A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten, with music by John Tavener and Arvo Pärt

Red Events and La Chapelle Sauvage present a radiant Christmas program around Benjamin Brittens A Ceremony of Carols. Under the direction of conductor Karel De Wilde, the concert takes place in the Saint Peter's Abbey in Ghent, where the centuries-old architecture forms a particularly atmospheric backdrop for choral music. Britten wrote this work in 1942 during a sea voyage from the Verenigde Staten to England, and it premiered the following year. This acclaimed cycle of twelve short movements for voices and harp unites Middle English and Latin texts with music of remarkable clarity, refinement and brilliance. Now mystical, then playful and radiant, A Ceremony of Carols has grown into one of the most beloved choral works of the Christmas season. Britten's masterpiece is complemented by sacred works by John Tavener and Arvo Pärt, composers whose music explores the deep connection between spirituality, silence and sound. Their meditative compositions bring peace and transcendence to the program and create a fascinating dialogue between diverse musical traditions and generations. Additional festive works complete this atmospheric musical journey and invite the audience to experience the wonder, peace and joy of the festive period through some of the most radiant and moving works from the sacred music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.