Tallis’s 40-part motet Spem in alium stands as one of the most astonishing achievements of the human spirit, unrivalled in the a cappella idiom in its complexity. The very size and scope of it calls for forces which enable us to programme some other substantial masterpieces we cannot normally perform: Sheppard’s 6-voice Missa Cantate; and Robert White’s glorious Magnificat, replete with a triple gimell.
But perhaps the pièce de résistance in this context is John Sutton’s 7-voice Salve Regina from the Eton Choirbook. It may have fewer parts than Spem, but it is just as much of a challenge to sing.
The award-winning choir performs Italian motet masterpieces including Allegri’s famous Miserere and works by Monteverdi, Lotti, Palestrina and Gesualdo.
The critically acclaimed vocal group performs an exquisite selection of German Baroque works, including Schütz’s masterpiece, Musikalische Exequien, and Bach’s most moving motet, Jesu, meine...
A beautifully festive collection of music from the 16th century to the present day, with works by Palestrina and Lassus, carols by Howells and Rutter, Poulenc’s joyful Quatre motets pour le temps...
A selection of works displaying the beauty and joy of Christmas music, both sacred and secular: from sparkling arrangements of old favourites to more tender offerings from the 16th to 20th centuries...
How great were the ‘great composers’ in their twenties? With music by twenty somethings including Purcell, Sting, Vaughan Williams, and Britten, as well as traditional songs and even the...
Works inspired the events of Lent and Holy Week including two great Stabat Mater settings, by Palestrina and Lassus, performed alongside Tallis’ dramatic Lamentations and motets by Brahms and...
The award-winning vocal ensemble performs some of the greatest Renaissance works including Tallis’ Lamentations and Sheppard’s Media vita, interwoven with some of the choir’s favourite works...