 |
| Sinfonia Smith Square’s Christmas Festival |
It’s had a bit of a name change, but the Christmas Festival is returning to Smith Square this December for a programme of seasonal specials and favourites, with concerts from 9 to 23 December 2024 at Smith Square Hall (formerly St John’s Smith Square).
Anna Lapwood and the choirs of Pembroke College begin things on 9 December with A Pembroke Christmas featuring music by John Rutter, David Bednall, and Kristina Arakelyan, plus Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols and Patricia Van Ness’ The Nine Orders of the Angels: Archangelus. Then on 12 December, National Youth Voices join Sinfonia Smith Square and conductor Nicholas Chalmers for an evening Christmas choral classics including music by John Rutter, Errollyn Wallen, Matthew Martin and Judith Weir, plus Finzi’s In Terra Pax and RVW’s Fantasia on Christmas Carols.
Christmas with the London Mozart Players sees the orchestra’s brass ensemble performing festive favourites, then Eric Whitacre and the Eric Whitacre Singers are joined by pianist Christopher Glynn for a Christmas programme that mixes Whitacre’s own music with that by Anna Lapwood, Philip Stopford, Kristina Arakelyan and Shawn Kirchner. And of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without The Snowman with Sinfonia Smith Square, conductor Ellie Slorach providing live accompaniment to the film and its animate sequal, The Snowman and the Snowdog.
Graham Ross conducts the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge in Bethlehem Star, programme of carols and motets including choral works by Rheinberger, Arvo Pärt, Reena Esmail, James Whitbourn, Cecilia McDowall, Jonathan Dove, and Clare College alumnus John Rutter. Then for something a little bit different, Opera Holland Park will be presenting two semi-stage performances of Will Todd’s musical retelling of A Christmas Carol, directed by Martin Duncan with Alys Roberts, Fleur de Bray, Charlotte Badham, Victoria Simmonds, Charne Rochford, Julien Van Mellaerts, Robert Winslade Anderson and Paul Carey Jones and actor Kim Benjamin. London Choral Sinfonia (LCS) present Christmas Fantasia with RVW’s piece making its second appearance alongside the winner of LCS Carol Competition.
Stephen Layton, Polyphony and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment make two appearances at the festival. First there are the first three parts of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with soloists Anna Dennis, Iestyn Davies, James Gilchrist and Neal Davies, then bringing the festival to a close is Handel’s Messiah with Anna Dennis, Iestyn Davies, James Gilchrist and Neal Davies.
Full details from the Sinfonia Smith Square website.
