Armada!- English and Spanish choral music of the 16th century

Turbulent times in Europe.

At the heart of events that led to the Spanish Armada threatening the coast of England in 1588 were Philip II, the 60-year-old monarch of Spain, who saw himself as the defender of Catholicism in Europe, and Elizabeth I, Queen of Protestant and powerful England.

But though divided by politics and war, the two nations of these powerful monarchs were united in enjoying a cultural golden age, nowhere more so than in the field of liturgical choral music. In a programme which will inspire a new recording to be released later this year, Collegium Musicum of London presents a vivid selection of works by English and Spanish composers active in these tempestuous times. From the ethereal beauty of Parsons’s Ave Maria and Victoria’s four-part Requiem, through the virtuosity of Byrd’s Eastertide Haec Dies to the sumptuous magnificence of Guerrero’s 12-part Duo Seraphim, the concert celebrates some of the finest music of the Renaissance era, in the splendid setting of London’s oldest church – St Bartholomew The Great in Smithfield.

Described by music writer Roger Scruton as having provided a “benchmark” for Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, after the choir’s outstanding performance of the work last June, Collegium Musicum of London Chamber Choir – under the expert direction of Greg Morris – is rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the capital’s leading chamber choirs.