The bite of Bach with Woodmansterne Collection at St Albans Abbey

A CHRISTMAS Oratorio is being presented in St Albans Abbey next Saturday evening, December 5, by The Woodmansterne Collection. The performance of Bach s Weihnachts Oratorium is being held on the eve of the Festival of St Nicholas – the night when childre

A CHRISTMAS Oratorio is being presented in St Albans Abbey next Saturday evening, December 5, by The Woodmansterne Collection.

The performance of Bach's Weihnachts Oratorium is being held on the eve of the Festival of St Nicholas - the night when children on the continent of Europe traditionally open their presents from Santa Claus.

For more than 20 years, local resident and director of the group Paul Woodmansterne has been bringing top-calibre musicians specialising in performance on authentic early instruments to St Albans.

His choir is hand picked, mixing local singers with others from the Philharmonia Chorus and the BBC Symphony Chorus. Local soloists, the soprano and tenor, Annabella Tysall and Rogers Covey-Crump, are joined by contralto Ruth Massey and bass Ben Davies.

Paul said: "I so much want to share with my friends, colleagues and fellow residents of St Albans some of the sheer joy I feel when I hear the music of Bach played well.

"With the support of the Woodmansterne greeting card business in Watford, we spend what it takes to secure world-class musicians, hire out the Abbey and put on a show to remember."

The concert begins at 7.30pm and some tickets are still available from the Abbey Information Desk on 01727 890256.