The Sixteen

The Sixteen
Harry Christophers conductor

Plainsong Puer natus est nobis
Tallis ‘Gloria’ from Puer natus est nobis
Tavener The Lamb
Ord Adam lay bounden
Traditional Rejoice and be merry
James MacMillan O Radiant Dawn
Gabriel Jackson The Christ-child
Byrd Ave Maria
Plainsong Nesciens mater
Lambe Nesciens mater
Tallis Videte miraculum
Howard Skempton Adam lay ybounden
Pygott Quid petis, O fili?
Traditional A child is born in Bethlehem
Tavener O, do not move
Alec Roth Song of the Shepherds
Peter Phillips O beatum et sacrosanctum diem
Robert Parsons Ave Maria

In The Sixteen’s Christmas concert, which celebrates the relationship between the Virgin Mary and her newborn son, the uplifting beauty of Renaissance choral music is complemented by modern works rooted in the harmonies of sixteenth and seventeenth century polyphony. In addition to several masterpieces of early music, including the Gloria from Thomas Tallis’s majestic seven-part Christmas mass Puer natus est and Byrd’s glorious Ave Verum, the programme features compositions by contemporary composers who have been inspired by the majesty of choral music from an earlier era. The latter pieces include John Tavener’s The Lamb, a work of deceptive but profound simplicity, Boris Ord’s popular carol Adam lay ybounden, and Gabriel Jackson’s gorgeous The Christ-child, premiered in the 2009 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge.