Details
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church
Holborn Viaduct
City of London
London
EC1A 2DQ
England
Programme
Heinrich Schütz – Hodie Christus natus est, SWV 456
Arthur Mann – Once in Royal David's City
Francis Poulenc – O magnum mysterium, FP 152 no.1
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck – Hodie Christus natus est, SwWV 163
Claude-Bénigne Balbastre – Où s'en vont ces gais bergers
Francis Poulenc – Quem vidistis pastores dicite, FP 152 no.2
David Willcocks – While shepherds watched their flocks
Felix Mendelssohn – Hark! The Herald angels sing
James MacMillan – Strathclyde Motets: O Radiant Dawn
Francis Poulenc – Videntes stellam, FP 150 no.3
Reginald Jacques – Good King Wenceslas
Franz Tunder – Wachet auf! Ruft uns die Stimme
Francis Poulenc – Hodie Christus natus est, FP 152 no.4
David Willcocks – O Come all ye Faithful (arr. Ray Steadman Allen)
Dietrich Buxtehude – In dulci jubilo, BuxWV 52
Performers
Oliver John Ruthven – Director
Ben Bloor – organ
Orlando Chamber Choir
Other concerts in this Series (+)
Programme Note
Orlando Chamber Choir welcomes guest director Oliver John Ruthven for its traditional Christmas concert, this year with a focus on Hodie Christus natus est, the festive Magnificat antiphon for the vespers of Christmas day.
Setting mood and melody with the atmospheric Gregorian Hodie chant, the programme includes a jubilant late-Renaissance version by Sweelinck, an early baroque setting by Schütz which skips and dances for joy in duple and triple time, and a playful yet solemn mid-20th century interpretation by Poulenc - part of his Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël which you all get to hear!
Since 2013, Orlandian Christmas concerts have included one of the seven Magnificat antiphons for the end of Advent. This year we perform James MacMillan's O radiant dawn which, written in 2007, explores contemporary harmonic ideas but also clearly refers to the sound world of the English Renaissance.
The programme is interspersed with short Christmas readings and audience carols, accompanied by organist Ben Bloor - who also contributes a solo. In true Orlandian style the interval is enlivened with wine, mince pies and an exciting Christmas raffle.