Chairman: Anne McDowell     -     Musical Director: Anne Evans     -     Treasurer: Martin Goodier     -      Ticket Secretary: Alex Hall

Aliquando’s concert  on 24 November is a celebration of Christmas, taking in the Old Testament with Solomon’s “Song of Songs”, by Patrick Hawes (read more...) and the beginning of the New with the birth of Christ in “Christmas Oratorio” by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) - his “Christmas Oratorio” is “a most beautiful and enduring work that captures the magic and mystery of the Christmas story and makes a delightful substitute for the predominance of Messiah performances." The Christmas Oratorio is scored for soloists, chorus, harp, organ and string quartet - Akina Quartet and doublebass - Li Boberg (read more...). It opens with a pastoral prelude, followed by the soloists who tell the familiar story of the shepherds abiding in the field and the angel’s appearance accompanied by the heavenly host singing the first chorus, “Glory to God in the Highest.”  A series of beautiful arias, duets and a mighty chorus follow until the trio sings “My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord” accompanied by harp. A quartet and quintet and chorus continue the work, to the final “Alleluia”.

Patrick Hawes has written some of the most inspirational and sublime music of the new millennium. ”Song of Songs” was “CD of the Week” on Classic FM and is centred around a six-movement chamber work for “choir, strings and harp” and marks Patrick‘s first collaboration with the brilliant soprano Elin Manahan Thomas (read more...). Patrick’s work with Claire Jones (read more...), came about when she performed his composition “The Highgrove Suite” for its première before a private audience at Highgrove in June 2010, with The Philharmonia Orchestra & with Patrick conducting.