This is the sort of blended, luminous vocal haze which VOCES8 craft with such powerful beauty.

Its perplexing lyrics are eerie and strange, telling of a falcon which “has borne my mate away”, and a hall in an orchard, “That was hanged with purple and pall”, and concluding with a vision of an unidentified knight, “His wounds bleeding day and night Lully, lullay, lully, lullay!”, lying in a bed hung with gold and red, beside which kneels a weeping maiden alongside a stone, “The Body of Christ” written thereon.” The anonymous text’s mystery and mysticism are captured in Benjamin Britten’s setting, which was included in his first big choral work, A Boy Was Born (1933), and performed here in the arrangement which Harvey Brough made for the ensemble’s 2013 Eventide album. The medieval Corpus Christi Carol is not actually a ‘carol’ in the modern sense of the word it worships the Eucharistic ‘body of Christ’ and is sung all year round on festal days. The ensemble’s communication and sense of ‘togetherness’ was a pleasure to see and hear. The imitative phrases built animatedly, the rhythms protean and kinaesthetic, forming an almost breathless web of cascading celebration and wonder.

‘Hodie Christus natus est’ was written the preceding year. VOCES8 relished the strong unison pronouncements and muscular, elastic triple-time rhythms, and the melodic elaborations created a mood of restless, dynamic excitement, culminating in a thrilling “Allelliua”, the overlapping echoes a joyful carillon. Scheidt, who was a pupil of Sweelinck during the latter’s tenure as organist at the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, composed his musical celebration of the birth of Christ in 1620, when he was Kapellmeister in Halle. The news carried by the Angel was fulfilled in two seventeenth-century Cantiones sacrae: ‘Puer natus in Bethlehem’ by Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) and ‘Hodie Christus natus est’ by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621). The suspension which twisted through the final “Gloria” was unresolved – both poignant and expectant. Solos were passed between the singers: soprano Andrea Haines’ clear, composed opening, was taken up by Blake Morgan, whose tenor had a moving human quality and intensity of feeling, and then concluded by soprano Eleanore Cockerham’s strong conclusion, as beneath the ensemble’s gentle hum bloomed to a joyful “ah”. The angel’s message was communicated with telling directness, the verses swelling towards the declaration, “All generations laud and honour thee, Thy Son shall be Emmanuel”. It was a pity that we only had two verses of the chorale, but also exciting to burst straight into ringing “Gloria”s that opened ‘Gabriel’s Message’ (arranged by Jim Clements). The harmonic variants were tuned with wonderful clarity and precision, and balance and ensemble were, as always, impeccable. Sweet and pure it certainly was, with fluidly moving inner voices and some sensitive nuances – the slightest rallentando in the penultimate phrase leading to an expectant pause, before the confirmation conclusion of the verse, for example. Bach’s chorale harmonisation of the old German Christmas tune, ‘O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein mild’. Their Winter Tales musical narrative began with the Annunciation, and J.S. And, they squeezed in a Messiah with the English Chamber Orchestra and soloists Carolyn Sampson, Iestyn Davies, Andrew Staples and Matthew Brook, at Cadogan Hall.

But, the ensemble’s range – and ambition – is impressive during this Live from London, Christmas festival alone, they have journeyed to from earthly realms to spiritual heights with ‘Guardian Angel’ violinist Rachel Podger and introduced six newly commissioned world premieres. G.VOCES8’s concerts often resemble a Christmas tin of Quality Street chocolates – there’s something for everyone, and ‘favourites’ abound. New hymns throughout the world shall ring:Īlleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!Īlleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!' Topics: Ascension Christ the King Gathering Going Forth Guidance Journey Praise Song Scripture: Acts 1:1-11 Languages: English Tune Title: LASST UNS ERFREUENĪuthor: E. Author: Venerable Bede, 673-735 Hymnal: RS1996 #606 (1996) Meter: 8.8.8.8 with alleluias First Line: A hymn of glory let us sing! Lyrics: 1 A hymn of glory let us sing!

Puer natus in bethlehem lyrics