Saturday, 21 March 2026, 7pm

at St. George's Church, Beckenham BR3 1AX

​

Vivaldi, GLORIA

Pergolesi, STABAT MATER

Monteverdi, BEATUS VIR

Palestrina, SICUT CERVUS

​

Conducted by Mark Griffiths

​

With St Paul's Sinfonia

Rachel Ambrose Evans, Soprano

Clare Lloyd Griffiths, Soprano

Dominic Mattos, Counter Tenor

​

​Our Spring concert will feature Italian music of the Baroque and Renaissance periods.

 

Pergolesi’s hauntingly beautiful Stabat Mater is a heart-rending meditation on death and suffering. A hymn of sorrow and celestial beauty, it is known for its emotional radiance and exploration of maternal grief. It was written a few weeks before the composer's untimely death at the age of 26.

 

By contrast, Vivaldi’s ever-popular Gloria is a joyful and virtuosic masterpiece, blending operatic flair with sacred devotion. The music ranges from high-energy choruses to intimate and tender arias giving it an immediate and universal appeal. Truly a masterclass in choral writing from a composer at the top of his form.

 

Completing the programme are two short earlier works. Monteverdi’s captivating six-part Beatus Vir with its tuneful soprano lines and duelling violins is balanced by Palestrina’s four-part polyphonic motet Sicut Cervus, a setting of Psalm 42.​​​