music by Sasha Johnson Manning

Words by Carol Ann Duffy

'magical - a work of real substance which will become a feature on the Christmas landscape.' The Independent

The product of an inspired collaboration between composer Sasha Johnson Manning and Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, The Manchester Carols is a collection of  twelve carols, linked with a gentle, entertaining narration, which reshape and modernise the Christmas story. Its creators wanted to write something that is relevant to and reflects modern society, and which acknowledges the fact that even though someone might not subscribe to the religion behind the Nativity story, they can still appreciate it as an inspiring, magical tale. The carols are for everyone, believers or not. Far from treading the well-worn path of holly, ivy and mistletoe, Duffy uses the Christmas story as a metaphor for human experience, giving us up-close and personal insights into the central characters of the nativity – Mary, Joseph, a tiny baby, and a ‘golden youth’ (the Angel Gabriel).  As the Poet Laureate says: “I think the story is wonderful. There’s a lot we can take from it on a human level even if we don’t take the divine element.” There are hints, too, of the darker, grittier side of the nativity story – refugees, poverty, giving birth on the road; and, looking further forward, there are hints of Jesus’ fate on the cross. Who better to give us a deeper insight into the piece than Carol Ann Duffy herself …

“Carols, according to the 1928 edition of The Oxford Book of Carols, are simple, hilarious, popular and modern. They are a kind of folk song where direct poetry and accessible music eagerly meet.  Unlike hymns, they can be playful. The word ‘carol’, traced through French, Latin and Greek, has a dancing origin.  Dancing songs, by definition, are something we do together and, although there are sacred and secular carols for all the seasons, to most of us the carol is exclusively associated with Christmas – the time of year when we are most likely to join, dance and sing together. For many, these joyful songs, with their deeply familiar images and repetitions, seem to be part of childhood itself. And nothing reveals the essence of our most beloved carols more than a child’s singing voice.

As a poet, it had long been an ambition of mine to collaborate in writing new carols which drew their inspiration from the Nativity simply as a story. Whether we have Christian faith or not, the Christmas story is a wonderfully powerful one, with extraordinary resonances for our 21st century – personal, political and ecological. There are harrowing moments in this story but also magic and wonder. It celebrates the great joys of love, in all its forms, but the light of love is burning against the darkness of hatred and oppression. It has always seemed to me a deeply human narrative and I wanted to write carols which reflected this but which were, above all, brimming with joy.”

Richard Tanner, conductor

Sasha Johnson Manning, soprano

Roger Barlow, tenor

James Quinn, narrator

Renaissance Singers

Warrington Singers

Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School

Westbrook Old Hall Primary School

Twiss Green Community Primary School

Great Sankey Primary School

Image: Sasha Jonhnson Manning, Soprano