a rose in the middle of winter - vancouver chamber choir · 2020. 9. 13. · stephen chatman c.m....

A ROSE IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER

7:30PM | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019 PACIFIC SPIRIT UNITED CHURCH, 2205 W 45TH AVE AT YEW ST

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VA N C O U V E R C H A M B E R C H O I R

Artistic Director Kari Turunen began leading the Vancouver Chamber Choir - one of Canada’s premier professional choral ensembles - in September 2019, its 49th concert season. Jon Washburn founded the choir in 1971 and it has become an amazing success story, ranking with the handful of North America’s best professional choruses and noted for its diverse repertoire and performing excellence. The choir has presented concerts at home in Vancouver and on tour across Canada. International excursions have taken them to the USA, Mexico, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Finland, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine. Honoured with the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence by Chorus America, the choir has performed countless concerts and broadcasts, released 36 recordings and received numerous awards. Foremost supporters of Canadian music, they are responsible for commissions and premieres of 334 choral works by 145 composers and arrangers, most of whom are Canadian. Over the years the choir has sung over 4,000 performances of works by Canadian composers, in addition to their extensive international repertoire. The choir’s award-winning educational programs include the Conductors’ Symposium for advanced choral conductors, Interplay interactive workshops for choral composers, Focus professional development program for student singers, OnSite visitations for school choirs, the biennial Young Composers Competition, and many on-tour workshops and residencies.

K A R I T U R U N E N , A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R

Kari Turunen is the new Artistic Director of the Vancouver Chamber Choir and the former artistic director of the male chorus Akademiska Sångföreningen, Kampin Laulu chamber choir, the choir of the cantors of the Finnish Lutheran Church, Chorus Cantorum Finlandiae, the all-male Ensemble Petraloysio and the Spira Ensemble. He has won numerous prizes at national and international festivals with his groups. He was named choral conductor of the year in Finland in 2008.Dr. Turunen was educated at the University of Helsinki and the Sibelius Academy. He has a Master’s degree in choral conducting and a Doctorate in early music performance practice from the University of the Arts, Helsinki. He tries to balance scholarly activities with his artistic work and firmly believes that scholarship and performance can greatly benefit each other.He is a sought-after guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician and teacher of choral conducting, both in Finland and abroad. He has also acted as the chairman of the Finnish Choral Directors’ Association from the mid-90s until 2017 and is the artistic director of Aurore, an annual Renaissance music festival in Helsinki.Before becoming a full-time conductor, Dr. Turunen taught choral conducting and was the head of choral activities at the School of Music of the Polytechnic University of Tampere from 2001 to 2011. He is also a founding member of Lumen Valo, a professional vocal ensemble of eight voices. Lumen Valo has been a driving force on the early music scene in Finland since its conception in 1993 and has made a name for itself in almost 250 concerts around Finland and Europe. The group has recorded nine CDs, all of them critically acclaimed for their fresh programming and quality of singing.

Board of DirectorsGeorge LaverockPresident

Dr. Jeanette Gallant (Oxford)Vice President

Adam J. Garvin, CPA, CMATreasurer

Brent HunterSecretary

Matthew BairdAnne Bonnycastle Dr. Donna HoggeWendy KishColin MilesAlexandra Nicolas Dr. Robert RothwellDolores ScottCara Ventura Marianne Werner Jennifer Wilnechenko

Honorary PatronsJohn BishopStephen Chatman, C.M.Tama CopithorneDavid CousinsDr. Stephen Drance, O.C.Sam FeldmanCharles FlavelleViolet GoosenJanis HamiltonBen Heppner, O.C.Don HudsonDoris LukingDr. John MacDonald, O.C.Viviane NittingImant Raminsh, C.M.Elizabeth RathbunR. Murray Schafer, C.C.

Administrative StaffDr. Kari TurunenArtistic Director

Steven BélangerExecutive Director

Jon Washburn, C.M.Founder & Conductor Emeritus

Nat MarshikBookkeeper/Office Coordinator

Karen SeaboyerManager, Communications & Production

Vancouver Chamber Choir1254 West 7th Avenue Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6H 1B6

Tel: 604.738.6822 • Fax: 604.738.7832info@vancouverchamberchoir.comwww.vancouverchamberchoir.com

The Vancouver Chamber Choir acknowledges that it operates and performs on the unceded Indigenous land belonging to the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful for this privilege.

