VIVA VOCE

OLD MASTERS - Tapestries of Renaissance polyphony from Robert Ramsey, William Byrd and the polychoral antiphony of Tomas Luis de Victoria

ORTHODOX ODYSSEY - Selected MAGNIFICAT ANTIPHONS of Arvo Pärt

OPALESCENT luminescence of Cecilia MacDowell’s O ORIENS

OTHERWORLDLY ONENESS -  Hildegard von Bingen’s text beautifully set for women’s voices AVE GENEROSA by Ola Gjeilo.

OBSESSION – Edgy nervous excitement of Matthew Martin’s ECCE CONCIPIES Annunciation

OSTENTATION - Medieval Minstrel Banquet entertainment - THERE IS NO ROSE, VERBUM CARO FACTUM EST

OBLATION - Quintessential English Ralph Vaughan Williams -  THE TRUTH SENT FROM ABOVE from Fantasia on Christmas Carols

OPTIMISM - ‘Period’ J. S. Bach from the piano, care of Chris Tyler. Evocations of London’s National Gallery wartime concerts with Myra Hess’ JESU, JOY OF MAN’S DESIRING

An improvisatory ‘free ramble’ through Percy Grainger’s ‘BLITHE BELLS’ -

Sheep may safely graze / Schafe können sicker weiden. 

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With atmospheric embellishment from Extreme 'cellists and the Viva Voce ‘company’

linking back to the Bach originals from

Cantata BWV 147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, and

‘Hunting’ Cantata BWV 208 Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd.

OMINOUS  -  Matthew Martin’s truly awesome ‘Homage to Anton Bruckner’  O REX GENTIUM

OMNIPOTENT – Passing shadows of Tallis, Bruckner and Joubert here, with added Eastern spice from the pen of James MacMillan with O RADIANT DAWN from his Strathclyde Motets

OBSERVANCE – Advent prose/poetry oratory