Event

Britten: St. Nicolas Cantata

On the holiday music menu from Houston Chamber Choir is the St. Nicholas Cantata by Benjamin Britten performed prior to Christmas at the Villa on Saturday, December 5th, at 7:30pm at South Main Baptist Church. As a composer whose works are not necessarily synonymous with the holiday season, Britten paints the elaborate journey of St. Nicholas in a dramatic, colorful way depicting many Christmas traditions. This clever work portrays St. Nicholas' legendary tale from his birth to imprisonment, to the works of charity leading up to his final days. During moments of the cantata, dissonant phrases meet tuneful hymns of praise, while an intimate chamber-like setting is paired with the bombastic grandeur so representative of Britten's compositional style. The performance, accompanied by a chamber orchestra, will also feature The Treble Choir of Houston.