Every Christmas the church celebrates the birth of the Christ-child. This high point of the liturgical year has at its heart the innocence of the holy infant boy, as well as the faithfulness of his mother, Mary. The rhythm of the year is circular, flowing seamlessly from the birth of Jesus, to his sacrifice for all humanity, and to the triumph of his resurrection, and life over death - before returning, again, to Advent, and Christmas. The two great festivals of the year are at the same time separate, but also deeply entwined - for one could not exist without the other - and there are veiled glimpses of Eastertide across many Christmas pieces.

The Lamb and The Tyger seeks to echo the ebb and flow of the liturgical year, combining the innocence of The Lamb, with the experience of The Tyger, and all that these represent, of good triumphing over evil.

The Lamb and The Tyger are both poems by William Blake, and are seen as counterparts to one another. The Lamb is part of Blake's Songs of Innocence (1789), and The Tyger from the Songs of Experience (1794). Many of Blake's poems explore Christian themes. The Lamb, a depiction of Jesus Christ, is innocent: it has a tender voice (the bleating sound it makes) which brings happiness to everything in the surrounding valleys. The Tyger shows us the presence of darkness in the world, exploring difficult religious questions about God's role with violence and evil in the world.

Artists

Emily Kemp (soprano), Sarah Greer (soprano), Natalie Klaes (soprano), Rebekah Loughran (vocalist), Catriona Kadirkamanathan (vocalist), Duncan Tarboton (bass-baritone), Anna Collins (soprano), Richard Michael, Matthew McIlree, Sebastian Roberts (tenor), Dillon Whitehead (bass-baritone), Brannon Liston-Smith (bass-baritone), St Salvator's Chapel Choir, St Salvator’s Chapel Choir, Claire Innes-Hopkins