Temple Church's Winter Festival

The Temple Church and BBC Radio 3 are presenting their Winter Festival again this year with a fine selection of choral concerts at the Temple Church between 15 December and 19 December 2014. Things open on 15 December with the Belgian group, Vox Luminis, directed by Lionel Meunier in a programme called Puer Natus in Bethlehem with late Renaissance and early baroque music including music by Schutz, Scheidt and a couple of the other Bachs. Then on 16 December Stephen Layton directs Polyphony in a programme of English Christmas music with Byrd, Howells, Warlock, Leighton, Tavener and Wishart.

Temple Church

Things get men-only for the next two nights. First the all male vocal ensemble, Gallicantus, directed by Gabriel Crouch will be performing a programme of early polyphony with Tallis's Missa Puer natus est nobis at its centre. The following evening on 18 December, the men and boys of the Temple Church Choir, director Roger Sayer are joined by Temple Brass and Greg Morris, organ, for an eclectic programme which mixes Rutter, Walton and Britten with Nico Muhly and Eric Whitacre. Things stay eclectic with the final concert on 19 December when David Hill conducts the BBC Singers in a performance of Handel's Messiah with a fine young cast of soloists, Fflur Wyn, Robin Blaze, Samuel Boden and David Soar. The eclecticism comes from the fact that the accompaniment will be provided by the Norwegian Wind Ensemble (Det Norske Blåseensemble), a group which specialises in creating wind band versions of baroque classics.

On-line booking is from the Temple Music Foundation website.