Farther Christmas: The English countryside serves as inspiration when The Oratorio Society of Virginia returns for its annual holiday concert. Christmas at the Paramount’s (below right) featured works, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Gerald Finzi’s In Terra Pax, complement each other as the two British composers were colleagues and shared an affection for infusing their homeland’s pastoral magic into compositions that celebrate the holiday spirit. Music Director Michael Slon leads 80 community singers, along with an orchestra, soloists, and a children’s choir, through these passionate works plus seasonal favorites.
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