ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE FESTIVAL 5 April – Sunday 12 April 2020

#HolyWeekFestival Curated by in partnership with St John’s Smith Square Tenebrae © Chris O’Donovan #HOLYWEEKFESTIVAL —— An Introduction from Nigel Short

I’m delighted to welcome you to Tenebrae’s I look forward to meeting many of you over fourth annual Holy Week Festival. Since the the course of the festival, and I hope you will festival began in 2017 we have been lucky all find something to move and inspire you to work with some truly inspiring artists, over the course of Holy Week. including ensembles of worldwide renown as well as wonderful emerging talent, and this year is no exception. In particular, it has been a long-held dream of mine to invite the King’s Singers, with whom I spent a happy six years performing all over the world, and I am thrilled that they will be performing here at St John’s Smith Square on Palm Nigel Short Sunday evening. Other festival highlights Artistic Director include welcome returns from both The Tallis Tenebrae & Holy Week Festival Scholars and Polyphony, and the exciting female-voice ensemble Musica Secreta in their festival debut.

The festival’s raison d’être is to provide ‘A moment of stillness in the heart of the city’. In the first instance this was a response to my

own experience as a working musician during Nigel Short © Sim Cannetty-Clarke Holy Week, rushing from one side of London to the other and missing out completely on that vital spirit of reflection. In 2020 we are expanding on this central ethos to introduce a new focus on mental health and wellbeing. This year’s festival will include a pre-concert discussion by leading neurologists and cultural historians, exploring the ways in which people use music to express or process different forms of grief. We are also pleased that the wonderful chamber choir Siglo de Oro will be performing a reflective concert preceded by a guided meditation led by Chris Miller, which I hope will help you to experience this beautiful music in a new and fulfilling way.

Box Office020 7222 1061 3 The King’s Singers © Rebecca Reid PALM SUNDAY —— Siglo de Oro © Kaupo Kikkas

THE KING’S SINGERS The Two Mountains Patrick Dunachie countertenor SIGLO DE ORO Edward Button countertenor Holy Week in Hamburg Julian Gregory tenor Christopher Bruerton baritone Patrick Allies artistic director Nick Ashby baritone Lassus Tristis est anima mea Jonathan Howard bass Gallus Filiae , nolite flere Holy Week is a historical and liturgical journey, which begins and ends on two mountains Praetorius O vos omnes surrounding Jerusalem: the Mount of Olives, where gathered the disciples on Palm Hassler Deus, deus meus Sunday, and the ‘green hill far away, without a city wall’, where Jesus was crucified at Golgotha. • Praetorius Tulerunt Dominum meum Missa This specially curated programme navigates through the various sites of Holy Week before Tulerunt Dominum meum: Kyrie, Gloria concluding with a handful of The King’s Singers’ signature close harmony arrangements. Andrea Gabrieli Maria stabat ad monumentum Praetorius Missa Tulerunt Dominum meum: Plainchant for Palm Sunday In monte oliveti Meditation with Chris Miller Credo Gesualdo In monte oliveti This concert of reflective music will be Surrexit Pastor Bonus Schutz Es ist ein freud (Hymn) Praetorius preceded by a guided meditation led by Missa Tulerunt Dominum meum: Lassus In monte oliveti Praetorius Triyoga teacher Chris Miller at 2.45pm. Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei Plainchant for Palm Sunday Hosanna filio Chris has studied and practiced Buddhist Weelkes Hosanna to the son of David (Psalm 118) meditation since 1998 and, following a Siglo de Oro present a programme of late Harm. Bach All glory laud and honour (Hymn) career as a clinic-based counsellor in the Renaissance choral music for Holy Week. The Purcell I was glad NHS, he now provides health and wellbeing centrepiece is an effervescent double-choir Rossi Odekha (Psalm 118 v.21-24) coaching combining exercise, counselling, for Easter Day by Hieronymus Praetorius, Byrd Haec Dies a5 (Psalm 118 v.24) yoga and meditation. We hope that this organist at Hamburg’s Jakobikirche in the early Plainchant for Palm Sunday Deus, deus meus th guided session will help you to experience 17 century. Alongside Praetorius’ masterpiece Cyrillus Kreek Deus, deus meus (Psalm 22) / ‘Mu Jumal’ the music performed in a new and are motets by composers whose George Stebbins There is a green hill far away (Hymn) refreshing way. influence is heard in the mass: Bavarian Hans Geoffrey Poole Mary modyr (from Wymondham Chants) Leo Hassler, Netherlandish , To avoid disruption to the concert, Gibbons Drop, drop slow tears (Hymn) and Venetian Andrea Gabrieli. tickets to the meditation can only be The concert will finish with a selection of songs in close harmony, from The King’s Singers’ siglodeoro.co.uk purchased in conjunction with tickets for library of folk, jazz and pop arrangements. chrismillerfitness.com the performance. kingssingers.com Sun 5 April 3.30pm 2.45pm – Meditation with Chris Miller + Concert: £22.50 (£17.50), YF £12.50 Sun 5 April 7.30pm 3.30pm – Concert only: £15 (£10), YF £35, £28, £22, £14

