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Join us for a performance of Vivaldi's Gloria, Haydn's Little Organ Mass and pieces by Tallis, Tavener, Holst, McDowall, Warlock, Claas and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

Chansons will be led by choral director Areti Lymperopoulou, with Howard Duthie on organ and joined by soprano Colleen Nicoll, mezzo Ulrike Wutscher and a baroque chamber orchestra made up of players from City of Perth Sinfonia. The concert takes place in the wonderful setting of St John's Kirk, Perth.

Baroque music with its harmonic elegance and energy is often associated with the Christmas season. So it is fitting that Vivaldi's masterpiece of baroque choral music, his Gloria in D, will form the second half of this concert. With a full string setting and soloists Collen Nicoll and Ulrike Wutscher joining Chansons in the wonderful acoustic of St John's Kirk, it promises to be a memorable evening.

Vivaldi's Gloria is probably one of his best known and most popular choral works. A joyful hymn of praise and worship, the Gloria is divided into 12 relatively brief movements ranging from festive brilliance to profound sadness. From lilting soprano solos to solemn choral singing with duets and four part harmonies, Vivaldi's Gloria is a masterclass in baroque choral writing. Always the great instrumentalist, Vivaldi doesn’t forget his musicians and the work is dotted with lovely countermelodies enjoyed variously by the violin or oboe, resulting in a work which feels part concerto, part opera - but the effect is one of sacred music’s most uplifting choral works.

Haydn's Little Organ Mass, more accurately described as a Missa Brevis, was written between 1775 and 1778 for the chapel of the Brothers of Mercy in Eisenstadt which was dedicated to St. John. The work takes its nickname, the ‘Little Organ Mass’, from the Organ solo in the Benedictus. This small, intimate mass has always been popular, conjuring up an image of the small country church of the Brothers of Mercy and the quiet, devotional character of their worship.

As it is Christmas Chansons will be 'unwrapping' various musical treats for your enjoyment! These include John Tavener's The Lamb, his setting to music of the poem "The Lamb" from William Blake's collection of poems Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1789). It is one of Tavener's best known works and with its minimalistic form, combining chromaticism with more conventional harmony, it is a modern classic of the choral repertoire.

​Chansons will also be performing Cecilia McDowall's Of a Rose. Cecilia read music at Edinburgh University and her piece is an exciting choral setting of an anonymous 14th century text that tells of the Christmas story.

Location

St John's Kirk
Perth PH1 5SZ
There are several car parks on both sides of Canal Street, including a multi storey park.  From the car parks follow the Brown pedestrian signs and Finger posts to St. John’s Kirk.