The night in the garden | Durham Singers

Our passiontide programme, 'The night in the garden' reflects on the last night before Christ's crucifixion, with music by the great masters of the Renaissance and a meditation by the British composer Kenneth Leighton that matches the older Catholic music for its spiritual intensity. Motets by Palestrina and Tallis recall the events of Palm Sunday and Holy Week, whilst the first part of Victoria's Tenebrae Responsories, the Lamentations for Maundy Thursday, are a deeply expressive account of Christ's lonely vigil in the Garden of Gethsemane and the terrible act of Judas's betrayal.

The concert ends with one of the most famous pieces of choral music ever written. Allegri's Miserere mei was originally composed for Holy Week services in the Vatican, but with its sublime ornamentation, this prayer for mercy has taken flight far beyond its original setting.