Bethlehem by Rutland Boughton
First performed in 1915, Bethlehem is a gorgeous ‘choral drama’ based on a Coventry mystery play.
Bethlehem by Rutland Boughton
New Sussex Opera follows its ‘Jaw-droppingly stupendous’ production of Lampe’s The Dragon of Wantley with a Chorus production of this magnificent but rarely heard work for soloists and chorus. First performed in 1915, Bethlehem is a gorgeous ‘choral drama’ based on a Coventry mystery play. Rutland Boughton’s music features beautiful choral writing, including wonderful arrangements of Christmas carols as you’ve never heard them before.
Boughton was a contemporary of Vaughan Williams, a friend of Thomas Hardy and George Bernard Shaw, who said of his music, “Now that Elgar is gone, you have the only original personal English style on the market... I find that I have acquired a great taste for it”.
The Music Director is Hamish Dustagheer, formerly Maestro di Capella of Malta Metropolitan Cathedral and now organist and choirmaster at St Bartholomew’s Church in Brighton. The director is Cate Couch, who has previously directed La traviata and Faust for NSO. Our talented team of soloists includes soprano Mehreen Shah as Mary, tenor James Beddoe as Herod, mezzo Mae Heydorn as Gabriel and Thomas Stevenson as Joseph.
Performances
Sunday October 27, All Saints, Lewes - 7pm
Friday 1 November, St Mary’s Kemp Town, Brighton - 7.30pm
Sunday 3 November, St Saviour’s, Eastbourne - 4pm
Saturday 9 November, St Paul’s, Chichester - 7pm
Saturday 23 November, St Mary de Haura, Shoreham - 7pm
More information: www.newsussexopera.org
Booking: www.ticketsource.co.uk/nso
Download the flyer here