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VANCOUVER CHAMBER CHOIR

s o p r a n o sBeth Currie (Buono)

Emily CheungChristina Cichos

Lorraine ReinhardtMadeline Lucy Smith

a l t o sDinah AyreMaria GolasLiz Hamel

Fabiana KatzDolores Scott

t e n o r sIan BannermanEric Biskupski

Tom EllisCarman J. Price

Eric Schwarzhoff

b a s s e sSteven Bélanger

Jacob GramitPaul Nash

George RobertsWim Vermeulen

James Ong Stage Management

Corporate Graphics Graphic Design

Violet GoosenDevelopment

José VerstappenProgram Typography

Please turn off all phones.Recording devices of any kind

are strictly prohibited.

VANCOUVER CHAMBER CHOIRKARI TURUNEN, CONDUCTOR

A ROSE IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTERThis concert will be presented without intermission.

Audience members are asked to hold their applause until the end of each set.

Guds Son är född arr. Otto Olsson

(1879-1964)

Carol of the Bells Mykola Leontovych, arr. Peter Wilhousky (1902-1978)

_____________ _____________

Northern Lights Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977)

Eric Schwarzhoff, tenor

The Waiting Sky Oliver Tarney (b. 1984)

_____________ _____________

Що то за предиво (Oh, What a Wonder!) Vasyl Barvinsky (1888-1963)

Dolores Scott, mezzo-soprano

Joseph Timothy C. Takach (b. 1984)Maria Golas, alto & Ian Bannerman, tenor

The Rose in the Middle of Winter Bob Chilcott (b. 1955)

There is no Rose of such Vertu Fredrik Sixten (b. 1962)

_____________ _____________

The Shepherd’s Carol Bob Chilcott Blessed be that Maid Marie Seán Doherty

(b. 1987)_____________ _____________

Canticum Mariae virginis Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016)

Ныне силы небесныя (Now the Powers of Heaven) Giuseppe Sarti (1729-1802)

_____________ _____________

O salutaris hostia Ēriks EšenvaldsChristina Cichos & Madeline Lucy Smith, sopranos

Спасение соделал (Salvation is Created), Op. 25, No. 5 Pavel Chesnokov

(1877-1944)

Silent Night Franz Gruber, arr. Michael McGlynn (b. 1964)

Ian Bannerman, tenor & Jacob Gramit, baritone

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Sun Life Community Outreach ProgramSun Life is pleased to provide a Community Outreach Program through which the regular season

concerts of the Vancouver Chamber Choir are made available to hundreds of people with health

related disabilities.

Non-profit organizations involved with community health join with the Vancouver Chamber Choir

to help distribute tickets. For more information on this program or to register your organization,

please call the Vancouver Chamber Choir office at 604-738-6822 and speak with Steven Bélanger.

Thank you to all of our wonderful front of house volunteers.

You are greatly appreciated.

Lisa AkizukiGloria Aldrich

Cecilia BernabeAlison BlockAna Brkich

Ron CostanzoMarylin de Verteuil

Francesca Fung

If you would like to be part of this committed and enthusiastic team, please email us at

[email protected] or call 604-738-6822

David HarveyJacquie HurstYvonne Kato

Sharon NewmanAdele Peters

Ron SchubankKristina Skoritskaya

Our Founder and Conductor Emeritus presents choral favourites, but with a slightly misleading concert title. There is music by Byrd and “three Bs” - Brahms, Britten, Bernstein - but there is nothing naughty going on! There is sacred music, plus delightful music about nature. And we’ll present the world premiere of a commission from Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds.

BYRDS AND BEES

7:30PM | FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020 PACIFIC SPIRIT UNITED CHURCH, 2205 W 45TH AVE AT YEW ST

WITH JON WASHBURN, CONDUCTOR

1.855.985.ARTS (2787) vancouverchamberchoir.com

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STUDENTS!For only $15, you can enjoysome of Canada’s fi nest choral concerts when you purchase rush tickets to Vancouver Chamber Choir regular season performances.All students and youth (26 and under) are welcome. Tickets are available at the door, one hour before the concert.

