The northern lights, or the aurora borealis, are beautiful dancing waves of light that have captivated people for millennia. In Europe, though Iceland and the northern regions of Norway, Sweden and Finland are located within the aurora zone, the spectacle is visible from further afield, and Collegium Musicum of London takes its inspiration for its next concert from composers from these northern lands.
Born in 1637 in Helsingborg, Skåne, Dieterich Buxtehude recognised Denmark as his native country. His cantata cycle Membra Jesu nostri is a unique and impressive work. Based on texts from a medieval Latin hymn, Salve mundi salutare, the cycle contains seven beautiful cantatas, each dedicated to a different part of Christ’s crucified body.
Edvard Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist who is widely considered one of the leading lights of the Romantic era. His radiant setting of Ave Maris Stella (Hail, star of the sea) was composed in 1898.
Luminaries from the contemporary music scene, Arvo Pärt, James MacMillan and Ola Gjeilo add further lustre to this wide-ranging celebration of northern European choral music.
Collegium Musicum of London will be conducted by the choir’s musical director Greg Morris.