On Saturday 12 October, the City of Oxford Choir will bring the best of the British cathedral tradition to the beautiful and historic church of St Helen’s in Abingdon.
Substantial and dramatic romps by Stanford (the epic “For lo, I raise up that bitter and hasty nation”) and Bairstow alternate with charming verse anthems from the early 17th century by Tomkins and Gibbons, whose “See, see, the word is incarnate” is surely the finest of all in that medium. More recent work by Finzi – the substantial and non-liturgical Magnificat – and James MacMillan are sprinkled into an invigorating programme which shows the choirstall repertoire is not all devotional politeness but Fire and Brimstone, and fine tunes to match any the devil might claim!
Stanford: For lo, I raise up
Howells: Mine eyes for beauty pine
Gibbons: See, see the word is incarnate
Mendelssohn: Verleih uns Frieden
Bairstow: Blessed City, Heavenly Salem
Finzi: Magnificat
Macmillan: New song
Tomkins: My beloved spake
Joubert: O lord, the maker of al thing
Ireland: Greater love
Find out about our upcoming concerts, or look back at our concert archive.