The First Nowell / City Of London Choir & Britten Sinfonia

A gorgeous anthology of music heralding the festive season, including Britten’s much-loved A Ceremony of Carols in an arrangement for mixed voices, and a touching miniature for strings by Florence Price.

Two enchanting works by Gerald Finzi set scenes of wonder. Magnificat is Mary’s song of joy on discovering she is to have a baby; In Terra Pax, set on a frosty Gloucestershire hillside, imagines the astonishment of shepherds receiving news of the Nativity from exultant angels.

From Annunciation to Epiphany, the whole Christmas story is encapsulated in Vaughan Williams’ The First Nowell, a sequence of Christmas music for choir and orchestra. Rarely performed, it is laced with well-known carols, combining warmth and freshness.

The Britten Sinfonia joins the City of London Choir for its first Christmas concert under the baton of Daniel Hyde.

Generously supported by the Vaughan Williams Foundation.