The Magnificat by the ever-popular John Rutter is an exuberant setting of the Latin text which draws inspiration from Latin-American fiestas and incorporates other related texts including the medieval carol, Of a Rose. Gerald Finzi’s ‘Christmas scene’ In terra pax is a setting of the nativity story from St Luke’s gospel and a poem (by early 20th-century Poet Laureate Robert Bridges) reflecting on it: “A frosty Christmas Eve… When the shepherds, watching… Heard music in the fields and marveling could not tell Whether it were angels or the bright stars singing… Cecilia McDowall distils her love of Christmas and of the music of the season into Christus natus est, a sequence of five carols including Gaudete! and Infant Holy. There will also be some well-known carols in which the audience is invited to join. Duration: approx. 2 hours (incl. interval)

Jonathan Rodriguez

Event host