The Choral Pilgrimage 2016 The Deer’s Cry Music by Byrd | Tallis | Arvo Pärt
© Marco Borggreve
Harry Christophers CBE Founder and Conductor, The Sixteen
Welcome to our 16th Choral Pilgrimage Although separated by over four centuries, the music of William Byrd and Arvo Pärt makes for a perfect match. Both spent many years facing adversity and persecution and both sought solace through their sacred music.
wasn’t until I was older that I began to appreciate what it was to live in the Soviet Union, everything enclosed or forbidden.” In 1979, Pärt and his family acquired exit visas to leave the Soviet Union and moved to Berlin and it was around this time that he began to experiment with tintinnabulation. As Pärt himself explains “I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comforts me. I work with very few elements – with one voice, with two voices. I build with the most primitive materials – with the triad. The three notes of the triad are like bells. And that is why I called it tintinnabulation.”
Byrd‘s later life was lived under constant threat of religious persecution – a practising Catholic in a country where only the Anglican faith could be celebrated. However, Queen Elizabeth I not only loved music but also possessed a private empathy for Catholicism and in 1575 she granted a patent to Byrd and the aged Tallis to publish music. The result was Cantiones Sacrae, a collection of 17 pieces by each of them, six of which, including the monumental Tribue, Domine, feature in this programme. The long text comes from the book of Meditations attributed to St Augustine, and Byrd treats us not only to a variety of vocal combinations, but also clear codes to his unswerving Catholic faith. Just as in Ad Dominum cum tribularer we hear urgent cries to be heard “I speak peace to them and they clamour for war” (Ego pacem loquebar et illi bellum conclamabant), so in Tribue, Domine he portrays the “kingdom” (imperium) with a certain triumphalism.
The result is music where the text has total clarity but is highly charged in a very specific manner. His setting of the Nunc Dimittis is at times tender and serene, but then bursts out into exhilarating joy. The Woman with the Alabaster Box is even more extraordinary, with Jesus’ words eloquently delivered and made even more powerful by the silences. Unlike both earlier composers, Pärt did not write for the liturgy but that does not mean his music is any less sacred – far from it. His music will resonate around our wonderful cathedrals and abbeys just as Byrd’s and Tallis’s has done for centuries.
Pärt spent most of his life in Sovietcontrolled Estonia and for most of his young life it all seemed perfectly normal. “We had what we had…it 2
Concert programme Byrd Diliges Dominum Byrd Christe qui lux es et dies Arvo Pärt The Deer’s Cry Byrd Emendemus in melius Arvo Pärt The Woman with the Alabaster Box Byrd Miserere mihi Domine Byrd Ad Dominum cum tribularer Tallis /Byrd Miserere nostri COR16140
Tallis When Jesus went
The accompanying CD featuring all the music from The Choral Pilgrimage 2016 will be released in February 2016 and will be available to purchase at all Choral Pilgrimage concerts and from our website. To pre-order (from 4th January 2016) visit www.thesixteen.com
Byrd O lux beata Trinitas Arvo Pärt Nunc Dimittis Byrd Laetentur coeli Byrd Tribue, Domine
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On Sale Dates Patrons priority booking opens at 10am on Monday 11 January 2016*. General booking opens at 10am on Monday 18 January 2016*. *unless otherwise stated in the diary listing Tickets can be booked through our National Box Office: tickets.ncem.co.uk 01904 651485 Exceptions apply where the diary listing is marked ‘Exclusive Box Office’. Local box offices are also available for most venues. For ticket prices please call the box office or visit www.thesixteen.com.
Tour Dates and Locations April Friday 8 7.30pm
St John’s College Chapel, Cambridge Local Box Office: Cambridge Arts Theatre 01223 503333
Saturday 9 7.30pm
St Albans Cathedral Local Box Office: Cathedral 01727 890290
Friday 15 8pm
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Local Box Office: Tickets Oxford 01865 305305
May Wednesday 11 Croydon Minster 7.30pm Local Box Office: Minster 020 8688 8104 Conducted by Eamonn Dougan Thursday 12 7.30pm
Exeter Cathedral Local Box Office: Exeter Phoenix 01392 667080
Friday 13 7.30pm
Truro Cathedral Local Box Office: Hall for Cornwall 01872 262466
Saturday 14 7.30pm
Llandaff Cathedral Local Box Office: St David’s Hall 029 2087 8444
Thursday 19 7.30pm
Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich, London National Box Office only: 01904 651485
Friday 20 7.30pm
Peterborough Cathedral Local Box Office: Visitor Information Centre 01733 452336
Saturday 21 7.30pm
St Luke’s Church, Battersea, London Exclusive Box Office: 07951 791619 / www.slms.org.uk (tickets already on sale) 4
Monday 23 7.30pm
Bury St Edmunds Exclusive Box Office: Apex 01284 758000 (booking opens on Monday 29 February)
Tuesday 24 7.30pm
St John’s Kirk of Perth Exclusive Box Office: Perth Festival 01738 621031 (booking opens on Monday 28 March)
Friday 27 7.30pm
Rochester Cathedral Local Box Office: Medway Visitor Centre 01634 338141
Saturday 28 7.30pm
Winchester Cathedral Local Box Office: Cathedral 01962 857275 Conducted by Eamonn Dougan
Tuesday 31 7pm June
St David’s Cathedral, St David’s Exclusive Box Office: www.stdavidscathedralfestival.co.uk (booking opens on Monday 14 March)
