WHAT do you do if you’re up for a decent night out and suddenly find yourself surrounded by hungry tigers?

Fortunately, an audience at Malvern Theatres this July won’t have to worry about that, but they will have experience of being completely surrounded by very accomplished musicians.

A spokesman said: “Supersize Polyphony is a 360 degree musical experience like no other! In one of their most ambitious and innovative projects to date, leading professional choir Armonico Consort performs Tallis’ Spem in Alium and Striggio’s 60-part Mass in complete ‘surround sound’ – with the audience encircled by the choir.”

The spokesman added: “The celebration of large-scale choral works from the 16th century is a collaboration with the 26-strong Choir of Gonville and Caius College Chapel, Cambridge.

“The epic motets are interspersed with ethereal chants by Hildegard of Bingen and other works from the period for an evening of choral magnitude and polyphonic drama.”

Thomas Tallis’ Spem in Alium is widely considered to be the greatest piece of music of the English Renaissance.

Written for 40 individual voices arranged in eight groups of five singers, it starts with a single voice before others join in and vocal ‘conversations’ fly across the space.

Armonico Consort’s artistic director, Christopher Monks said: “Tallis’ Spem in Alium is a 450-year-old musical work of art and we’re performing it in the way Tallis intended, in glorious surround sound.

“It was designed to be daring – for both listeners and performers – and the major challenge for the conductor and singers in performing it in this way is the time lag and reverberation especially in the larger venues.”

He added: “Supersize Polyphony is our flagship programme and we’re delighted to be joined by the Choir of Gonville and Caius College to perform this work.”

The date for the diary is July 5.

Tickets and further details from www.malvern-theatres.co.uk and 01684 892277.