N E W H O N O R A R Y P A T R O N

Stephen Chatman C.M.You may notice that on page two of tonight’s program there are a number of new Honorary Patrons of our organization. Th ese are all people who have made important contributions to the history of the Vancouver Chamber Choir. Tonight we are honouring composer Dr. Stephen Chatman, C.M.

One of Canada’s most frequently performed composers, Dr. Chatman is Professor of Composition at the University of British Columbia School of Music. He has received many awards, including the Western Canadian Music Awards’ “Classical Composition of the Year” in 2005, 2006 and 2010, the SOCAN Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award in 2010 and 2012, three BMI Awards, three JUNO nominations, the Dorothy Somerset Award, and the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2012 Dr. Chatman was appointed to the Order of Canada and in 2019 he was named a Fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music.

More than 100 of his musical works, published by ECS Publishing, Oxford University Press, Boosey & Hawkes, E. B. Marks, earthsongs and Cypress have sold 500,000 printed copies; and many of his choral works have entered the standard repertoire.

Recordings of Dr. Chatman’s music include three choral collections performed by the Vancouver Chamber Choir: Due North (Centrediscs), Due West (CBC Records), Due East(Centrediscs), and several other choral and instrumental recordings on the Centrediscs, ATMA, Naxos, and Crystal labels.

Since 1976, Dr. Chatman has taught a generation of prominent Canadian composers including Glenn Buhr, John Burge, Timothy Corlis, John Estacio, Jocelyn Morlock, Larry Nickel, John Oliver, Bruce Sled, John Stetch and Peter Togni.

Upon being appointed as a Vancouver Chamber Choir Honorary Patron, Professor Chatman remarked:

“It is, indeed, a great honour to be an Honorary Patron of the Vancouver Chamber Choir. For more than four decades I have cherished my relationship with Jon Washburn and the Choir. I truly appreciate the Choir’s sustained interest, generous support and dissemination of my music, which have had, perhaps, the most crucial and benefi cial impact on my career. I congratulate Jon Washburn on his legacy, his many accomplishments, and welcome with much enthusiasm and open arms their exciting new conductor, Dr. Kari Turunen.”

In partnership with the Canadian Music Centre and the UBC School of Music, Stephen Chatman’s music will be featured in a Vancouver Chamber Choir concert on Monday, March 30, 2020 (7:30pm) at the Roy Barnett Recital Hall at the UBC School of Music. Tickets available on the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s website. Sharing the stage with the choir that evening will be the musicians of Vetta Chamber Music.

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P R O G R A M N O T E S , T E X T S & T R A N S L A T I O N S

A ROSE IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER

Th is concert will be presented without intermission.Audience members are asked to hold their applause until the end of each set.

arr. Otto Olsson:Guds Son är född

Otto Olsson left a legacy as an organ virtuoso, a teacher of organists and composer in early 20th-century Sweden. His Six Advent and Christmas Songs, op. 33 (1917), are Swedish Christmas classics. I have always been drawn to the archaic ’Old Christ mas Carol’, Guds Son är född. It is based on a folk carol from Southwest Sweden. Olsson notated the carol on a fi eld trip and arranged it for mixed choir. He manages to elegantly weave the quintessential Lutheran Christmas hymn Vom Himmel hoch into the texture.

Guds Son är född i Betlehem på denna dagallt eft er Guds eget välbehag, och vorden kött.Av blotta gunst och nåde är han oss till stor hjälp och tröstoch haver från allt våde all världen återlöst.

Ack, himlabud! I änglar och härskaror nu förkunnen frid på jordene,och prisen Gud med edra änglatungor,med harpor och basunaljud.Ja, hjärtelig lovsjungen och prisen Herren Gud.

Ack, hjärtans fröjd!Nu låt oss alla vara glad,och med de herdar gå åstad,med hjärtans fröjd,och följa stjärnan eft er, som är vår Guds ords klara ljuspå vägen jämn och slätertill Herrens helga hus.

