Pilgrim Partners - 9.08.06

A new partnership has been forged between the vocal ensemble Tenebrae and the London Symphony Orchestra. Former King’s Singer Nigel Short, who founded Tenebrae four years ago, tells how this came about: ‘We did several concerts for the City of London Festival over the years. Representatives from the LSO thought that certain repertoire might be better with a small, professional chamber choir; and we were very delighted when they asked us if we were interested in the idea. The first concerts will be this December, with Messiah and L’enfance du Christ with Sir Colin Davis conducting, so that will get the association off to a cracking start’. The LSO will use a smaller orchestra for Messiah and Tenebrae will increase to 34 singers, and 40 for the Berlioz.

Short says, ‘I hope this partnership will develop. We’ve done lots of a calleppa music of Poulenc, MacMillan and other contemporary composers, but we don’t have a regular orchestra backing us; this will allow us to tackle new repertoire and develop the group’s profile further.’

The ensemble has just completed its first pilgimage on the Santiago de Compostella route, giving six a cappella concerts from San Juan de Ortega to Ponferrada. The tour includes three performances of Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles, commissioned by the ensemble. Short comments: ‘Tenebrae’s a cappella concerts are by candlelight and we move around; but we didn’t want to move around just for the sake of it, we wanted to commission a work that is actually about a journey. Talbot did the pilgimage himself and it’s fantastic to have the chance to do it on the pilgrimage route itself’.

October sees the release on Signum of Miserere (SIGCD085), with Renaissance and contemporary works.