Award-winning choir Tenebrae returns to Perth Festival of the Arts with a wide-ranging programme of music composed for the Virgin Mary. Over the centuries, the Queen of Heaven has inspired countless artists to create some of their most exquisite masterpieces, and this collection is one of dramatic contrasts.
The richness of Verdi and Grieg is juxtaposed with the serenity of Gregorian chant, and Parsons’ sixteenth-century setting of the Ave Maria sits alongside Bruckner’s high Romantic interpretation of the same text. A rare performance of Arnold Bax’s Mater ora filium is a particular highlight.
Described as “phenomenal” (The Times) and “devastatingly beautiful” (Gramophone Magazine), award-winning choir Tenebrae is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles renowned for its passion and precision.
Under the direction of Nigel Short, Tenebrae has twice secured the award for Best Choral Performance in the BBC Music Magazine Awards (2012 and 2016), and its recording of Fauré’s Requiem with the London Symphony Orchestrawas nominated for the Gramophone Awards (2013). In 2018, Music of the Spheres, Tenebrae’s album of part songs from the British Isles, received a Grammy nomination.
Tenebrae is renowned for its highly-acclaimed interpretations of choral music with repertoire ranging from the Renaissance through to contemporary choral masterpieces and has appeared at major festivals and venues including the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival, Leipzig Gewandhaus (Germany) and Melbourne Festival (Australia).