Christmas Spectacular
Musica Sacra
John Wells & Nicholas Forbes organists, APO Brass & Percussion, Musica Sacra choir and Indra Hughes conductor
including John Rutter’s Gloria
Musica Sacra’s debut performance was a Christmas concert in December 1998 at
St Michael’s, Remuera, and since then the choir’s annual Christmas concert, almost
always on the last Saturday before Christmas, has become an established fixture in
Auckland’s musical scene. As audiences grew the venue changed to Holy Sepulchre,
Khyber Pass and then to St Patrick’s Cathedral; in 2010, with the arrival of the
superb new organ, we moved to the Town Hall for our thirteenth Christmas concert,
a ‘Christmas Spectacular’ with the brass and percussion from the Auckland
Philharmonia Orchestra. This recording presents selections from the programmes of
that concert and of the 2011 Christmas Spectacular concert. This is not a live concert
recording: it was made in sessions in July and September 2011.
This recording balances a number of different elements, all with a Christmas theme:
choral showcases for Musica Sacra; an organ solo by the City Organist and Musica
Sacra Organist, John Wells; the splendour of the brass both by itself and in combination
with the choir and organ; and a blend of familiar and new pieces from New Zealand
and around the world. There is some ‘serious’ classical music as well as lighter, more
popular fare: we think that there is something for everybody in this programme, and
we hope that you enjoy it.
www.musicasacra.org.nz
Recorded at Auckland Town Hall, New Zealand on 5 and 12 July and 18 September 2011.
This recording has been made possible through the generous support of the Donny Charitable Trust.
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