Joseph Jongen’s Mass, with canticles and songs by Alec Roth and Gustav Holst

The programme for this year's Concordia summer concert, a particularly adventurous one, features three brilliant composers who span the entire 20th century. The centrepiece of the evening is the Mass (Opus 130) by the Belgian composer and organist Joseph Jongen. This is one of the most memorable Mass settings of the mid-20th century, a powerful and dramatic work with moments of both great splendour and intense subtlety. If you're not familiar with this stunning piece of choral music, it will be a revelation.

We'll also be performing several short works by the exciting contemporary composer Alec Roth, most noted for his operatic collaboration with the famous writer Vikram Seth. These are Jubilate, Men and Angels, Magnificat and Nunc dimittis. To complete the programme, we present three diverse pieces by the great Gustav Holst: Nunc Dimittis, The Evening Watch, arguably the most interesting of his later choral works and the exquisite This have I done for my true love, probably his finest partsong, based on an ancient Cornish poem.

As a choir, Concordia's mission is to help our audiences extend their musical horizons as well as offering more established favourites. This is one such concert. So we do hope you'll join us on an exciting evening of musical discovery.