22/04/2023, 7.30pm at Matthiaskirche, Winterfeldtplatz Berlin-Schöneberg
For centuries, choral music has been integral to coronation ceremonies, often with pieces composed especially for the occasion. To mark the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III, The Embassy Singers and the German Choir of London will perform the most famous of the coronation anthems, Handel’s Zadok the Priest, alongside pieces by Purcell, Parry, Stanford and Mendelssohn.
To add to the rich tapestry of coronation music performed in this concert, the choirs will premiere two newly commissioned pieces. In keeping with past coronations, Richard Pantcheff has set to music the words of Psalm 84, Behold, O God our defender. The second piece, In orbe, ad astra, by Christopher Fox, uses passages from The Paderborn Epic which extol the virtues of Charlemagne by celebrating universal human aspirations for a world in which wise counsel, scholarship and trans-national cooperation might flourish.
Extending the theme of the monarchy to love and loyalty, we will also perform Der König in Thule, Goethe’s poem, set to music by Zelter and arranged for the German Choir by V. Georgia.
Free entry!
