Rest and Rise: Jazz under Gaia

Tim Boniface brings the world premiere of Rest and Rise: A Jazz Requiem to St Albans Cathedral on Saturday 23 January, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. It's the fourth sacred jazz work from Boniface, who writes, plays saxophone, and plays piano. He's also the Chaplain at Girton College, Cambridge, and that double life as a musician and a cleric sits right at the heart of this one.

The suite draws on short biblical texts and prayers, and Boniface describes it as a musical acknowledgement of mortality and the anguish of grief, as well as an uplifting expression of the power of human consolation and faith. It's a requiem in the truest sense, moving from the weight of loss to the hope that follows.

He's not playing it alone. He'll be joined by a jazz ensemble: pianist James Pearson, double bassist Malcolm Creese and drummer Jon Ormston. With the four of them, the suite gets its full sound — saxophone, piano, bass and drums — and the whole thing is performed in the nave of the cathedral. That puts it right beneath Luke Jerram's Gaia, the monumental Earth installation that fills the space. You can see Gaia during the day Monday to Saturday and on Sunday afternoons, and also during the after-hours 'Gaia Lates' sessions, but this is one of the few times you'll hear music played beneath it.

The cathedral itself is a historic abbey church at the heart of the city, and it programmes concerts, exhibitions and tours alongside its religious life. Its tower is open for a climb of 211 steps through the Norman crossing tower, the Lantern and the medieval roof spaces. This performance is in person only, with no livestream or recording, so if you want to hear the world premiere, you'll need to be there in the nave. It runs from 7.30pm to 9.30pm on Saturday 23 January.