God’s Son is born in Bethlehem on this day according to God’s grace, and became fl esh.For pure favor and grace, he is of great help and comfort to us, and has from all dangerthe whole world redeemed.

Oh heavenly message! Angels and rulers now proclaimpeace on earth, and praise God with your angel tongues, with harps and trumpets.Yes, with warm hearts sing thanks and praise the Lord God.

Oh, heartfelt joy! Now let us all be glad, and with the shepherds be on our way to town, with heartfelt joy,and follow the star, which is the clear light of our God’s word, on an even and smooth road to the Lord’s holy house. >

Th ank you totonight’s Concert Patron,

Dr. Robert RothwellTh e Vancouver Chamber Choir

appreciates your continued supportof our performances.

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De vise män och hedningar från österland,som kommo ifrån Midian till Betlehem,uppläto sina håvor med största hjärtans rörelseoch skänkte sina gåvor:guld, myrrha, rökelse.

Låt oss begåoch fira så vår julefest;att Jesus själv må bli vår gäst,vi önska må!Då skall oss icke fela välsignelse i råd och dådnär han med oss vill delasin kärlek och sin nåd.

En härlig tröstatt han, som är vår frälsare,skall en gång bli vår domare,en härlig tröst.Då han i skyn skall kommamed makt och mycken härlighetoch giva sina frommasin lön i evighet.

The wise men and the heathens from the East, who came from Midian to Bethlehem, gave their riches with heartfelt devotion, and presented their gifts: gold, myrrh, and frankincense.

Let us go and celebrate our Christmas feastso that Jesus himself will be our guest! This shall we desire.Then shall we not stand in need ofgrace either in speech or deed for he will share with us his love and grace.

A wonderful comfort that he who is our Saviour will one day be our judge; a wonderful comfort! When he comes from heaven with power and beauty and gives his faithful ones their prize in eternity.

(Folk carol from Southern Halland, Western Sweden)

Mykola Leontovych, arr. Peter Wilhousky:Carol of the Bells

I wanted to present quite a few pieces from the Eastern European Christmas tradition in this concert. As American as the Carol of the Bells might feel, it is actually a Ukrainian choral piece (Shchedryk) celebrating New Year, composed by Mykola Leontovych in 1917. The song became known in the US when Peter Wilhousky, a Ukrainian immigrant, performed it with his own English text on live radio concerts broadcast from New York in the 1930s. And lo! a small New Year song from afar, based on the most minimal melodic material, became a beloved American carol!

Hark! How the bells,sweet, silver bellsall seem to say

“throw cares away”.

Christmas is herebringing good cheerto young and old;meek and the bold.

Ding, dong, ding, dong:that is their songwith joyful ringall caroling.

One seems to hearwords of good cheerfrom everywherefilling the air.

Oh, how they poundraising the soundo’er hill and daletelling their tale.

Gaily they ringwhile people singsongs of good cheer,Christmas is here!

Merry, merry, merry Christmas!

On, on they send,on without endwith joyful toneto every home.

(English text Peter J. Wilhousky)

_____________ _____________

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Ēriks Ešenvalds:Northern Lights

Ēriks Ešenvalds has admitted to being fascinated by the northern lights and they figure prominently in many of his works. In this work, the Latvian composer combines three texts: a Latvian folk song (the northern lights are harbingers of war in Latvian folk tradition) and the diary annotations of two well-known explorers of the northern areas. Ešenvalds creates a resonant and fluent choral texture and the tuned wine glasses and handbells give the work a unique colour.

Cik naksnīnas pret ziemeli redzēj’ kāvus karojam,Ē, redzēj’ kāvus karojam;Karo kāvi pie debesu, vedīs karus mūs’ zemē;Ē, vedīs karus mūs’ zemē.

