December 3rd sees the Octavians return to Trinity Methodist Church for a concert entitled “The Mystery of Mary”. We’ll be singing several settings of the Ave Maria, which is probably the most well known prayer to the Blessed Virgin. However, there will be settings of other prayers which address her as Holy Queen or Mother of Mercy or Star of the Sea.

The composers featured range from the Baroque era through to the present day, and languages range through English, Latin, Italian and Old Church Slavonic! Some of the music will be very familiar, such as Rachmaninov Bogogroditse Dyevo (Ave Maria) from his Vespers, and solos by Caccini and Schubert. Other pieces have been performed by Octavians previously, such as Poulenc Salve Regina and Faure Maria Mater Gratiae.

We will also sing two settings of There is no rose of such virtue, one by Britten from the Ceremony of Carols and the other by Hampshire composer Martin Read. I sing of a maiden is the text chosen for a setting by another local 21st Century composer, Alison Willis. An atmospheric finale will be presented in the mesmeric music of Totus Tuus by Anton Gorecki, written for Pope John Paul II in June 1987.