Sir Mark Elder conducts the premiere of Berlioz's The Childhood of Christ at Les Arts

LES ARTS ÉS SIMFÒNIC

• Berlioz's The Childhood of Christ, a pinnacle oratorio of the French repertoire, of profound spirituality and sublime beauty.
• Berlioz's symphonic-choral work returns to Valencia after more than six decades in a performance led by one of its leading specialists.

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía will host next week one of the essential events of its program with one of the great works of the symphonic-choral repertoire, still unperformed at Les Arts: The Childhood of Christ
by Hector Berlioz, an emblematic composer of French Romanticism.

Under the direction of its musical director, Sir Mark Elder, the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (OCV) and the Cor de la Generalitat Valenciana will perform this pinnacle oratorio of the French repertoire on February 6, 2026 at the Auditori
in Castelló and the following day, Saturday the 7th, at the Auditori de Les Arts.

Mark Elder's career is inextricably linked to Hector Berlioz. Unanimously recognized as the leading authority on the French composer in recent decades, the music director of Les Arts is considered the legitimate heir to the legacy of great British Berlioz scholars such as Thomas Beecham and Colin Davis.
The Childhood of Christ, an oratorio for soloists, choir, organ, and orchestra, is one of the most fascinating works in Berlioz's catalog, bequeathing a moving invitation to contemplation of sublime beauty and profound spirituality in this journey through the early life of Jesus of Nazareth: from the dream of
Herod to the refuge of the Holy Family in Sais.

The score features iconic passages that have their own identity in the repertoire, such as the 'Chorus of the Shepherds', which will allow the Cor de la Generalitat to star in one of the most emotional moments of the concert.

The childhood of Christ has not been heard in the city of Valencia since 1964, the year in which the University Choir premiered the oratorio in Spain together with the city's municipal orchestra under the baton of José María Franco Gil.

Les Arts brings together a cast of top voices for solo roles: mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey (Virgin Mary), tenor Laurence Kilsby (Narrator and Centurion), bass-baritone Gordon Bintner (Saint Joseph), along with basses William Thomas (Herod) and Matthew Rose (A Family Man, Polydorus).

Tickets for this concert can be purchased through the theater's various sales channels: box office, the sales line 96 197 59 00 and the Les Arts website.