It was night, and I had gone on deck several times.Iceberg was silent; I too was silent.It was true dark and cold.At nine o’clock I was below in my cabinwhen the captain hailed me with the words:

“Come above, Hall, at once! The world is on fire!”I knew his meaning, and, quick as thought,I rushed to the companion stairs.In a moment I reached the deck,and as the cabin door swung open,a dazzling light, overpow’ring light burst upon my startled senses!Oh, the whole sky was one glowing mass of coloured flames, so mighty, so brave!Like a pathway of light the northern lights seemed to draw us into the skyYes, it was harp-music, wild storming in the darkness;the strings trembled and sparkled in the glow of the flameslike a shower of fiery darts.A fiery crown of auroral light cast a warm glow across the arctic ice.Again at times it was like softly playing, gently rocking, silvery waves,on which dreams travel into unknown worlds.

(Cik naksnīnas pret ziemeli…)(Latvian folksong; texts by Charles Francis Hall and Fridtjof Nansen)

Oliver Tarney:The Waiting Sky

Oliver Tarney’s The Waiting Sky, from 2018, is placed in a landscape that is refreshingly atypical for a Christmas carol. Cows wander in the green fields, even if the trees are leafless and the air cool. The music is calm and reflective and Tarney, a young English composer, manages to balance the stagnant and the imminent in a delightful way.

The trees are bare,green fields where puddles hold the waiting sky.The waiting sky.The cows move slowly,their breathing clouds the air as they walk by.

What if the clouds smother the shining star?We’ll know it’s there.

Warm light will fill the puddles,and the cows will stop and stare.The trees are bare,green fields hold the waiting sky.

(Lucia Quinault)

(How many nights against the north windI saw the northern lights fighting;Fighting in the sky, the northern lightsBring wars to our land.)

_____________ _____________

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Vasyl Barvinsky:Що то за предиво (Oh, What a Wonder!)

Ukrainian folk carols, numbering in the hundreds, were collected and notated in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Vasyl Barvinsky, who was amongst the fi rst Ukrainian composers to achieve international recognition, was one of the composers of the turn of the century to utilize and arrange these melodies. Shcho to za predïvo is scored for solo and choir and Barvinsky gives the beautiful poem and melody a musical form it deserves.

Що то за предиво,в світі новина,що Мария Діва,Сина родила.А як Вона породила,тоді Вона повідала:

„Сусе, Сину Мій!“

А Йосип старушокв жолобі стоїтьта на Суса Христапеленки строїть.А Марія сповиває,до серденька пригортає;Пречіста Діва.

Shcho to za predïvo,v sviti novïna,shcho Mariya DivaSïna rodïla.A yak Vona porodïla,todi Vona povidala:

“Suse, Sïnu Miy!”

A Yosïp starushokv zholobi stoyitta na Susa Hrïstapelenkï stroyit.A Mariya spovïvaye,do serdenka prïghortaye;Prechista Diva.

Oh, what a wonder!Th e news has gone forththat the Virgin Maryhas borne a Son.And when she bore Him,she exclaimed:

“Jesus, my Son!”

Old man Josephstands in the cavernand prepares swaddling clothesfor Jesus, the Christ;then Mary wraps Himand presses Him close to her heart.Virgin most pure!

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604.876.3434 • vancouversymphony.ca salutetovienna.com/vancouver

January 1 • 2:30 pm

Imre Kollár, conductor (Budapest)

A Spectacular Celebration with European Singers, Ballroom Dancers & Ballet

Strauss Symphony of Canada featuring the

Produced by Attila Glatz Concert Productions Media Partner:

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Timothy C. Takach:Joseph

Another new Christmas work is Joseph, written by US composer Timothy C. Takach in 2016. If Tarney’s The Waiting Sky presented us with an unusual Christmas landscape, Joseph presents us with an unusual point of view – that of the father. Without doubt this vantage point, and Joseph’s thoughts in the Michael Dennis Browne poem, reflect our day more than the world of two thousand years ago, but I enjoy the change of angle. The music moves effortlessly and subtly from confusion to joy and vocation to tenderness.

a starry sky is in my armsI hear my breathing—now not only mine

each dawn is different now that you are heresometimes I stare at you, sometimes I tremble

I stand above you, my head a moonand you down there on the sweet straweach dawn is different now that you are here

I hear my breathing, now not only mine

all my dreams for you, wonderingwho you might be, how far you may have cometo be with useach dawn is different now that you are here

sometimes I feel among waves too steep,

my boat too smallfor these wide hands to have madewhen I’ve been working, when the sun is low,

I sink into the stream and lie there, pale as stoneand still this burning that I feelso deep inside me

how are you mine, child?how are you ever mine?

