Hanging about in that part of Westminster is becoming a habit. The Abbey on the Friday…
…and that was not even my first visit of the week to Dean’s Yard…
…then this wonderful Tallis Scholars concert at the start of the St John’s Smith Square (SJSS) Holy Week Festival.
It is hard to explain why, as non-religious people, this type of religious music works so well for me and Janie. I suppose it is simply because we love the music of that Renaissance period and the finest music from the period tends to be the sacred rather than the secular music.
Janie and I enjoyed a pre concert and an interval drink in the crypt, a venue which Janie always enjoys. Great to see something close to a full house at SJSS too; we don’t so often see that, sadly. The place seems warmer when full.
Here is a link to the SJSS resources on this concert. For those who don’t wish to click, the main take away from that material is that this concert showcases music that was guarded by Popes during the high Renaissance within the confines of the Sistine Chapel.
Lots of Palestrina with the magnificent Allegri Miserere as the highlight to kick off the second half of the gig.
Here is a beautiful video of The Tallis Scholars performing the Miserere, albeit some 25 years ago:
As in that 1994 version, at our concert several of the voices spread out across the concert hall, to give an intriguing surround-sound effect.
Below, from that same 1994 concert I believe, is some Palestrina, Nunc Dimittis, not one of the pieces we heard in April 2019:
The Tallis Scholars are always top notch – so professional and such marvellous voices. We hadn’t seen them for a while…
…the last time we saw them I picked up from the encore the delightful Heinrich Isaac song, Innsbruck Ich Muss Dich Lassen, for my Gresham Society performance that year:
No such simplicity in April 2019 – The Tallis Scholars encore was Lotti’s Crucifixus for eight voices. At least seven-and-three-quarter voices above my pay grade.
Here is another mob, confusingly named Tallis Vocalis, all performing that lovely Lotti at an appropriate pay grade:
The Tallis Scholars concert we enjoyed 14 April 2019 was a simply lovely concert. If you ever get a chance to see them, we really do recommend them highly.