4 Box Office020 7222 1061 Box Office020 7222 1061 5 HOLY MONDAY —— —— Florilegium © Copland-Cale Photography The Civil Service Choir © David Pearson The TallisScholars © Nick Rutter

BACH: ST MATTHEW PASSION James Oxley © Faye Thomas James Oxley evangelist Giles Underwood christus THE CIVIL SERVICE THE TALLIS SCHOLARS Sophie Bevan soprano CHOIR & ORCHESTRA Victoria Ruairi Bowen tenor Peter Phillips director Jonathan Brown bass CONSORT Choir of Merton College, Oxford Dvořák: Mass in D major Victoria Responsories for Tenebrae (Thursday Merton College Girl Choristers Nos. 1 - 6; & Friday Nos. 1 - 3) • Ave Maria (a8) • conductor Florilegium Stephen Hall Responsories for Tenebrae (Friday Nos. 4 - 6; & Benjamin Nicholas conductor The outstanding Civil Service Choir is once Saturday Nos. 1 - 6) • Salve regina (a8) First heard on 1727, Bach’s again at SJSS for Holy Week, this year with Through the intensely expressive music of Mass in D major, “great passion” is the most monumental of Dvořák’s Op. 86. Victoria, Peter Phillips and The Tallis Scholars his works. The deeply affecting setting of represent Christ on the Cross and the Virgin Sophie Bevan © Sussie Ahlburg Written in 1887, the Mass is meditative in the trial, suffering and death of Jesus will be character – perfect for Holy Week – with Mary. Victoria’s Responsories for Tenebrae are realised by a brilliant team of soloists, one of harmonic richness and folksong-like melodies. grouped in three sets, one for each day of the Britain’s most outstanding period instrument Crucifixion narrative; Thursday to Saturday. ensembles and the acclaimed Choir of Merton The choir has delighted SJSS audiences every In this programme the Responsories are College, Oxford, with Merton’s girl choristers time and this concert has free ticketed interspersed with two of Victoria’s votive singing the ripieno chorus. admission. There will be a charity collection antiphons for double choir: his peerless Ave in the hall. Maria and Salve regina. merton.ox.ac.uk/choir florilegium.org.uk civilservicechoir.org.uk thetallisscholars.co.uk

Mon 6 April 7.30pm Tues 7 April 1.05pm Tues 7 April 7.30pm £35, £28, £22, £14 Free admission £35, £28, £22, £14

