Britten — A Ceremony of Carols
An Evening of Luminous Christmas Music
After the grandeur of Handel, something smaller and more intimate — Benjamin Britten's luminous A Ceremony of Carols, written for treble voices and harp, weaving medieval English poetry with a childlike sense of wonder.
Benjamin Britten composed A Ceremony of Carols in 1942, aboard a troopship returning from the United States. Separated from his partner Peter Pears and surrounded by the chaos of wartime, he turned to medieval English texts and found in them a quiet, luminous beauty.
The work is scored for treble voices and harp — a combination that gives it an otherworldly quality, as if the music is drifting in from some distant, snow-covered chapel. Each carol is a small jewel: the playful energy of This little Babe, the serene beauty of There is no rose, and the haunting tenderness of In freezing winter night.
This December, Bury Choral Society performs Britten's beloved A Ceremony of Carols in the intimate surroundings of the United Reformed Church — a perfect setting for an evening of Christmas music that is both ancient and utterly alive.
Event Details
- Date: Tuesday 15 December 2026
- Time: 7:30 pm
- Venue: United Reformed Church, Bury
- Tickets: £12 standard / £6 students — on the door or online
- More info: burychoral.org
Programme
Benjamin Britten — A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28
- Procession
- Wolcum Yole!
- There is no rose
- That Yonge Child
- Balulalow
- As dew in Aprille
- This little Babe
- Interlude (Harp solo)
- In freezing winter night
- Spring Carol
- Deo Gracias
- Recession
Additional seasonal works to be announced.