Britten, Rejoice in the Lamb: Parry, Songs of Farewell
Saturday 1 November 2025, 8pm
New College Chapel, OX1 3BN
Tickets £6-£14
Programme:
Benjamin Britten, Rejoice in the Lamb (Op.30) Hubert Parry, Songs of Farewell Britten, Te Deum in C
The Wykeham Consort, directed by Patrick Maxwell, perform two landmark works of twentieth-century choral music. Benjamin Britten's setting of the poetry of Christopher Smart is a brilliant and joyful portrayal of the poet's unorthodox Christianity; its characterful solo movements combined with some stirring and beautiful choral writing in one of Britten's best-loved works.
Hubert Parry's Songs of Farewell were written written with the Chapel New College in mind. These six works of secular and religious poetry take the genre of the English part-song to startling levels of emotional intensity. Finished in anticipation of the Parry's own end in 1918 and the passing of his Anglo-German intellectual world, they remain a powerful testament to a departing age.