The Sixteen at Spitalfields

By Penny Homer, 18 December 2013

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Reviewed at Christ Church, Spitalfields, London on 17 December 2013

Poulenc, Quatre petites prières de saint François d’Assise, FP 142: Salut, dame Sainte

Anonymous, Nowell: Out of your sleep

Anonymous, Sweet was the song the Virgin sung

Traditional, Sing we to this merry company

Poulenc, Salve Regina, FP 110

Anonymous, Nowell: In Bethlem

Anonymous, Angelus ad virginem

Anonymous, Make we joy

Poulenc, Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël, FP 152

Britten, Hymn to the Virgin

Britten, A Shepherd's Carol

Traditional, The Holly and the Ivy (arr. Britten)

Anonymous, The Salutation Carol

Britten, A Ceremony of Carols, Op.28

The Sixteen

Harry Christophers, Conductor

Opera North Children's Chorus

Bach and Gluck resound in Bath Abbey with The Sixteen

Roy Westbrook, 21st February

Large ecclesiastical buildings, with their hard surfaces and long high naves, are challenging for complex music like Bach’s.

****1

Angel of Peace: The Sixteen’s annual choral pilgrimage

Leighton Jones, 4th April

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen refresh their choral pilgrimage with works old and new, that show innovative programming at its imaginative best.

*****

Heavenly sounds from The Sixteen with Harry Christophers in Dublin

Andrew Larkin, 20th June

The Sixteen offer glorious tones, smooth polyphonic lines and vivid word paintings at the National Concert Hall.

****1

Uneven Mozart and Haydn from The Sixteen at Cadogan Hall

Mark Valencia, 16th February

The Sixteen’s work is spoilt by a shortage of violins and some uneven solo contributions. Such imperfections only serve to highlight the excellence of the very best.

***11

The Sixteen and Julian Joseph: a one-sided conversation

David Karlin, 27th January

The latest instalment of Kings Place's “Sound Unwrapped” series delivers wonderful musicianship in both jazz and early music, but not the promised “continuous fusion of styles”.

***11

Exalted Messiah: The Sixteen and Harry Christophers

Roy Westbrook, 6th December

How do you conduct the same over-familiar work for the 200th time, and make it sound quite new?

*****

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Penny Homer

Penny Homer graduated from the University of Nottingham with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2003, where she was also a choral scholar at St Barnabas Cathedral. She is keenly interested in arts and education, and her work across both includes stints at Akademi South Asian Dance UK and Benslow Music Trust. Additionally she worked for Edition Peters in their sales department before joining the Association of British Choral Directors as their Training Manager. Penny currently sings at Eton Lower Chapel, St Andrews Fulham Fields, Wimbledon Choral Society, Londinium and Vocal Constructivists, and continues her vocal studies with Ian Kennedy.

Spitalfields Music Winter Festival ends in style with The Sixteen