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'The 'divine' comes in many guises, both sacred and secular, what with Tallis's sublime 40-part motet Spem in alium and Vaughan Williams's Shakespeare-setting Serenade to Music in prospect. Shakespeare is also much in evidence in works by Morley and George Shearing, while the religious 'divine' also includes the pathos-laden Agnus Dei Samuel Barber fashioned out of his iconic Adagio for Strings. With multi-choir works from Renaissance Spain and Eric Whitacre's sultry Her Sacred Spirit Soars, this is a night for big passions and haunting vocal transcendence. Simply heavenly!'

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David Ogden conductor

A two-part concert of sensational choral music to excite the senses and leave you in a state of rapture.

Throughout the evening, the intimate setting of St George's resonates to a beautiful sequence of music, from powerful outpourings of Elizabethan sacred music by Byrd and Thomas Tallis, to tender settings of Shakespeare by Morley, Vaughan Williams and George Shearing.

At the heart of this programme are Tallis' unforgettable motet, Spem in Alium – whose performance in the round, with its gradual accumulation of voices from just 1 to 40, must count as one of the most thrilling passages of music of all time – Samuel Barber's Agnus Dei, a profoundly moving arrangement of his own Adagio for Strings, and Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music. This setting of verses from Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' finds the two lovers, Lorenzo and Jessica, listening to music, gazing at the stars and revelling in the magic of the night; its power is such that it moved the composer Rachmaninov to tears, and he considered it the most affecting piece of music he had ever heard.

Completing the programme is multi-choir music from Renaissance Spain and Whitacre's Her Sacred Spirit Soars, a Shakespearean influenced piece with wonderful, sensuous and rich harmonies.

As part of its support of this evening’s concert, Elizabeth Shaw will be distributing chocolates to all audience members. Such exquisite, sensuous sweetness!

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