Friday, May 16th, 2025
Quilter Cheviot presents ORA Singers: Liberté
Town Church Church Street JE2 4WA Saint Helier
Details
Directed by Suzi Digby OBE, the award-winning ORA Singers perform
Liberté
, a brand new programme constructed specially to mark the 80th Anniversary of Jersey's liberation from German occupation.
This moving programme will be a special tribute to Jersey and its occupation survivors. -
Stephen Fry, ORA President
The program begins with the stirring theme of The Armed Man, opening with the plainchant that inspired Palestrina's
Missa L’Homme Armé
. ORA presents three contrasting sections from this mass, interwoven with English choral works of mourning and consolation, with Thomas Hewitt Jones' tender miniature
Drop, Drop Slow Tears
, followed by a pairing of Tallis' serene
In Manus Tuas
alongside Jonathan Dove's English setting of the same text, before culminating with Stanford's timeless
Justorum Animae
.
At the heart of the program lies Herbert Howells’ deeply moving a cappella
Requiem
, an emotional centerpiece of unparalleled depth. The program features a work by acclaimed Polish composer, Paweł Łukaszewski, specially commissioned by local couple Debbie and Richard Prosser to mark the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Jersey from the German occupying forces on 9th May 1945. This work sets music to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Prayers in the Time of Distress; poignant writings born of the theologian’s faith under the grim shadow of a Nazi concentration camp, where he died just two weeks before its liberation
Included in the programme are Poulenc’s exquisite prayers set for men’s voices, before closing with
Liberté
, the last movement from Poulenc's choral cantata
Figure humaine
. Universally acknowledged as a crowning achievement in the realm of unaccompanied choral music, this finale sees the climax of the work where antiphonal choirs finally come together to sing
Liberté!,
with the tessitura rising to heavenly heights.
It has been a privilege to be President of ORA Singers since 2016 and to witness their growth into one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles. I am proud to see ORA honour the bravery of Jersey's occupation survivors with this moving programme to mark the 80th anniversary of liberation.
-
Stephen Fry, ORA President
All monies raised from the concert will support Music in Action’s outreach work with children in Jersey. To find out more see www.musicjersey.com
Seating & Tiers Information:
Tier 1 includes the best seats in the stalls and balcony, while Tier 2 consists of standard stalls seating and a few balcony seats. Seating is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
For assistance buying tickets, please contact Music in Action at 01534 761767 or email [email protected].
Quilter Cheviot presents ORA Singers:
Liberté
Programme
Anon -
L’homme arme
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina -
Missa L’Homme Armé - Kyrie
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina -
Missa L’Homme Armé - Gloria
Thomas Hewitt-Jones -
Drop, Drop Slow Tears
Thomas Tallis -
In manus tuas
Jonathan Dove -
Into thy hands
Francis Poulenc -
Quatre petites prières de Saint François d’Assise
Herbert Howells -
Requiem
- Salvator Mundi
- The Lord is my Shepherd
- Requiem Aeternam 1
- I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills
- Requiem Aeternam 2
- I heard a voice from heaven
Charles Villiers Stanford -
Justorum Animae
Paweł Łukaszewski -
Prayer in the Time of Distress
*
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina -
Missa L’Homme Armé - Agnus Dei
Francis Poulenc -
Liberte
from
Figure Humaine
*ORA Singers Commission and World Premiere