St Peter’s Singers bring Lutheran Christmas to west London
The music of Christmas within the Lutheran tradition is centred upon the chorale. These hymns of the church - many of which remain well-known to us today - are often based upon popular or adapted folk songs and have a noble simplicity.
Composers such as Bach and Praetorius provided plain settings for congregational use, but also used the melodies as the starting point for music of delicious invention and ornamentation to be sung by choirs and instruments.
Tunes such as In dulci jubilo, Resonet in laudibus and Quem pastores laudavere are well-known. Others, such as Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, will be reminiscent through their adapted uses in works for choirs popular in concerts and services.
In the candlelit surroundings of St Peter's Church, Hammersmith, and accompanied by the period instrumentalists of Interplay, St Peter's Singers bring you a Lutheran Christmas, drawing on music by Bach, Buxtehude, Praetorius, Rheinberger and Mendelssohn.
November 19, 2008
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