Consort of Twelve and Portsmouth Baroque Choir present A Baroque Christmas

Chichester’s Baroque ensemble The Consort of Twelve and Portsmouth Baroque Choir will present a sequence of music for Advent and Christmas, led by Janis Moore and directed by Malcolm Keeler, on Saturday 5 December (St Nicholas Eve), at 6.00pm, in St Paul’s Church, Chichester. The ensembles each have a remarkable history that spans more than forty years. We first collaborated in 2019 with Bach’s B minor Mass in the Festival of Chichester, and have since performed jointly on a number of occasions. We are delighted to be together again, and will usher in the festive season with a concert of glorious music that follows the Christmas story in a programme journeying across Baroque Europe. The journey begins in Germany with Bach’s Cantata 61, Nun komm der heiden Heiland (Come, Saviour of the Nations). Bach based the opening chorus on an ancient plainchant melody. In a later movement he creates a very different and delicate texture when the instrumentalists pluck the strings rather than using their bows. This symbolises Jesus gently knocking for admittance to the heart. We continue in Italy with Corelli’s famous Christmas Concerto for solo strings and ensemble, and the first half of the concert will conclude with German-born Handel and his Messiah (first performed in Dublin), with extracts that include the angel’s appearance to the shepherds. The interval follows, with mulled wine, mince pies and other festive fare. Returning to Germany, extracts from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio continue the pastoral atmosphere. Moving to France, the Oratorio will be followed by a charming one-movement instrumental setting by Charpentier of a traditional French Christmas carol. This will act as a scene setter and will lead directly into Charpentier’s settings of a further group of traditional carols in his Messe de Minuit pour Noël. From France we move to Italy and to Manfredini’s Concerto Grosso for solo strings and ensemble. Our next port of call is with Danish-born Buxtehude. His delightful dance-like celebration of the new-born child is in the form of exchanges between the ensemble and the singers. The concert ends with the musicians playing one verse of an exotic arrangement of O come all ye faithful by the English composer Samuel Webbe. We hope that everyone will then join in with a verse in the more usual arrangement. Tickets: £20.00 (adult) £5.oo (student) £1.00 (child), available from: Ticketsource By post on: 023 9399 0073 Phillip and Philip hairdressers, Drapers Yard, the Hornet, Chichester, PO19 7JG www.consortoftwelve.co.uk www.portsmouthbaroquechoir.co.uk Programme Bach Cantata BWV 61 Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland Corelli Concerto Grosso Op 6 No 8 in G minor Handel Messiah (extracts from Part 1) Francesco Manfredini Pastorale from Concerto Grosso Op 3 No 12 in C per il Santissimo Natal Bach Christmas Oratorio II BWV 248 (extracts) Charpentier À la Venue de Noël from Noëls sur les instruments Charpentier Messe de minuit pour Noël Buxtehude Cantata BuxWV 13 Das neugeborne Kindelein Samuel Webbe Adeste Fideles