A .choral drama
The libretto adapted from the Coventry Nativity play
Music by Rutland Boughton
BBC Theatre Chorus
(Trained by Charles Groves)
BBC Theatre Orchestra
Leader, Tate Gilder
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 — even crude — phraseology, which, while it often constitutes a source of anxiety to the performer, 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. Bethlehem was first produced at the Glastonbury Festival, which was founded by the composer.