I am like a fatherI am like a father

so let the old Joseph die, the new be bornhold high this lantern for the world to see—this child, this light, this saving one

a starry sky within my arms (O heart)each dawn is different now that you are here

(Michael Dennis Browne)

*

The Healing Seriesh Finding the Still Point music for healing * A healing ambience of calm,

warmth and consolation projected through 15 beloved choral favourites with interconnecting Gregorian chants.

h A Quiet Place music for healing III * An outstanding collection of choral treasures chosen to help find peace, quiet and healing in today’s hectic world.

The Masters Seriesh BaroqueFest Festive music of Bach, Purcell, Handel and Monteverdi from a

gala Expo 86 concert, with Jon Washburn and Michael Corboz conducting their professional choirs from Canada and Switzerland.

h Missa Brevis Four contrasting short masses by Haydn Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo, Fauré Messe basse, von Weber Jubelmesse and Christoph Bernhard Missa Durch Adams Fall.

The Canadian Composer Seriesh A Garden of Bells * R. Murray Schafer, Vol. 1: Early choral works including

Miniwanka, Epitaph for Moonlight, Snowforms, Gamelan, Sun, Fire, Felix’s Girls and A Garden of Bells.

h Imagining Incense* R. Murray Schafer, Vol. 3: Recent choral works including Magic Songs, Three Hymns, Rain Chant, Alleluia, Beautiful Spanish Song, Imagining Incense and other works.

h The Love that Moves the Universe * R. Murray Schafer, Vol. 4: Three outstanding major works recorded in 2018 for the composer’s 85th birthday: the title piece for choir and orchestra, plus The Star Princess and the Waterlilies and Narcissus and Echo.

h Earth Chants Imant Raminsh, Vol. 2 Missa Brevis in C Minor, Earth Chants & smaller works.

h Due West Stephen Chatman, Vol. 2 With oboist Roger Cole and pianist Linda Lee Thomas.

h Due East Stephen Chatman, Vol. 3 The Canadian composer’s latest pieces since 2000.

h Rise! Shine! * Music of Jon Washburn Including The Star, A Stephen Foster Medley, Chinese Melodies, Rossetti Songs, God’s Lamb, Noel Sing We!, Behold I build an house and Rise! Shine!

The Christmas Recordingsh A Dylan Thomas Christmas * The Vancouver Chamber Choir’s signature

performance of A Child’s Christmas in Wales, read by Welsh actor Russell Roberts with special carol settings by Jon Washburn.

h A World Christmas Carols and seasonal songs of many lands from guitarist and arranger Ed Henderson, the Worldfest Ensemble and the Vancouver Chamber Choir with Jon Washburn conducting.

h The Miracle of Christmas Christmas music with a colourful Central and South American flavour played by the ensemble Ancient Cultures with several tracks featuring the Vancouver Chamber Choir.

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Bob Chilcott:Th e Rose in the Middle of Winter

Bob Chilcott has produced a body of fresh and modern Christmas works that are popular worldwide. Th e Rose in the Middle of Winter is a liltingly dancing piece that approaches the poem with a light and playful touch.

Th ere’s a rose in the middle of wintera rose which has no thorn,into the garden it comeslike a child who is waiting to be born.

And while he waits for the rose to bloomthe gardener sings –and the clouds all dance to his tune.

Th ere’s a bird in the middle of wintera bird whose song is a prayer,into our dreams it comeslike a child who is almost here.

And while he waits for the bird to sound the gardener sings –and the stars all dance in a round.

Th ere’s a child in the middle of wintera child like a fl ower in the snow,into our days he comesthe child who is with us now.

And while he listens to the song of a rosethe gardener sings –and the child is a dance in his soul.