6 Box Office020 7222 1061 Box Office020 7222 1061 7 Tenebrae © Sim Cannetty-Clarke SPY WEDNESDAY —— Workshop Tenebrae

Nigel Short © Webb Street Studios

© Sim Cannetty-Clarke

TENEBRAE “Unaccompanied choral singing comes no better than this: in blend, accuracy, WORKSHOP: PRE-CONCERT PANEL: Miserere, mei Deus precision, commitment.” – The Guardian THE TENEBRAE EFFECT MUSIC & LAMENTATION Nigel Short conductor Gibbons Drop, drop, slow tears The neuroscience, theology, history and De Monte Super flumina Babylonis Bach Komm, Jesu, komm art behind music and grief Anon. Gregorian plainchant Bruckner Os justi Ian Ritchie (Chair); Dr Robert Letellier; Byrd Quomodo cantabimus ‘The Tenebrae Effect’ is Tenebrae’s inspiring Prof. Michael Trimble MacMillan Tenebrae factae sunt choral development initiative which is Tallis Lamentations of I As part of our festival focus on mental designed to challenge and advance every Allegri Miserere, mei Deus health and wellbeing, Tenebrae presents a participant, whilst providing an insight into MacMillan Tradiderunt me pre-concert panel exploring the ways in the elements which make Tenebrae’s sound Byrd Ne irascaris which we use music to express and process and interpretation to music so unique. Join MacMillan Jesum tradidit impius grief. Reflecting on the music to be performed Tenebrae’s Artistic Director, Nigel Short, and Tallis Lamentations of Jeremiah II in the evening concert, Ian Ritchie (Artistic members of Tenebrae for what is set to be MacMillan Miserere Director of The Musical Brain and fascinating and informative morning. interdisciplinary music curator) will chair a Following the phenomenal success of its conversation between neurologist Professor recent film of Allegri’s Miserere, mei Deus, Candles © Chris O’Donovan “Most enjoyable workshop I have ever Tenebrae presents this iconic work in a attended. A real pleasure to find such a Michael Trimble and cultural historian Dr Robert Letellier. Michael’s specialism in candlelit concert of Lenten reflections. high skill level in a workshop.” the neurological basis of artistic and religious Tallis’ exquisitely crafted Lamentations of Jeremiah are a heartfelt response to the LITURGICAL EVENT I We advise that most value is brought to those experiences intersects with Robert’s own destruction of Jerusalem – a theme which is Tenebrae with prior choral experience and suggest research in the fields of music and theology, echoed in Byrd’s Ne irascaris, Domine – and Nigel Short conductor participants should either be familiar with providing fresh insight into how music has the concert also includes Phillipe de Monte’s Reverend Graham Buckle cleric-in-residence the scores or be confident sight-readers. always played a part in social rituals and setting of verses from Psalm 137 and Byrd’s Scores will be provided on the day and the emotional processes relating to loss in its Gesualdo Tenebrae Responsories for direct response, Quomodo cantabimus. Sir workshop will last two hours. many forms. James MacMillan’s settings of the Tenebrae Workshop participants are entitled to Wed 8 April 6.30pm Responsories, from which this award-winning A moving sequence of devotional a 10% discount (within the same transaction) £10 when purchased with a ticket choir takes its name, provide contrast and Tenebrae settings and responses performed to Tenebrae’s evening concert. for the evening concert; £15 when clarity in their searing harmonic language. by candlelight. purchased individually tenebrae-choir.com tenebrae-choir.com tenebrae-choir.com

Wed 8 April 11.00am Wed 8 April 8.00pm Wed 8 April 10.15pm £20 (£14) £35, £28, £22, £14 Free admission

8 Box Office020 7222 1061 Box Office020 7222 1061 9 MAUNDY THURSDAY GOOD FRIDAY —— —— Christian Forshaw Tenebrae © Sim Cannetty-Clarke Stephen Layton © Keith Saunders

BACH: ST JOHN PASSION Polyphony Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment The Choir of Royal Holloway Robert Murray evangelist Neal Davies jesus Mary Bevan soprano THE CHOIR OF Iestyn Davies alto ROYAL HOLLOWAY DROP, DROP, SLOW TEARS Ruairi Bowen tenor Christian Forshaw saxophone Ashley Riches bass Crucifixus Tenebrae Consort Stephen Layton director Graham Walker cello Nigel Short director Polyphony and the OAE return to SJSS Rupert Gough director Gibbons Drop, drop slow tears under Stephen Layton, performing Bach’s Lotti Crucifixus (a8) Hildegard von Bingen arr. Short O vos St John Passion. Bach’s sublime music, Geoffrey Gordon Crucifixus for double choir imitatores performed by top soloists, choir and & cello (UK premiere) Forshaw Renouncement orchestra in a beautiful building – this The Reproaches Lotti Crucifixus (a10) Victoria is an experience not to be missed. Short Tenebrae Responsories: Una hora • Leighton Crucifixus pro nobis Tenebrae factae sunt stephenlayton.com/polyphony ) Caldara Crucifixus (a16 Tallis arr. Forshaw O nata lux oae.co.uk This programme takes as its starting point Forshaw In paradisum Absterge Domine • Te lucis ante the famous 8-part Crucifixus setting by the Tallis Fri 10 April 2.30pm terminum Italian composer Antonio Lotti, but also £60, £50, £40, £25 Gibbons arr. Short Drop, drop slow tears includes the more developed 10-part setting before concluding with the richly elaborate Virtuoso saxophonist Christian Forshaw is 16-part setting by Antonio Caldara – also from joined by Nigel Short and a consort of LITURGICAL EVENT III Venice but 100 years later. Geoffrey Gordon’s Tenebrae singers in an ethereal sequence of LITURGICAL EVENT II The Westminster Consort contemporary setting is inspired by Lotti’s penitential settings for Holy Week. Combining Tenebrae Tom Robson director masterpiece and creates a vivid soundscape elements of ancient and modern to stunning Nigel Short conductor Reverend Graham Buckle cleric-in-residence with double choir and the plaintive voice of a effect, Forshaw and Tenebrae bring new Reverend Graham Buckle cleric-in-residence solo cello. Kenneth Leighton’s 3-movement colours and context to music by Gibbons, Victoria Tenebrae Responsories for Gesualdo Tenebrae Responsories for Good Friday Cantata Crucifixus pro nobis breaks away Tallis, and Hildegard von Bingen in a series of from the liturgical text, setting a more new arrangements and compositions, many of A moving sequence of devotional A moving sequence of devotional Tenebrae visionary, mystical triptych of poems by the which will be performed for the first time in Tenebrae settings and responses performed settings and responses performed by 17th-century writer Patrick Carey. this reflective concert. by candlelight. candlelight, featuring lay clerks from chapelchoir.co.uk tenebrae-choir.com tenebrae-choir.com Westminster Cathedral.

