Britten and the French

THE Durban Chamber Choir will perform a programme featuring Benjamin Britten at 3pm at St Thomas Church, Musgrave Road, on Sunday 18 October.

Benjamin Britten is the composer of the main work featured in the Durban Chamber Choir’s forthcoming programme. Composed in 1943 for four-part choir and soloists with organ accompaniment, Rejoice in the Lamb is a setting of passages from a remarkable text by the 18th-century English poet Christopher Smart. It is a mystical vision of all things giving glory to their creator by being what they are, from nations and languages to musical instruments and flowers and the poet’s cat Jeoffrey.

Britten will also be represented on the programme by some of his arrangements of British folk songs, in which the familiar tunes sung by the solo voice are given an unexpected twist by Britten’s individual style appearing in the piano accompaniments.

The rest of the programme consists of a varied selection of French music for unaccompanied choir. The conductor is Christopher Cockburn and the organ accompanist is Jacques Heyns.

Tickets are available at the door and are R50/R30 concessions. Follow the Durban Chamber Choir on www.facebook.com/DurbanChamberChoir , or www.twitter.com@DnbChamberChoir