Hymn to the Virgin
Britten, Vaughan Williams

Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 8:30 PM

Estimated Run Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

In the 20th century, British choral music successfully combined the heritage of its most ancient traditions with the aspirations of a bold modernity. Shaped by composers closely linked to their national identity, it combined spiritual fervor, popular inspiration, and the finesse of polyphonic writing.
A major figure in this revival, Benjamin Britten left his mark on his era with his formal rigor and poetic sensibility. Particularly attached to the voice, he composed for choirs from an early age, finding in sacred texts a space for expression that was both intimate and universal.
His elder, Ralph Vaughan Williams, drew on folk songs and Elizabethan music to forge a recognizable, expansive, deeply English style. While claiming to be agnostic, he was also greatly inspired by the Anglican liturgy and left behind sublime sacred works, such as his Mass in G minor.

Photo by ©DR

Program

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Hymn to the Virgin

Anthony Ritchie (*1960)
Es ist ein Ros

David Hamilton (*1955)
Karakia of the Stars

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Komm, Jesu, komm BWV 229

Takerei Komene (*1999)
He Tūrama (Light without end)

Andrew Withington (1979-2025)
Hine e Hine

Benjamin Britten
Rejoice in the Lamb

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Messe en sol mineur

Benjamin Britten
Jubilate Deo

Cast

Voices New Zealand
Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris
Karen Grylls & Henri Chalet, conductors