Thu 9 April 1.05pm Thu 9 April 7.30pm Thu 9 April 10.15pm Fri 10 April 9.00pm £15 (£10), YF £35, £28, £22, £14, YF Free admission Free admission

10 Box Office020 7222 1061 Box Office020 7222 1061 11 HOLY SATURDAY EASTER SUNDAY —— —— Musica Secreta Manahan Thomas Elin

MUSICA SECRETA Darkness Into Light Deborah Roberts & Laurie Stras directors Musica Secreta present the London premiere of a major new discovery, the complete setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah for Good Friday by Antoine Brumel. It has been known for many years in a much abbreviated form, but the complete work, found in ‘Pure Pleasure’ – The Guardian a 16th-century manuscript by Musica Secreta’s co-director ‘Supersize Polyphony’ – The Times Laurie Stras, reveals a monumental and dramatic allegory ‘Splendid’ – The Independent of the Passion story. The programme also features rare gems of Lenten polyphony from a Florentine convent. BACH: B MINOR MASS

Programme: From Darkness Into Light – the complete Armonico Consort © Peter Marsh Armonico Consort Lamentations of Jeremiah for Good Friday by Elin Manahan Thomas soprano Antoine Brumel Christopher Monks director “P.M.” manuscript, Florence, 1559 Deborah Roberts © Brighton Hove Photography It could be argued that J. S. Bach’s Mass in Antoine Brumel Lamentationes Hieremiae Prophetae, in B Minor should have been titled ‘Bach’s feria sexta Parasceve • Heth. Cogitavit Dominus • Joth. Greatest Hits’, for that is what Bach himself Sederunt in terra • Lamed. Matribus suis dixerunt • Nun. aimed to achieve with this masterpiece. Prophetæ tui viderunt • Gimel. Circumædificavit Composed over the final 25 years of his life adversum me and completed just one year before he died, Biffoli-Sostegni manuscript, Florence, 1560 the Mass is scattered with music and Anon. Salve Regina references that Bach considered to be his best Antonio Moro Sancta Maria succurre miseris work, and movements which he had allowed Anon. Adoramus te Christe / Domine Iesu Christe • Ave to develop over time and had returned to maris stella • Jesus autem jejunasset • Ecce nunc tempus • ‘perfect’ at a later date. Never performed Venite benedicti Patris • Multiplicati sunt qui tribulant me complete in his lifetime, the work is in effect • Haec dies quam fecit Dominus Bach’s own self-obituary, how he wanted to Attrib. Leonora D’Este Vespere autem sabbati be remembered by the world. musicasecreta.com Laurie Stras © Andrew Mason armonico.org.uk

