Spem in alium

Imagine the sound of heaven itself. A single voice calls out in the silence; then another, and another until the whole universe is revolving and resounding with sensuous, sacred song. Thomas Tallis’ extraordinary Spem in alium is a landmark of Renaissance music – a towering 40-voice motet that seems to create its own sense of time and space. Every performance is a special occasion, and that goes double when it involves The Tallis Scholars, the British choir that for more than 50 years has ranked among the world’s pre-eminent performers of early vocal music.

Tonight, Spem in alium is the centrepiece of a whole evening of choral masterworks: music that belongs to eternity yet somehow always feels new.