Discover the many faces of St Nicholas! Surely best known to us from 5 December, but know that centuries-old legends precede it. Who was 'Saint Nicolas'? In a nine-volume work, the stories of Saint Nicholas, lesser known to many, are told. And introduces you to the wondrous path he took to finally become in title as we know him best: Saint Nicholas.

The text of 'Saint Nicolas' was written by Eric Crozier after intensive research into the legendary life of the Bishop of Myra located in what was then Lycia (now Turkey). Crozier's libretto portrays the Saint as a fearless daredevil by exaggerating the legends and accumulated glory of centuries surrounding Nicholas.

Britten's music enhances this drama through striking contrasts in the instrumentation, the style of the sung parts and musical textures.

Nice to know: this work was the first that Britten wrote specifically for amateur musicians. To make the…