Among the most widely performed choral works in the repertoire, the Requiem is generally considered the greatest achievement of its highly influential French composer.
Ich habe genug, a solo cantata for bass voice, was first performed in Leipzig in 1727 for the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of five cantatas written for this now little-known feast day.
Near-supernatural in inspiration, and groundbreaking in their diversity of invention, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos stand among the greatest creative achievements of the 18th century. The two Violin Concertos feature OSJ’s longtime leader, Jan Schmolck.
NEW - season tickets for all six concerts at Dorchester Abbey September to December 2025. offering a discount of 15% off the standard price for Front area (front pews and side chapel) and 20% off Middle area (pews). FRONTS £136...
Tchaikovsky is deservedly celebrated for his symphonies, concertos, and ballet scores. The Nutcracker is universally popular, and (probably) the best-known of all music. His Symphony No. 5 in E minor is one of his beloved masterpieces.
PLUS the Concerto for Sackbut continues OSJ’s tradition of supporting new music.
Two sublime choral works from 1780 (Laudate Dominum) and 1791 (Ave Verum), with Ch’io mi scordi di te from 1786, feature our wonderful soprano soloist Hannah Davey. Simon Egerton-Smith, our artist-in-residence, has chosen the ‘Jeunehomme’ concerto, no known to refer to Victoire Jenamy, the pianist who inspired the work. We finish with Symphony 29 from 1774, a high point in his early symphonic writing.
The Mother Goose Suite (1908), originally written as a piano duet and later orchestrated, is a delightful and enchanting work that brings to life the magical world of fairy tales. The Piano Concerto in G – jazzy, virtuosic, fast moving – shows the influence of Ravel’s time in America in 1927-28.
Pulcinella marks a shift in Stravinsky’s musical thinking at the end of WW1, from the early ballets that secured his reputation, to a new spare style looking to the music of the 18th century.