THE King's Singers will perform in the glorious setting of Douai Abbey at the weekend.

At 7.45pm on Saturday, the home of a flourishing community of Benedictine monks will host a programme of intimate and spiritual music by Byrd, Gesualdo, Poulenc, Lasso, Durufl, and Geoffrey Poole.

For more than three decades, The King's Singers have achieved unsurpassed success with their extraordinary instinctive musicianship and vocal ability.

With a turnover of just 19 members during the group's existence, the "young" King's Singers of today, still all British, are at the top of their profession and are in constant demand internationally.

The lighter side of their tradition will be displayed in some of their own arrangements of spirituals.

Their recording of Gesualdo's Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday for record label Signum was recorded this January in Douai Abbey's unique acoustic, and was released in May. It has already received excellent reviews, described by Classic FM Magazine as "unmissable".

Known for their extraordinarily difficulty, singing these Responsories is a challenge in itself, and choosing a venue in which to sing them is likewise.

In these performances at Douai, they can be heard almost as Gesualdo - extraordinary composer, Italian Prince and famed obsessive wife murderer - would have heard them, but within a varied programme spanning several centuries.

Tickets, priced at £12 (£10 concessions, £3 for children under-14) are available from the Corn Exchange, Newbury, on 01635 522733.

Douai Abbey is located at Upper Woolhampton, off the A4 between Newbury and Reading.

For more information on the artists and venue, log on to www.kingssingers.com or concerts@douaiabbey.org.uk