Birmingham Bach Choir

The choir will perform Victoria’s Tenebrae Responsories, alongside Poulenc’s Quatre motets pour un temps de penitence.

Written in the 1570s, Tomás Luis de Victoria’s 18 Tenebrae Responsories for choir and soloists are among the Spanish composers’ most inspired works.

Tenebrae (Latin for ‘shadows’ or ‘darkness’) is a Christian religious service celebrated on the evening before or early morning of the last three days of Holy Week – Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Music and candles play a large part in the service. Whilst the liturgy is sung the church is lit by 15 candles (representing the 11 apostles, the three Marys, and Christ) on a triangular stand. As each psalm is chanted, a candle was extinguished, so that after the 14th psalm only the highest candle, representing Christ, is still alight, leaving the church in near darkness.

Continuing the spiritual theme, this work is contrasted by a performance of Francis Poulenc’s Quatre motets pour un temps de penitence, completed in 1939 – three years after the French composer had rediscovered his Roman Catholic faith following the death of several friends.