Friday 12 July, 7.30pm
Image © Andy Staples
Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble VOCES8’s programme will range from the Venetian Renaissance to contemporary American cross-genre work, and also celebrate the music of Gustav Holst.
A place inhabited by the moon and stars, by solitude, dreams, fears and prayers, the night has given us centuries of exquisite poetry and music. Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble VOCES8’s nocturnal programme will encompass a wide-ranging repertoire stretching from Venetian Renaissance composer Giovanni Croce to the contemporary cross-genre American Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw, and also celebrate the music of Gustav Holst.
Sacred music takes us from the end of the day into night, praying for God’s protection during sleep, and gives thanks for Christ the morning star. And just as Kerensa Briggs’s Media Vita reminds us that in the midst of life we are in death, so Arthur Sullivan’s The Long Day Closes uses the approaching night as a metaphor for the end of life. Expect also arrangements of popular swing tunes (How High the Moon), ballads, and even a musical appearance from James Bond!
The evening will include a performance of Paul Smith’s O God Beyond All Praising, using Holst’s Jupiter theme, by a choir specially trained by VOCES8 during the afternoon’s workshop session. (See previous event for details. Tickets for the workshop can be purchased when booking for this concert.)
‘VOCES8’s gorgeous sound, impeccable ensemble and intense responsiveness to text, harmony and melodic shape is all of the highest quality. Hearing them sing is a joy.’ BBC Music Magazine
This concert is sponsored by friends of Thaxted Festival who wish to remain anonymous.
Venue: Thaxted Parish Church
Tickets: £38*, £34, £30, £22, £14. Age 30 and under: £10
*Premium seating in centre front rows.