Choral drama. Libretto adapted from the Coventry Nativity Play. Music by Rutland Boughton Cast in order of singing
Shepherds :
The Wise Men :
Narrator : Valentine Dyall
BBC Theatre Chorus. BBC Theatre Orchestra, conductor, Stanford Robinson
Scene 1 : The home of Mary and Joseph in Nazareth. Scene 2 : A moor at night. Scene 3 : The stable. Scene 4 : An open space in Jerusalem. The door of Herod's Palace in the background. Scene 5 : The stable
Rutland Boughton's Bethlehem, though originally written for the stage, is equally successful as a concert production, as its outlines are clear and its texture void of complexities. The libretto, adapted from the Coventry Nativity ,Play, is full of quaint phraseology, which is so cleverly clothed with lovely sound that the atmosphere of each and every scene is realised at once. The Prelude and most of the Interludes are based on old carols, some of which are to be found in the main sections of the work.