(Charles Bennett)

Fredrik Sixten:Th ere is no Rose of such Vertu

Fredrik Sixten’s approach to this famous medieval poem is expansive. Th e Swedish composer uses pretty much all the stops in dynamic scale, the tessitura is enough to stretch any choir, there are antiphonal passages, with even canonic passages thrown in for good measure. But, somehow, the overall eff ect is restful, fl owing and poignant.

Th ere is no rose of such vertuAs is the rose that bare Jesu.Alleluia.

For in this rose contained wasHeaven and earth in litel space,Res miranda. [Marvellous thing.]

By that rose we may well seeTh ere be one God in persons three,Pares forma. [Equal in nature.]

Th e aungels sungen the shepherds toGloria in excelsis deo, [Glory to God in the highest,]Gaudeamus. [Let us rejoice.]

Leave we all this werldly merth And follow we this joyful birth,Transeamus. [Let us pass over.]Amen.

(Anonymous, 14th century)

Bob Chilcott:Th e Shepherd’s Carol

Th e Shepherd’s Carol is another Chilcott carol from the early 2000s. It has more gravity than the Th e Rose heard earlier but loses nothing in elegance. Th e work grows from a hauntingly beautiful unison melody to a strong climax, only to fade slowly into silence.

We stood on the hills, Lady,Our day’s work done,Watching the frosted meadowsTh at winter had won.

Th e evening was calm, Lady,Th e air so still,Silence more lovely than musicFolded the hill.

Th ere was a star, Lady,Shone in the night,Larger than Venus it wasAnd bright, so bright.

Oh, a voice from the sky, Lady,It seemed to us thenTelling of God being bornIn the world of men.

And so we have come, Lady,Our day’s work done,Our love, our hopes, ourselves,We give to your son.

(Clive Sansom)

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Seán Doherty:Blessed be that Maid Marie

Seán Doherty is an up-and-coming Irish composer who has written some excellent choral music. Blessed be, set to an anonymous English 15th-century carol, is a strange mash-up of elements from a hip-hop song (Hey Ya! by Outkast) to Gregorian chant and full of varying choral textures. The result? Energetic, varying and fun music.

Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine.[Jesus is today born of the Virgin Mary.]

Blessed be that maid Marie;Born He was of her body;Very God ere time began,Born in time the Son of man.Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est deVirgine.

In a manger of an assJesus lay and lullèd was;Born to die upon the treePro peccante homine. [For the sins of man.]Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine.

_____________ _____________

Einojuhani Rautavaara:Canticum Mariae virginis

I have been a little reluctant to program any Finnish music in this, my first season. But I just could not avoid the music of Einojuhani Rautavaara, who left behind a marvelous body of choral works when he passed away a few years ago. Canticum Mariae virginis from 1978 sets the traditional Ave maris stella text to music. The Canticum features many traits typical of Rautavaara’s choral music: the diatonic field created through a dense canon; mirrored melodies above and below this texture; low bass notes; full harmonies; and soprano duets floating freely above the other voices.

Ave, maris stella,Dei mater alma,atque semper virgo,felix cœli porta.

Sumens illud «Ave»Gabrielis ore,funda nos in pace,mutans Evæ nomen.

Solve vincla reis,profer lumen cæcis,mala nostra pelle,bona cuncta posce.

Monstra te esse matrem,sumat per te preces,qui pro nobis natustulit esse tuus.

Hail, star of the sea,Nurturing Mother of God,And ever VirginHappy gate of Heaven

Receiving that “Ave”From the mouth of Gabriel,Establish us in peace,Transforming the name of “Eva”.

Loosen the chains of the guilty,Send forth light to the blind,Our evil do thou dispel,Entreat (for us) all good things.

Show thyself to be a Mother:Through thee may he receive prayerWho, being born for us,Undertook to be thine own. >

Sweet and blissful was the songChanted of the Angel throng:

“Peace on earth, alleluya!In excelsis gloria.” [Gloria in the highest]Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine.

Fare three Kings from far-off land,Incense, gold and myrrh in hand;In Bethlehem the Babe they see,Stelle ducti lumine. [Led by the light of the stars.]Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine.

