Sweet Strains that Soothe the Soul. Charivari Agréable perform Early Music by Candlelight.

Salve Regina, one of the seven programmes being presented in this series of nineteen concerts, consists of performances of settings of the Marian Antiphon (an ancient Latin hymn to the Virgin Mary) interspersed with sonatas played on chamber organ and Baroque violins. But such a factual description cannot begin to evoke the delicious sounds that wafted around the Gothic vaulting of Exeter College chapel with its many-coloured stained glass, or the calming, soothing, almost mesmerising effect that the music had on the audience.

The distinctive, expressive contralto voice of Charlie Morris, and the soft, sympathetic tones of the chamber organ, merged with the early violins, to create an atmosphere of magic. Listeners truly felt they had experienced a massage for the soul.

The full programme of the series is on the website, where tickets for the repeat concert and others in the series are still available.

Prices have not risen for the past four years, and Charivari Agréable now accepts card payments at the door as well as online, so booking is easier than ever.

Salve Regina | Oxford Early Music by Candlelight Summer Festival.

Dramatic settings of the poignant Marian antiphon by George Frideric Handel, Nicola Porpora, Claudio Monteverdi, and Heinrich Schütz, with church sonatas by Johann Rosenmüller & Antonio Vivaldi performed by award-winning period ensemble Charivari Agréable:

Charlie Morris (alto), Kah-Ming Ng (chamber organ)

Edmund Taylor & Mattew Millkey (baroque violins)

https://www.charivari.co.uk/charivari-concerts/early-music-by-candlelight.html