The celebrated choral ensemble Tenebrae and the equally celebrated Britten Sinfonia joined forces in a devout concert for Holy Week

Graham Sutherland: The Crucifixion - St Matthew's Church, Northampton

Edmund Finnis, Allegri, Barber, Victoria, James MacMillan; Tenebrae, Britten Sinfonia, cond: Nigel Short; Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Suffolk
Reviewed by Tony Cooper, 2 April 2026

The Maundy Thursday concert at Snape Maltings comprised a reflective Passiontide programme featuring Allegri’s Miserere, Victoria’s Tenebrae Responsories, Barber’s Adagio for Strings and most fittingly James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross

Acting as a curtain-raiser to Tenebrae and Britten Sinfonia's well-conceived Passiontide concert held on Maundy Thursday, the first day of the Holy Triduum of Easter commemorating the institution of the Eucharist, Edmund Finnis' Hymn (an arrangement of the penultimate movement of the composer's String Quartet No.1 Aloysius of 2018) co-commissioned by Alois Lageder and the Aldeburgh Festival in 2023, was so pleasurable to hear in the confines of the Snape Maltings Concert Hall.

Dedicated to the Lageder family, this delightful six-minute work based on Byrd’s setting of the fifth-century hymn Christe, qui lux es et dies (sung at Compline during Lent) found the strings of the Britten Sinfonia bright and alert to Finnis' clear and distinctive writing in a work that offered a prayer for light over darkness which I found inspiring and contemplative to the core.

In fact, the contemplative nature of the concert was greatly enhanced by the continuity of the programme being delivered without applause between items thereby creating a sense of reverence and shared reflection in which the silence seemed as meaningful as the music itself.

Following the Finnis piece, the well-drilled and articulate singers of Tenebrae, under the direction of their founder, Nigel Short, broke forth with Allegri's sublime and mystical work, Miserere (Miserere mei, Deus / Have mercy on me, O God), a renowned 17th-century choral setting of Psalm 51 written for the Tenebrae services of Holy Week.

The text focuses on themes of repentance and a plea for spiritual cleansing therefore a profoundly penitential piece highly characterized by its haunting and ethereal polyphony writing so well-known for its high vocal line stamping the credentials of Allegri on a fine piece of writing.

Officials of the Vatican banned Miserere being performed outside of the Sistine Chapel which fostered a legendary mystique around it which was blown when a 14-year-old boy, namely Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, transcribed the work by ear after witnessing a performance in the Vatican's iconic chapel. In fact, the work was always performed on Good Friday beneath the adorned Sistine ceiling decorated by frescoes by Michelangelo thereby bridging traditional sacred art with contemporary music.

A renowned and deeply melancholic orchestral piece dating from 1936, Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, a cornerstone of American classical music and frequently used in times of mourning, perfectly fitted this well-curated programme.

Originating from Barber's String Quartet in B minor, the composer suitably arranged the second movement (Molto adagio) for string orchestra in 1938 at the request of conductor, Arturo Toscanini, who premièred the work - which found favour at the funerals of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Albert Einstein and Princess Grace of Monaco - on a radio presentation.

One of the most recognizable pieces of classical music in the repertoire punctuated by its meditative arch-like structure featuring a single evolving melodic line intertwining through different string sections Adagio was sublimely and richly played by the Britten Sinfonia to mesmerising effect.

Sung to texts from the gospels and from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, the Tenebrae Responsories of 1585 by Victoria are always lovely to hear especially when performed by Tenebrae. Written for the Tenebrae service of darkness where candles are progressively extinguished to signify the gathering darkness of the Crucifixion, the work's a celebrated and masterful composition of the Spanish Renaissance offering an intense, emotive and concise musical setting of the Passion narrative thus reflecting upon Christ's suffering.

Therefore, it's a core part of the choral repertoire for Holy Week and known for its intense, dramatic and sombre tone reflecting the themes of betrayal, suffering and loss as exemplified in the well-loved movements: O vos omnes and Tenebrae factae sunt.

The second half of the programme was devoted to James MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross, a powerful 45-minute cantata for choir and string orchestra commissioned by BBC Television for Holy Week in 1994 performed by Cappella Nova and the BT Scottish Ensemble under Alan Tavener.

The traditional text of the work - known for its high tension, dramatic silences and a lamenting style expressing profound sorrow - is based on a compilation from all four gospels to form a sequential presentation of the last seven sentences uttered by Christ.

From the opening phrase Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do to the closing phrase Father, into Thy hands I commend my Spirit, voices and strings came together in unison delivering a cherished account of such a dramatic and thought-provoking work.

Dramatically, the words of the final phrase are loudly exclaimed in anguish three times by forceful voices with the strings taken over slowly reducing their volume and tempo simultaneously ending the work in practical silence.

Nigel Short found the right balance between voice and strings thereby offering a fine interpretation of such a meditative, sensitive and serene work that more than punctuates the deep Catholic faith that this well-loved Scottish composer harbours.

As an aside, I heard James MacMillan's latest work Angels Unawares which explores twelve biblical angel encounters advocating compassion and spiritual awareness broadcast by BBC Radio 3 on Sunday 29th March from the Sistine Chapel performed by The Sixteen and the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Harry Christophers. The featured soloists were soprano Elizabeth Watts and tenor Matthew McKinney.

The first choral work to receive its world première in the Sistine Chapel, the text comes from poetry written by the late Robert Willis, former Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, who died in 2024. Its UK première falls on Tuesday 2nd June (Elgar's birthday) at Cadogan Hall, London.

Although concerts are rarely staged in the Sistine Chapel, The Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia were there in 2018 premièring James MacMillan's Stabat mater, a 60-minute work and widely recognized as a modern masterpiece. The performance made history, too, as it became the first concert ever to be live streamed from the Sistine Chapel thereby reaching millions of viewers worldwide. 

 

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