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Allegri Miserere by candlelight

  • St Martin-in-the-Fields Trafalgar Square London, WC2N 4JH United Kingdom (map)

We are delighted to welcome the Joyful Company of Singers and conductor Peter Broadbent for the first of their two appearances in the 2018 Spring Series. This late-night concert includes three settings of the Miserere text, including Allegri’s famous version with its beautiful stratospheric soprano line, and Alexander Campkin’s 2016 work written as a companion piece to the Allegri. The a cappella programme will also include Renaissance works by Anerio, Palestrina and Victoria on the theme of Lent and Passiontide, and John Tavener’s famous Song for Athene, all in the beautiful surroundings of a candlelit St Martin's.

Programme

Gregorio Allegri | Miserere mei, Deus (ed. Ben Byram Wigfield and Harry Christophers)
Tomás Luis de Victoria | O vos omnes; Amicus meus
Felice Anerio | Adoramus te Christe; Christus factus est
Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina | Stabat mater
Zoltán Kodaly | Miserere
David Mitchum | Psalm 121: I will lift up mine eyes
John Tavener | Song for Athene
Alexander Campaign | Miserere mei, Deus

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Joyful Company of Singers
Peter Broadbent
— Conductor

One of Europe’s most active chamber choirs, the Joyful Company of Singers has a repertoire ranging from the 16th Century to the present day including over thirty first performances by many of the UK’s leading composers as well as Dmitri Valentinovich Smirnov (Russia), Kaija Saariaho (Finland) and Thierry Pécou (France). Formed by conductor Peter Broadbent, the choir came to prominence when it won the 1990 Sainsbury’s Choir of the Year competition, since when it has maintained its profile in the music world, winning an impressive list of national and international competitions leading to invitations to major music festivals throughout the UK and Europe.

Broadcasting has provided a further opportunity to extend the work of the choir, with concerts and recordings broadcast by France Musique, Danish Radio, NDR and Bulgarian Radio. The JCS discography extends to over 25 CDs, and recording continues to be an important part of its activity, as does its work with orchestras including the Britten Sinfonia, City of London Sinfonia, RPO, LPO, Bournemouth Symphony and the OAE under eminent conductors including Harry Christophers, Paul Daniel, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Mark Elder, Richard Hickox, David Hill, Nicholas Kraemer, Sir James MacMillan and Sir Roger Norrington.

A policy of encouraging young artists and composers has not only led to commissions but also to providing a Junior Fellowship for Young Conductors to gain experience in singing with and conducting the JCS, and to work with young soloists when the opportunity arises.

Recent JCS commissions include works by Kerry Andrew, whose Fall provided the first of her 4 BASCA awards, Judith Bingham, Alexander Campkin and Toby Young, and this year include the première of St. Sepulchre’s Bell commissioned from Giles Swayne. In addition JCS will give the UK première of a setting fo the Stabat Mater for choir and tubular bells. Anniversaries marked in 2017 included the 50th Anniversary of the death of Zoltan Kodály in concerts given in conjunction with the Hungarian Cultural Centre, and the centenary of Finnish independence with works by Sibelius, Rautavaara and Mäntyjärvi. In the autumn JCS gave hugely successful performances in Vilnius and Molētai under the aegis of the Vilnius University choir “Pro Musica”, who came to London to perform with us in November. The forthcoming centenaries of the Baltic States has provided the stimulus for new repertoire for performance in 2018.


This concert will last approximately one hour, without an interval.

Tickets £14 (unreserved) — available from the St Martin's box office — call 020 7766 1100 or book online.

A combined ticket for both of this evening's concerts is available, which offers a 25% discount — please call the St Martin's box office for availability.

Earlier Event: February 9
Fauré Requiem by candlelight
Later Event: February 10
Come and Sing: Spem in alium