Choral Classics was the first of 19 late night classical music concerts to be held in August in a really historic building a few steps off the Royal Mile. Arrive a few minutes early and there's a cup of chocolate at the back of the candlelit church included with the ticket.
Old Saint Paul's has a first class reputation for its choral services and this first concert was an opportunity for the choir of seventeen men and women to perform some of the most familiar works by our greatest composers, Parry, Byrd, Tallis, Philips.
Enthusiastically introduced by John Kitchen, the director of music at Old Saint Paul's, he and his organ scholar, Calum Robertson, then played an organ duet by Tomkins before the choir sung Herbert Howell's famous setting of Magnificat and Nunc dimittis which is often used in their evensong service.
A further organ piece based on ‘Nun danket alle Gott' by Karg-Elert was followed by Mendelssohn's motet: Hear my prayer beautifully led by the soprano soloist, Michelle Woollard. Five mystical songs arranged by George Herbert to music by Vaughan Williams finished the programme but with great joy and confidence from the baritone soloist, Nicholas Uglow.
Times: til 29 August (not 23, 24), 10pm