Internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Stile Antico performs music of war and peace in November, before the Abbey Choir is joined by soprano Mary Bevan for Handel’s Messiah in December.
Buckfast Abbey has announced two concerts this autumn and winter, bringing leading names in early music to one of the South West’s most striking sacred spaces.
STILE ANTICO: DISCORD TO HARMONY
Renaissance Music of War and Peace
Saturday 14 November, 7.30pm
Buckfast Abbey welcomes the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Stile Antico for a concert exploring conflict, diplomacy and peace in Renaissance Europe.
Spanning almost two centuries, from Guillaume Dufay to Heinrich Schutz, the programme traces how composers responded to an age marked by war, religious division and political upheaval, while also celebrating moments of reconciliation, alliance and hope. The programme includes the vivid sounds of battle in Clement Janequin’s extraordinary La Guerre, laments for fallen cities and lost generations, and radiant motets greeting the arrival of longed-for peace.
Renowned for its expressive singing and insightful programming, Stile Antico is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles. The concert promises a journey through some of the Renaissance’s most dramatic and beautiful music in the magnificent setting of the Abbey Church.
ABBEY CHOIR AND NOXWODE BAROQUE: HANDEL’S MESSIAH
Saturday 12 December, 7.30pm
The Choir of Buckfast Abbey presents George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, one of the most beloved and enduring masterpieces in Western music. Composed in just twenty-four days in 1741, the work traces the story of Christ through prophecy, passion, death, resurrection and ascension, and humanity’s redemption.
Joined by period-instrument ensemble Noxwode Baroque and a distinguished team of soloists, the Abbey Choir will bring Handel’s sacred masterpiece to life in the Abbey Church.
The concert features the celebrated British soprano Mary Bevan. Opera magazine has praised her “dramatic wit and vocal control”, and she is renowned for her performances of Baroque, Classical and contemporary repertoire, appearing regularly with leading orchestras and ensembles around the world.
“I am delighted that we have two particularly special concerts to look forward to before Christmas. Close to Remembrance Day, Stile Antico’s Discord to Harmony offers a poignant exploration of war, loss, reconciliation and peace through some of the finest music of the Renaissance, while in December our performance of Handel’s Messiah provides a fitting prelude to Christmas. We are fortunate to welcome musicians of this calibre to Buckfast, and I very much hope audiences will come and enjoy both concerts in the Abbey Church’s wonderful acoustic.” Matthew Searles, Master of the Music at Buckfast Abbey.
For more information and to book tickets, visit:
Stile Antico: Discord to Harmony – Renaissance Music of War and Peace
Saturday 14 November, 7.30pm
https://www.buckfast.org.uk/events/discord-to-harmony-renaissance-music-of-war-and-peace/
Abbey Choir and Noxwode Baroque: Handel’s Messiah
Saturday 12 December, 7.30pm