The Oxford Harmonic Choir and Orchestra of Stowe Opera celebrate Christmas this year with 4 lesser-known works from 3 very contrasting traditions.
Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël (1858) is delicate and pastoral, with impressively rich instrumental colours despite the small size of the orchestra used.
Gerald Finzi’s In terra pax (Peace on Earth, 1954) is as wintry as it is quintessentially English, but is filled with glimmers of light that shine through its general atmosphere of wistful nostalgia.
Max Bruch’s Gruß an die heilige Nacht (Greeting to the Holy Night, 1892) uses huge chords to create a subdued, reverent atmosphere entirely appropriate to the significance of Christ’s Nativity.
Lastly, the arrangement of several well-known carols that is Gustav Holst’s Christmas Day (1910) offers a seasonal dose of comforting familiarity.
Soloists for this concert are
Jeni Bern – Soprano
Lauren Young – Mezzo
Rhonda Browne – Alto
Robyn Lyn Evans – Tenor
Samuel Pantcheff – Baritone