40 Singers Socially Distancing And Performing 'Spem In Alium' At Tate Modern Is Exceptionally Uplifting

Jan 20, 2021 by apost team

During the enduring worldwide COVID pandemic, safety precautions have sadly put live music performances on hold in most locations. However, one British choral group found a creative and breathtakingly beautiful way to perform one of the world’s most illustrious vocal compositions at the Tate Modern in London — all while maintaining social distance and safety guidelines. The resulting live performance, originally aired on Sept. 16, 2020 on YouTube, was nothing short of astonishing.

The group behind the groundbreaking performance is known as the ORA Singers, a London-based music ensemble boasting a wide range of musicians and dedicated teachers alike. The ORA Singers were founded in 2016 with the goal of commissioning and performing new vocal compositions alongside Renaissance masterpieces, allowing audiences to enjoy amazing choral favorites while promoting new composers and their works as well.

The selected piece performed on this special night was one of the most intricate and elaborate works ever created for the human voice, Thomas Tallis’ “Spem in alium.” This piece was written more than 450 years ago in 1570 in Greenwich, not far from the ORA Singers’ performance site. Some consider Tallis a local composer, which made the performance even more special and endearing.

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Tallis’ “Spem in alium” composition calls for 40 individual voices, both male and female, entering the piece at different times and then interweaving carefully together throughout the composition. In the piece, the vocal twists and turns call for numerous collaborations of varying groups of singers at different intervals. Execution of this amazing vocal work is incredibly difficult, and all vocal entrances must be timed perfectly, a task made more difficult by the required spatial distance necessary because of the pandemic.

The group’s founder Suzi Digby, determined to not be deterred by virus restrictions, creatively arranged the singers in a socially distanced fashion for the performance. This allowed them to accommodate the required safety protocols and still maintain the unity of the group necessary to create a beautiful performance. While the situation may not have been ideal, the directors and musicians were still able to accomplish a flawless performance of this spectacular choral masterpiece, one that left audiences full-hearted and wishing for more.

Both haunting and uplifting, “Spem in alium” is typically performed in architectural spaces more reminiscent of the Renaissance era of its writing such as one of the landmark cathedrals or basilicas found throughout Europe. Director Digby, however, chose a much more modern setting for this other-worldly piece, the Tate Modern in London. Set beside the Thames River, the Tate’s Turbine Hall became the perfect stark backdrop against which the dozens of voices were able to weave a glorious tapestry of sound and beauty during the performance. The plangent tones of these world-class singers reverberate throughout the Tate's palatial Turbine Hall — and it's sublime.

For many in the ensemble, gathering in such a vast and lovely space to make music together again was a life-giving experience after such a long period of creative frustration and lost income due to canceled performances. ORA Singers ensemble member Hannah Cooke noted during the performance that many of the musicians present that night had not been able to perform “proper music” with their colleagues in six months or more. Rejoining their fellow singers to create something so beautiful brought on a ground-swell of unanticipated emotions. “It’s been quite an emotional day and actually a little overwhelming, as well,” she noted.

Although the performance was originally scheduled to take place in May of 2020 to coordinate with the Tate’s 20th anniversary and a large gathering of many other local choirs, coronavirus restrictions prevented the show and celebration at that time. The ORA Singers, however, were able to finally complete the performance several months later, creating, as Tate Modern director Frances Morris put it, a “beautiful, almost sculptural installation” in the modern space of Turbine Hall at the Tate. There was no audience present and the singers were all required to stand far apart, but the show still went on beautifully.

Because there were no audience members permitted, the group chose to live stream the concert virtually to allow a worldwide audience to partake in the incredible night of music. Tate Modern’s director noted the benefits and commented that “shifting to a digital platform means that we can open up the performance to reach the widest possible audience.”

Online audiences were wowed by the dramatic movement and intricacies of the vocal lines throughout the entire ten minutes of “Spem in alium.” At one point in the music, all forty voices join simultaneously in a crescendo of overwhelmingly uplifting sound, reminding listeners of the beauty of live music and reminding the world what has been missed for so long during the pandemic. The stellar performance was also a great blessing in that it allowed these talented voices to share their gifts once again.

In discussing the legendary piece performed by the ORA singers that night, Morris noted that "Tallis’ message of hope across the centuries has always been central to the work, but it is so powerful now and is as powerful as it was all those years ago.” With a nod to the modern setting for such a traditional, longstanding piece, she added, “I really hope it can be seen as a gesture of solidarity and mutual support for all artists and art forms at a time of uncertainty across the cultural sector and, indeed, across the world.”

Following the performance of Tallis’ iconic piece, the ORA Singers’ concert at the Modern continued with additional pieces. The group went on to feature musical compositions from Roderick Williams, William Byrd and a fresh, new 40-voice vocal arrangement from the Scottish composer, James MacMillan, continuing in the ORA Singers’ mission to bring new choral compositions to the ears of the world.

The outstanding ORA Singers performance of “Spem in alium” is still available to be viewed and enjoyed online below.

Be sure to take the time to enjoy the entire composition for yourself and then send the link to any other music lovers you know. While the current situation may prevent large audiences from gathering for a show at the moment, we have this and other wonderful performances from world-class groups to enjoy online in the meantime. And don't forget to let us know what you think of this once-in-a-lifetime performance.