Program

Imogen Holst, Traditional Carols

I. Coventry carols

II. A virgin most pure

III. Wassail song

Alastair Putt, Under the Giant Fern of Night

1. Dark Matter

2. Girl with a Balloon

3. Turning Nightward

4. When You Wish Upon a Star

5. Let There Always Be Light

6. Notte di San Giovanni

Gustav Holst, Ave Maria H 49 op.9b

Gustav Holst, Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, op. 26 n°3

Imogen Holst, Traditional Carols

IV. The Holy and the Ivy

V. In the black mid-winter

Benjamin Britten, Ceremony of Carols

Sofi Jeannin conducts Benjamin Britten, Gustav Holst, Imogen Holst and Alastair Putt

With the Maitrise de Radio France at Chartres Cathedral

Subscribers

Cast

Iris Torossian — Harp

Maîtrise de Radio France

Sofi Jeannin — Conductor

Program notes

The Maîtrise de Radio France celebrates the magic of Christmas in the sublime Chartres Cathedral, performing a program dedicated to the English choral tradition. Under the baton of Sofi Jeannin, the voices of 50 young vocalists resonate warmly in works by Benjamin Britten, Gustav Holst, Imogen Holst, and Alastair Putt, echoing amid the storied vaults of one of the best-preserved medieval cathedrals in the world.

Britten's famous cantata A Ceremony of Carols, written in 1942 for children's choir and harp, evokes the birth of Christ in a succession of tableaux by turns contemplative and jubilant, weaving an intimate and solemn atmosphere. Elevated by the purity of the voices and the cathedral's exceptional acoustics, this Christmas concert presents a series of perfect moments for meditation and for wonder.

A closer look: featured composers

Benjamin Britten