Portsmouth Baroque Choir - Christmas concert

Our concert opens with Vivaldi’s popular Magnificat, followed by Nöel, sors de ton lit (the French equivalent of Owt of your slepe, arise and wake) by François-Eustache du Caurroy (1549 –1609) a prize-winning songwriter who resided at a large estate in Picardy. The Christmas antiphon Nesciens Mater by Jean Mouton (before 1459-1522) written for newly-weds Lorenzo II de’ Medici and his young French, royal bride. The first half ends with the short cantata In nativitatem Domini (Quem vidistis, pastores/ What did you see, shepherds?) H. 314 composed around 1670 by Charpentier, who wrote some of the most engaging Christmas music of the French baroque.


Fast-forward to our own times for the second half, beginning with Today the Virgin by John Tavener, an exultant setting of text by the composer’s spiritual muse Mother Thekla. That will be followed by Four Carols, rhythmic and melodious settings of medieval texts by the choir’s President and one-time conductor, Ian Schofield. Our organist on the night, Philip Drew, provides another delightful medieval carol setting, There is no rose. Elsewhere, we celebrate the 80th birthday year of Sir John Rutter and the 70th of Bob Chilcott. Rutter has called Chilcott’s The Shepherd’s Carol “the most beautiful modern carol there is”. Although not strictly a carol, it has competition from In Winter’s House (2019) by Joanna Marsh: this may be the work’s first performance in the Solent area. The concert ends with Gardner’s Tomorrow shall be my dancing day.



The obligatory mince and mulled during the interval will ensure good cheer for the audience carols in the second half. This will be our third year in a row at the Havant United Reformed Church, a warm and welcoming venue that is especially well-suited to the enjoyment of chamber choir singing.