous motet from her Mass written for Westminster Cathedral. The programme is completed by striking works from today’s leading voices, Kerensa Briggs and Joanna Marsh.
From historic rediscovery to modern masterpieces, this concert promises an unforgettable journey through some of the most powerful and beautiful choral music of our time.
