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L’enfance du Christ

St Peter’s Church, Colchester will be filled to the rafters on Saturday 10 December when The Pimlott Foundation present the oratario, L’enfance du Christ by Hector Berlioz. This hugely ambitious project brings together over 90 performers; a choir of 50, orchestra of 35 and 6 professional soloists, and is the fruition of months of hard work.

This seldom performed work is perhaps best known for The Shepherds’ Farewell (L’adieu des bergers), which Berlioz composed in 1850 as an organ piece, and later turned it into a choral movement. L’enfance du Christ tells the story of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt and of their protection by a family of Ishmaelites in the town of Sais. This story of a family taking refuge in a foreign land feels particularly relevant to today’s refugee crisis.

Thomas Atkins takes the role of Narrator, Thomas recently made his Royal Opera House debut as Faninal’s Major-Domo in Der Rosenkavlier. He is joined by Dominc Sedgwick as Joseph, Jerome Knox, Herod and local tenor Zachary Kleanthous as Centurion/Chorus. Pimlott Foundation sponsored students Catrin Pryce-Jones and Richard Moore will sing the parts of Marie and Polydorus/Le Pere. Christopher Borrett, Pimlott Foundation associate and Music Director of St Mary Le Tower is Choral Director and Michael Coleby of The Janus Ensemble will conduct.

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The performance will be in the original French, with translation available. The concert starts at 7.30pm, tickets are on sale now and are priced at £15, £8.00 children & students. To book please contact www.pimlottfoundation.org, 01206 271 291

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