Putting a new spin on the traditional Christmas concert, Opera Erratica and The Coveryard present a participatory music theatre extravaganza, which stages an evening-long transition from winter cold and isolation, to communal warmth and good cheer.

Taking place at Shapes, a converted warehouse space in Hackney Wick, the evening combines a staged production of David Lang’s cantata the little match girl passion with a festive KAROLAOKE set of sing-a-long pop/classical crossover covers and carol arrangements.

OPERA ERRATICA presents DAVID LANG's the little match girl passion

Opera Erratica's ensemble opera company make use of the venue’s huge, resonant interior to explore themes of isolation and social alienation - the darker side of the Christmas season - with a new staging of David Lang’s beautiful/devastating the little match girl passion. 

Fresh from the success of their new opera Triptych at The Print Room in May ("Novel, stimulating and joyful" - Fiona Maddocks, The Observer), Opera Erratica's staging will add multimedia and physical theatre to the raw vocal textures and delicate percussion of Lang's wintry cantata, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s famous story and inspired by Bach’s St Matthew Passion.

+ THE COVERYARD presents KAROLAOKE: carolling for the Spotify era

Pop/classical hybrid ensemble The Coveryard transport the audience from bitter cold to fireside warmth (complete with mince pies and mulled wine) for an intimate session of KAROLAOKE. The audience is invited to join in with performances of traditional carols, Christmas classics and seasonal pop hits, treated with eclectic arrangements by the Coveryard’s eight-piece ensemble, featuring guest vocalists and members of Opera Erratica.

The Coveryard has been hosting emerging folk, electronic and alternative acts in unique venues across London since its inception in 2012, reimagining the artists' music for their in-house chamber orchestra and choir. KAROLAOKE will draw on their community of professional pop and classical musicians to present a participatory set that reflects the diversity of Christmas music, from medieval carols to Mariah Carey, via Nina Simone and Sufjan Stevens.

PLUS - free club night after Friday's performance (from 11pm): The Boiler Room/NTS Radio DJs

This festive double bill combines bittersweet storytelling for a chilly winter’s night with holiday merrymaking, drawing on contemporary, traditional and pop repertoire, to engage with all the contradictions and the enduring poignancy of the holiday season.

Thursday 11th & Friday 12th December, 7.30pm - Tickets: £15 (£18 on the door)

VIDEO: Trailer for the little match girl passion + KAROLAOKE

VIDEO: Opera Erratica's Triptych - The Print Room, May/June 2014

For more info on Opera Erratica, visit www.opera-erratica.org

VIDEO: The Coveryard - INSIGHTS

For more info on The Coveryard, visit www.thecoveryard.co.uk