Noel!

This hour-long programme brings together well-loved Christmas songs like Gaudete and In Dulci Jubilo, standards such as Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and contemporary carols by the likes of Judith Weir, Oliver Tarney and Alan Bullard. 

Noel! is a frequent refrain which the choir will sing in a number of different carols. One of these is an energetic new setting of a medieval text Noel, Noel, Noel  by the choir’s conductor Janet Wheeler - composed specially for this event. Unusually the text gives voice to Mary’s own ideas about mothering her child after the impending birth. This is one of two premières in the concert. The other is The Robin Carol - a beautifully reflective piece with words and music by choir member Sarah Cattley. Another composer in the choir is Andrew Bruce, whose lovely setting of There is no Rose, written for Granta Chorale a few years ago,…