Hymn to the Virgin
Music by Palestrina, Byrd and more
Inspired by the season of Advent and the magnificent architecture and acoustics of Douai Abbey, “Hymn to the Virgin” brings together music from two distinct periods in veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The programme alternates between William Byrd’s Propers for Advent from his first book of Gradualia and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina’s Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater. Nestled among the Renaissance treasures are beloved works for the season by Benjamin Britten and Herbert Howells plus music by living composers Gabriel Jackson, Kerensa Briggs and Judith Weir. This Advent, join Reading Bach Choir in preparation and anticipation for the joy of the coming Christmas season.
