bringing the enjoyment of music to all
Saturday 14th November 2026 – 7.45pm at St Swithun’s Church, Yateley
Britten: Saint Nicolas
2026 marks fifty years since the death of Benjamin Britten, one of the most distinctive British composers of the twentieth century. To commemorate the anniversary, Yateley Choral Society presents his colourful and dramatic cantata Saint Nicolas, alongside music by two composers Britten particularly admired: Mozart and Purcell.
Britten’s love of Mozart lasted throughout his life, and he particularly admired the clarity, elegance and economy of his writing. Our concert opens with two of Mozart’s shorter sacred works: the exuberant Veni Sancte Spiritus, written when Mozart was just 12, and the more contemplative Sancta Maria, mater Dei, composed nine years later.
If Mozart represented an ideal of musical clarity for Britten, Henry Purcell provided something closer to home. Britten regarded Purcell as one of the great masters of English vocal music and was fascinated by the vivid way in which he could set the English language to music. Our programme includes the profound Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts — composed for the funeral of Queen Mary II in 1695 and sung at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 — alongside the lighter theatrical pieces In these delightful pleasant groves and Nymphs and shepherds.
The concert culminates in Britten’s Saint Nicolas. Written in 1948, it tells the story of the fourth-century Bishop of Myra, whose legends eventually developed into our modern Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus. This is no cosy Christmas portrait, however: Britten brings the old stories vividly to life through Nicolas’s miraculous birth, a terrifying storm at sea, the restoration of three murdered boys to life, his years as a bishop and, finally, his death.
Across nearly three centuries, the programme traces a fascinating musical thread from Mozart’s elegance and Purcell’s instinct for words to Britten’s unmistakable musical voice. Join us as we mark the fiftieth anniversary of his death with the remarkable story of Saint Nicolas.
Admission £17 in advance from Yateley Town Council, St Swithun’s Parish Office and Discoveries or online at www.ticketebo.co.uk/ycs
Tickets also available on the door: Adults £20, Students £5, Under 16s free.
