Bearsden Choir: Gloria & Misatango

Bearsden Choir are performing at City Halls on Sunday 29 November, 7:30pm. It's a double bill that puts a Baroque choral classic alongside a modern Argentine tango mass, and the two couldn't be further apart in style. The first half is Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria (RV 589), a piece most people will recognise even if they've never stepped foot in a concert hall. The second is the Scottish premiere of Martín Palmeri's Misatango (Misa a Buenos Aires), which brings the passion of the tango into a choral setting.

The contrast is the whole point of the night. Vivaldi's Gloria is high Baroque—bright, structured, and full of the sort of choral energy that works well in a big room. Misatango flips that on its head, trading the church for the dance floor. It's driven by the accordion, with strings and piano filling out the sound, and it's the first time it's being performed in Scotland. Hearing them side by side is a good way to see how far choral music can stretch in one evening.

Bearsden Choir is one of Scotland's most established amateur choirs, with over 55 years behind them. There are more than 150 members, mostly from Greater Glasgow and the surrounding area, who rehearse every week at Wellington Church in the West End under musical director Andrew Nunn. They're also a registered Scottish charity (SC0011177). The Telegraph once described them as "Glasgow's amateur choir [that] rose magnificently to the challenge of his angular choral lines," and the Edinburgh Music Review put them "among Scotland's best."

For this concert, Nunn is joined by accordionist Ryan Corbett, soprano Rose Stachniewska, mezzo-soprano Lauren Young, pianist Claire Haslin, and the McOpera Ensemble. Tickets are £31.74, £28.38, and £23.90, which include the booking fee and a restoration fund, with under-26s getting in for £12.70. It starts at 7:30pm at City Halls, 100 Candleriggs, Glasgow, G1 1NQ.