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Details
St George’s Roman Catholic Church
Billet Street
Taunton
Somerset
TA1 3NG
England
Programme
Anonymous – Laudes Regiae
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Missa Assumpta est Maria
Arvo Pärt – The Deer’s Cry
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Sicut Cervus
Robert White – Lamentations
James MacMillan – O Radiant Dawn
~ Interval ~
William Byrd – Ave verum corpus
Francis Poulenc – Salve Regina, FP 110
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Salve Regina (a 8)
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Exsultate Deo
Arvo Pärt – Magnificat
Performers
Laurence Blyth – guest conductor
Collegium Singers
Programme Note
Collegium Singers explore a programme of works by Palestrina (known as the Prince of Music) as part of the 500th anniversary of his birth. The choral journey takes in sacred Gregorian chant and a motet by Catholic composer James MacMillan, together with works by two of Palestrina's English contemporaries (William Byrd and Robert White).
Mary - the Queen of Heaven and mother of Jesus - is the focus for many of the works including Palestrina's "Missa assumpta est Maria". His "Salve Regina" gives an opportunity to include Francis Poulenc's 20th century setting of the same text, whilst the Marian theme allows a diversion to the Magnificat setting by Arvo Part (who celebrated his 90th birthday in September 2025).
