© Kaupo Kikkas
© Kaupo Kikkas
(Fri 5 Dec 2025 8.00pm Little Missenden Church)
Siglo de Oro: Hannah Ely soprano Rebekah Nießer-Jones alto Chris Fitzgerald-Lombard tenor Patrick Allies baritone, director Sam Mitchell bass
Spinacino Consort: Eric Thomas lute, theorbo Aaron McGregor violin Claire Horáček bass viol
John Playford (collected) Granny’s Delight; Drive the Cold Winter Away; The Beggar Boy; Paul’s Wharf; A Wassail Tune
Anon (16th century) As I Outrode This Enderes Night;
Thomas Ravenscroft Remember, O thou man
Trad. Irish The Darkest Night in December
Anon arr. Thomas Hamond Sweet was the song the Virgin sang
William Byrd In winter cold; O magnum mysterium
Trad. English The truth sent from above
Richard Smert (attrib) Sir Christemas
Martin Peerson Upon my lap my soveraigne sits
Broadside Ballad (17th century) Hey for Christmas
Programme Notes are available here and full texts here. Both will also be available free at concert
Picture the scene. It’s 24th December at some point in the mid-17th century. You’ve just arrived at your relatives for Christmas at their house in London. After weeks of restraint during Advent, they have 12 days of revelry lined up for you. There will be feasting: meat, cake, custard, ale. But more importantly, there will be lots of music.
Everyone will join together to sing the beautiful carols – some traditional and others only recently composed – but just as important would be the dancing. No room for that today, given 20th century arrangements in the church (things would have been rather different in the Middle Ages), but our instrumentalists will have no problem creating the right festive atmosphere and the vocalists will match them, with hearty tunes hailing the special delights of this season: food, drink, carols, carousing, and warming fires.
Led by Patrick Allies, Siglo de Oro is one of the leading vocal ensembles of its generation, praised for its golden tone, seamless blend, and innovative programming. They have made six critically- acclaimed recordings and they closed our Festival here in Little Missenden in 2021.
“Here is a choir in which all the elements are held in perfect equilibrium. Patrick Allies ponders every note before moulding lines whose suppleness in turn coalesce into a breathing, organic whole. He ferments vigour, urgency and narrative sweep” BBC Music Magazine
The Spinacino Consort is a Scottish-based early music ensemble dedicated to reimagining the music of the 16th and 17th centuries in passionate and engaging performances. Their programmes are grounded in the latest musicological research, uncovering lost works and providing new contexts. Having graduated from specialist early music postgraduate courses, their members are leading early career performers in Scotland, performing with the finest ensembles in the UK including the Ancient Academy of Music, Dunedin Consort, Concerto Caledonia, RSNO, and the Linarol Consort of Viols.
Siglo de Oro and Spinacino Consort would like to thank the Continuo Foundation and GEMMA Classical Music Trust for their support.
Online booking is managed by TicketSource. This event may be booked from the Tickets link on this page but, when booking for multiple events, it may be more convenient to use our Little Missenden Festival page on TicketSource.
Fri 5 Dec 2025 8.00pm
Little Missenden Church
£30, £22, £12
Online booking is managed by TicketSource. This event may be booked from the Tickets link on this page but, when booking for multiple events, it may be more convenient to use our Little Missenden Festival page on TicketSource.