Britten and Brough

Church Window Mask

Sat 30 Nov 7.30pm

A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten and King John’s Christmas by Harvey Brough

  • St James’s aspires to be a place where all can belong, and where every person’s gifts and identities are welcome and celebrated. We are working to improve the experience at St James’s in the church building and the online community. We have step-free access from the courtyard to the church, and a toilet for disabled people. The courtyard and Redemption Roasters coffee shop are wheelchair accessible. If you have special access requirements (e.g. wheelchair users) please contact concerts@sjp.org.uk

  • After two sold out concerts in 2023, Vox Holloway return to St James’s with a programme looking ahead to Christmas. They sing two of Benjamin Britten’s early masterpieces A Ceremony of Carols and Rejoice in the Lamb, timeless works from 1943 which never lose their freshness.
    Juxtaposed with the Britten are new pieces by Harvey Brough – settings of AA Milne poems. Now We Are ( ) Six is a companion piece to A Ceremony of Carols, for Tenors and Basses rather than Sopranos and Altos, using some motifs from the Britten to illuminate AA Milne’s childlike but hugely insightful poems. It includes Us Two – the first appearance of a character called Winnie the Pooh.
    King John’s Christmas is a brand new setting (for SATB) of the beloved poem, the hilarious yet extraordinarily touching story of a king who has everything except his only true desire – a big, red india rubber ball.

    With soloists
    Eloise Irving Soprano
    Faith Waddell Soprano
    and
    Jean Kelly, Harp
    Michael Haslam, Organ

    Directed by Harvey Brough

    Running time, 2 hours with an interval.