Saturday 4 7.30pm
Chelmsford Cathedral Exclusive Box Office: Ticketsource 0333 666 3366 (booking opens on Monday 1 February)
Thursday 16 7.30pm
Holy Trinity Church, Hull Local Box Office: 01482 224460
Friday 17 7.30pm
Durham Cathedral Local Box Office: Gala Theatre 0300 026 6600
Saturday 18 7.30pm
Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh Local Box Office: Queen’s Hall 0131 668 2019
Thursday 23 7.30pm
The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Exclusive Box Office: 0161 907 9000 (tickets already on sale)
Friday 24 7.30pm July
Boughton Aluph Church, Boughton Aluph Exclusive Box Office: Crowthers Music 05603 434123 (booking opens on Friday 29 April)
Thursday 7 7.30pm
Carlisle Cathedral Local Box Office: Information 01228 598596
Friday 8 7.30pm
Lancaster Priory National Box Office only: 01904 651485
Saturday 9 7.30pm
York Minster National Box Office only: 01904 651485 (booking opens on Monday 7 March) 5
September Thursday 8 7.30pm
Ealing Abbey National Box Office only: 01904 651485 Conducted by Eamonn Dougan
Friday 9 7.30pm
Wells Cathedral Local Box Office: Cathedral shop 01749 672773
Saturday 10 7.30pm
Tewkesbury Abbey Local Box Office: Abbey shop 01684 856148
Wednesday 28 City Church, Milton Keynes 7.30pm National Box Office only: 01904 651485 Conducted by Eamonn Dougan Friday 30 7.30pm
Coventry Cathedral Local Box Office: Cathedral shop 024 7652 1210
October Thursday 6 7.30pm
Southwell Minster Local Box Office: Minster shop 01636 812933
Friday 7 7.30pm
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral National Box Office only: 01904 651485
Saturday 8 7.30pm
Blackburn Cathedral Local Box Office: King George’s Hall 01254 582579
November Thursday 3 7.30pm
Kings Place, London Exclusive Box Office: 020 7520 1490
Key: Reserved seating (excluding side aisles) Pre-concert talk Concert not promoted by The Sixteen Doors generally open 30 minutes before the concert start time, or 30 minutes before a pre-concert talk (may vary for concerts not promoted by The Sixteen).
Join us online
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Delve Deeper… Choral Workshops
York Insight Day: Saturday 9 July
Our popular choral workshops are a rare and rewarding opportunity for keen amateur singers to explore a selection of the music from our 16th Choral Pilgrimage programme, under the expert guidance of Associate Conductor, Eamonn Dougan, and singer and practical scholar, Sally Dunkley. The workshops include advice on vocal technique, as well as performance interpretation and historical context. Saturday 9 April Saturday 16 April Saturday 30 April Saturday 14 May Sunday 22 May Saturday 18 June Saturday 10 September Saturday 17 September Saturday 8 October Saturday 5 November
Whether you are new to the Choral Pilgrimage repertoire or want to expand your existing knowledge, our Insight Day provides a fascinating exploration into the stories behind the music. • Join Sally Dunkley and musicologist John Milsom for talks, debate and discussion. • Discover the rich history behind the Choral Pilgrimage repertoire. • Experience at close-hand, intimate performances from a consort of Sixteen singers.
St Albans Oxford Hull Truro* London Edinburgh Tewkesbury London Blackburn Belfast
Tickets cost £25 (including refreshments and a light lunch) or £20 if booked with a Choral Pilgrimage concert promoted by The Sixteen. Tickets can be booked through our National Box Office on 01904 651485.
Pre-concert Talks
*Conducted by James Burton
Many concerts include a free pre-concert talk with Harry Christophers and a member of The Sixteen. These last for approximately 15 minutes and explore the context and performance practice of the repertoire. Concerts offering these talks are marked in the diary listings.
How to book Booking opens at 10am on Monday 18 January 2016. Workshop tickets are £25 – £30 which includes sheet music and refreshments. Concessions are available for under 18’s, jobseekers and students. Workshop bookers are entitled to a £5 discount for any Choral Pilgrimage concert promoted by The Sixteen (workshop place must be booked first). Book online at www.thesixteeneducation.com or by phone on 020 7936 3420 7
Booking Information Concessions A 50% discount is available for the following groups: • Registered disabled (plus one companion) • Those aged 18 and under • Jobseekers (proof of eligibility will be required on the door) • Students (proof of eligibility will be required on the door) A 10% discount is available for groups of 10 or more. All discounts are subject to availability and only one discount can be applied per transaction. Concession rates for concerts not promoted by The Sixteen may vary.
Exchanges and refunds
With grateful thanks to all our supporters and sponsors.
Dunard Fund
The John Coates Charitable Foundation
Tickets for concerts and choral workshops cannot be exchanged or refunded except in the event of a cancellation. The National Centre for Early Music acts as an agent for The Sixteen. Third party contact information (postal and email addresses) recorded by the NCEM is passed on to The Sixteen for use in future mailings. If you do not wish this information to be passed on please say when booking.
The Sixteen Ltd.
Registered in England No. 1930741 at Quadrant House, 10 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1AU. General enquiries: 020 7936 3420. Email: info@thesixteen.com. Registered Charity No. 326917 All information is correct at the time of going to press.