Sat 11 April 7.30pm Sun 12 April 3pm £28, £22, £18, £14 £35, £28, £22, £14

12 Box Office020 7222 1061 Box Office020 7222 1061 13 BOOKING INFORMATION YOUR VISIT —— ——

PHONE CONCESSIONS AND REDUCTIONS St John’s Smith Square is just off Millbank between Westminster and 020 7222 1061 Available for many of our concerts Lambeth Bridges, close to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, Monday to Friday 10.00am – 5.00pm to senior citizens, full-time students, and a short walk from Westminster tube station. £2.75 booking fee applies registered unemployed, school children (under 16) and people who are registered disabled. Westminster CitySave card TUBE CAR PARKING ONLINE holders are entitled to a 10 discount Westminster, St James’s Park & Victoria St John’s Smith Square is within the congestion sjss.org.uk % on a pair of tickets for any public concert. charging zone. Parking meters are in operation £1.75 booking fee applies during the day Monday – Friday until 6.30pm. Parties of ten or more qualify for a BUS In the evenings and at weekends there are 10% discount. 3 and 87 to Horseferry Road IN PERSON C10 and 507 (limited hours) to Millbank usually ample spaces locally. There is Monday to Friday 10.00am – 5.00pm 88 to Horseferry Road Westminster City Council car parking on Great (until 6.00pm on public concert days). YOUNG FRIENDS SCHEME 11, 211, 148 and 24 to Westminster Abbey College Street and Arneway Street. The Box Office opens one hour before the If you’re aged 30 or under, make sure you start of Weekend and Bank Holiday concerts. sign up for our FREE Young Friends Scheme! No booking fee when booking in person. SANTANDER CYCLES RAIL Young Friends are entitled to purchase A docking station is located in Smith Square Victoria, Waterloo, Vauxhall & Charing Cross £5 tickets to concerts in our Thursday and there are also stations on Horseferry POST Lunchtime Concerts and other concerts Road, Page Street and Great College Street. Box Office, St John’s Smith Square, across the season. London SW1P 3HA Please enclose a stamped addressed Our Young Friends also receive: envelope. Cheques should be made • £5 tickets for selected concerts throughout payable to St John’s Smith Square. the season – you’ll find these marked St James’s Park Westminster lk Gr alongside the ticket information in the Birdcage Wa eat George St brochure with the code ‘YF’ Westminster Brid ge • Exclusive invitations to special events Parliament Sq. Toward Westminster Abbey Waterloo • Young Friends newsletter , • Targeted discounts Houses of Parliament

Tothill St Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey , ACCESSIBILITY St James’s Park St If you have access requirements, please oria Vict

inform our Box Office staff when booking G r

e

a

your tickets to help us provide you with the Toward t

S

Victoria Abingdon m

best possible service and choice of seats. We i t h River Gr S ea P t Co allocate an additional seat free of charge to t llege St Thames Old Pye St

disabled patrons who require a carer to St accompany them.

Great Peter St Great Peter St Nor Mar

Lord

th Smith

sham Millb S Square Please Note t

Ho M an We may need to substitute artists and to vary our concert St Dean

o

rsef k n Stanley programmes from the published information without c k St

erry Rd S

t warning. P Horseferry Rd De

an Horseferry Rd A

B Latecomers are admitted only at a suitable pause in the r , ra n R

e omney St

dley

w Toward

concert, as advised by the concert promoter. a Vauxhall y

St S Please note that tickets may not be refunded but may t Horseferry Rd be exchanged up to 48 hours before the performance, which Lambeth Brid Millbank ge will incur a £2 administration fee per ticket. , C Page St

14 Box Office020 7222 1061 Box Office020 7222 1061 15 HOLY WEEK FESTIVAL ——

A week of workshops, lunchtime recitals, evening concerts, and late-night liturgical events from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, exploring a vast range of sacred music in celebration of Holy Week. Cover: Tenebrae © Sim Cannetty-Clarke; Sophie Bevan © Sussie Ahlburg; Tallis Scholars © Nick Rutter; Nigel Short © Chris O’Donovan; St John’s Smith Square © Matthew Andrews

#HOLYWEEKFESTIVAL

@StJohnsSmithSq /StJohnsSmithSquare @TenebraeChoir /StJohnsSmithSquare /TenebraeChoir /StJohnsSmithSquare /TheTenebraeChoir /StJohnsSmithSquare /TenebraeChoir

Box Office020 7222 1061 sjss.org.uk tenebrae-choir.com

St John’s Smith Square Charitable Trust The Tenebrae Choir Registered Office: St John’s Smith Square International House, 7 High Street London SW1P 3HA London W5 5DB Registered in England Registered in England and Wales Company No. 3028678 Company No. 7549890 Registered Charity No. 1045390 Registered Charity No. 1142138