A Britten Christmas

The Tudor Consort completes its 2011 Silver Anniversary season with two well-loved Christmas works by Benjamin Britten.

A Ceremony of Carols is a product of Britten’s self-imposed wartime exile to the United States, written in cramped conditions during his crossing of the Atlantic. These settings of ancient English texts for upper voices and harp have been a favourite for choirs ever since. The women of The Tudor Consort will be accompanied by Carolyn Mills, Principal Harpist of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Britten’s astonishing precocity can be seen in his virtuosic set of choral variations A Boy Was Born. Written when he was merely nineteen years old, it employs an eight-part choir and a chorus of boys, in this case taken from St Mark’s School.

This concert features as part of a mini festival dedicated to the music of Britten – for a special price of $40 ($35 concessions) you can take in this concert and Nota Bene’s performance of Saint Nicolas on Sunday 11 December. Buy tickets online or at the door on the night.

Programme

This concert was part of the 2011 Performance Series.