24th August 2022
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom
TRADITIONAL Plainsong 'Salve Regina'
TAVENER A Hymn to the Mother of God
TALLIS Spem in alium
JAMES MACMILLAN Miserere
TYE 'Agnus Dei' from Missa 'Euge bone'
GÓRECKI Totus tuus
SHEPPARD 'Agnus Dei' from Missa 'Cantate'
JAMES MACMILLAN Vidi aquam
BYRD Diliges Dominum
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers (conductor)
Hearing 'Spem in alium' in the RAH is a bit of a dream come true, and this late night Prom is the perfect antidote to Mahler 2. Harry Christophers and The Sixteen brought an hour of music by English Renaissance masters Tallis, Tye, Sheppard and Byrd intertwined with modern choral works by Tavener, MacMillan, and Górecki. I must admit I have a very significant Oxbridge bias and inevitably sound rather snobbish every time I discuss choral music in those terms. Walking into this Prom, I did expect a sonic palette that would appeal more to the "smooth" classical music audience. It was all nice and pleasant, but the overall aesthetics of their sound emphasise more heavily on display and is generally lacking in the spiritual dimension these music warrant. I would have preferred to take the music more slowly and give them more breathing space to resonate, but I guess they are here for a performance in a concert rather than singing for a service in a cathedral. There were moments where I found the balance was all over the place but I could not work out whether it was an inherent performance problem or if it was the acoustics. The early-contemporary criss-cross programming did mess up the brain, but it's been a long while since I last attended a service or choral concert, so it was refreshing in any case. I have reached a mental stage where I much prefer to listen to Renaissance polyphony than contemporary rhythms and harmonies. I am getting old.
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