Christmas in the Chapel 2022
Our ever popular Christmas concert
will be held in the Chapel at Christ's Hospital on 17th December at 7.30 p.m. The choir will be conducted by Verity Bramson, Head of Singing in the Music Department at Christ's Hospital and joined by Bass soloist Edward Jones, Deputy Head of Music at the school.
The choir will be singing extracts from Bach's Christmas Oratorio as well as other Christmas music. Some will be well known to you, some perhaps less so, but all beautiful Festive music, some traditional, some just plain fun! The music will be interspersed with two or three Christmas readings.
In addition there will be five well known carols for the audience to sing with the choir, including Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O little town of Bethlehem, Good King Wenceslas and more. The full programme, and programme notes, are shown below.
This concert is always popular so book your tickets early.
Tickets are available through members of the Choral Society, or from Christ's Hospital Box Office; online here >> or by 'phone on 01403 247434
Tickets prices are £12.50, £10.00 (concessions) or £5 (children).
The concert Programme
Audience: O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Choir: Vaughan Williams – ‘The truth from above’
Audience: O little town of Bethlehem
Choir: Extracts from J.S. Bach's – Christmas Oratorio ( Weihnachts-Oratorium, BWV 248 )
Bach's Christmas Oratorio was first performed at Christmas of 1734-35 in Leipzig, where he was Kantor of St Thomas church. Following Lutheran tradition Bach has an Evangelist to sing the story of the birth of Jesus from the books of St. Luke and St. Matthew. Collectively the individual movements of the Christmas Oratorio form a continuous musical account of the Christmas story, but rather than intending it to be a work to be performed in one sitting he composed it as six separate cantatas that were to be performed over the twelve days of Christmas. The sections we are singing this evening are from Part 1, originally intended to be performed on Christmas Day itself.
Chorus
Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage
Shout! Rejoice! Rise up! Praise These Days!
Chorale
Wie soll ich dich empfangen
How should I receive you
Aria
Großer Herr und starker König
Great Lord, O mighty king
(bass – soloist Ed Jones)
Chorale
‘Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein!’
Oh little Jesus, dear to my heart
Audience: It came upon the midnight clear
Choir : Joubert – ‘Torches’
Choir : Trad. – ‘Coventry Carol (Lully lulla)’
Choir : Trad. – ‘The Gower Wassail’
Audience: Good King Wenceslas
Choir & Solo: Cornelius – ‘The Three Kings’ (soloist Ed Jones)
Audience: Hark the Herald Angels Sing