Fitzhardinge Consort & Bristol Ensemble

Ralph Vaughan Williams
Suite for Viola
Valiant-for-Truth
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Lord, Thou Has been Our Refuge
Serenade to Music
Charterhouse Suite
Fantasia on Christmas Carols

Thomas Tallis  Tunes from Archbishop Parker’s Psalter

St George’s Bristol rounds off its celebration of Ralph Vaughan Williams in his 150th anniversary year with a special choral and orchestral tribute performed by Bristol Ensemble and the Fitzhardinge Consort.

The programme explores different influences on the composer, from his love of metrical psalms which is clearly evident in his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Lord, Thou Hast been Our Refuge – including a performance of the original psalm settings to demonstrate this – to his detailed research around English folk-melodies which form the basis of his popular Fantasia on Christmas Carols, an opportunity to hear some seasonal music in a different guise.

The programme also includes the rarely-performed Charterhouse Suite, a charming set of dances in the English style, and the sublime Serenade to Music, for sixteen solo voices, setting words from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.  Rachmaninov was at the first performance of the work and was so overcome by the beauty of it that he wept.

Tickets are £10 to £30, available from St George’s Bristol box office online and by phone on 0117 929 4929. A 5% booking fee applies online and over the phone. A £2 postage fee is charged where applicable.