Instruments of Time & Truth and Oxford Consort of Voices celebrate the 80th birthday of their conductor Edward Higginbottom, for almost four decades Director of Music at New College, Oxford, with an evening of sublime Baroque music in the University Church.

Purcell's glorious 1692 Ode for St Cecilia's Day, Hail! Bright Cecilia, falls on the eve of the patron saint of music's own feast day. It is paired with the Dies irae of Michel-Richard de Lalande, composed in 1690 for the funeral rites of the French Dauphine and performed here in the 300th anniversary year of his death. These two works, very close in time, mark a high point of the French and English Baroque traditions, and reveal how differently they speak.

The evening ends with the last of Handel's magnificent coronation anthems, My heart is inditing, with additional ripienists joining the chorus.

14 soloists from Oxford Consort of Voices join a large period-instrument ensemble drawn from Instruments of Time & Truth: strings, oboes, flutes, bassoon, lute, trumpets and drums.

Programme:
Henry Purcell Hail! Bright Cecilia (Ode for St Cecilia's Day)
Michel-Richard de Lalande Dies irae
George Frideric Handel My heart is inditing

Performers:
Oxford Consort of Voices
Instruments of Time & Truth
Edward Higginbottom conductor

Oxford students can use the code OXON30 for 30% off student tickets until 4 November.