The acclaimed solo voice ensemble Illustra will be performing a concert of Sacred Music in the glorious setting of the parish church of St Giles, Great Coxwell, near Faringdon Oxfordshire, situated high on a ridge overlooking the village. One of the famous landmarks of the Vale of the White Horse, a church has stood here since soon after the Norman Conquest. The words ‘Lord have mercy on our souls’ scratched on the inside arch of the nail-studded wooden door back in the 16th century may be a reminder of the pain which many experienced during these changing times, when the Jesuit priest Edmund Campion is believed to have celebrated Mass in secret for the recusant Morys family in the Court House beside the Great Barn, before later dying a martyr's death.
Tonight's concert features the work of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, who brought extended sensuality to the bitter-sweet world of Christ's crucification, with a duet performance of his celebrated Passiontide cantata Stabat Mater. With its 13th Century text, a strongly emotional retelling of the Passion story from the viewpoint of his grieving mother, the Virgin Mary, and extraordinary harmonic language it is little wonder that the popularity of the Stabat Mater has endured to this day. The work's feeling of restrained 'sacred opera' is retained in this performance, attempting to recreate what the composer may have originally intended in a modest but nevertheless still quietly operatic style of presentation, accompanied by continuo / string quartet and using the unusual combination of solo soprano and countertenor voices singing in the same octave.
Amongst other items performed this evening will be anthems by Thomas Tallis and William Byrd and a rare performance of John Sheppard's Western Wind Mass, with its melody based unusually upon a C16 secular tune. With examples of virtuosic solos, duets and trios as well as sensitive, subtle and instinctively blended polyphonic choruses Illustra will convey a powerful yet intimate interpretation of the works of some of the very finest composers of sacred devotional music. Whatever your religious conviction this promses to be a very special evening and one not to be missed.
The audience is invited to a drinks reception after the concert when there will be an opportunity to meet and talk with the artists. Tickets are strictly limited and early booking is strongly recommended.
"It was a great concert - you all delivered a wonderful performance!" - Nicholas Prozzillo, Director of Music, Harris Manchester College, Oxford
"Congratulations on your fabulous singing and for giving all those attending so much pleasure" - Rev'd Judith Bottcher, HM College Chaplain