Make we merry on this fest,In quo Christus natus est; [on which Christ is born]On this Child I pray you call,To assoil and save us all. Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine.

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Virgo singularis,inter omnes mitis,nos culpis solutosmites fac et castos.

Vitam præsta puram,iter para tutum,ut videntes Jesumsemper collætemur.

Sit laus Deo Patri,summo Christo decus,Spiritui Sanctotribus honor unus. Amen.

Gaude Maria virgo!Cunctas haeres sola interemisti,quae Gabrielis archangeli dictiscredidisti.

Gaude Maria virgo!Dum virgo Deumet hominem genuisti,et post partumvirgo inviolate permansisti.Dei genitrix,intercede pro nobis.

Beatam me dicentomnes generations,quia ancillamDeus humilem respexit.

O unique Virgin,Meek above all others,Make us, set free from (our) sins,Meek and chaste.

Bestow a pure life,Prepare a safe way:That seeing Jesus,We may ever rejoice.

Praise be to God the Father,To the Most High Christ (be) glory,To the Holy Spirit(Be) honour, to the Three equally. Amen.

Rejoice, Virgin Mary!You who shunned all temptation,believing in the message of the Archangel Gabriel.

Rejoice, Virgin Mary!Because You gave birth toGod and Manand yetremained a virgin.Mary, Mother of God,intercede for us.

All the generationsshall call You blessed,Because He has looked onthe humble servant of God.

Giuseppe Sarti:Ныне силы небесныя (Now the Powers of Heaven)

Giuseppe Sarti was an 18th-century Italian composer who spent almost 20 years in St. Petersburg as the court maestro. During this period, he wrote music for the court chapel, including a dozen works for a cappella choir. One of these is Nïne silï nebesnïya, scored for six voices. The work is a bewildering combination of Italian 18th-century musical style and Russian Orthodox liturgy. As so often, a cultural clash creates something extremely interesting.

Нынѣ силы небесныя съ нами невидислужатъ:

се бо входитъ Царь славы,се, жертва тайная совершена

дориносится.Вѣрою и любовію приступимъ,да причастницы жизни вѣчныя

будемъ.Аллилуия, аллилуия, аллилуия.

Nïne silï nebesnïya s nami nevidimo sluzhat:

se bo fhodit Tsar slavï,se, zhertva taynaya sovershena

dorinositsia.Veroyu i liuboviyu pristupim,da prichastnitsï zhïzni vechnïya

budem.Alliluya, alliluya, alliluya.

Now the Powers of Heaven serve invisibly with us;

lo, the King of Glory enters.Lo, the mystical sacrifice is upborne,

fulfilled.Let us draw near in faith and loveand become communicants of life

eternal.Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

(from the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts)

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Ēriks Ešenvalds:O salutaris hostia

Ešenvalds’ O salutaris hostia has to be one of the most beautiful choral works of the past decade. In essence, it is a soprano duet above a choral accompaniment. This piece is all about soaring melodies and soft harmonies and the text is almost an afterthought.

O salutaris Hostia,quæ cæli pandis ostium:bella premunt hostilia,da robur, fer auxilium.Uni trinoque Dominosit sempiterna gloria,qui vitam sine terminonobis donet in patria.Amen.

Pavel Chesnokov:Спасение соделал (Salvation is Created), Op.25, No. 5

Pavel Chesnokov was a composer, choral conductor and the founder of the choral conducting program of the Moscow Conservatory (1920 to his death in 1944). His early works were mainly sacred works for the Orthodox Church, a form not encouraged in Soviet Russia. Spaseniye sodelal from 1912 is based on an ancient melody from Kiev and it flows like a wide river inexorably to its calm ending.

Спасение соделал еси посреде земли, Боже.

Аллилуия, аллилуия, аллилуия.

Franz Gruber, arr. Michael McGlynn:Silent Night

Silent Night has traveled a long way since 1818, when Franz Gruber, the teacher of a small Austrian village school, wrote the song to the text of a local chaplain. The song has been arranged and rearranged endless times. This evening’s arrangement is by Irish composer and conductor Michael McGlynn.

Silent night, holy night!All is calm, all is bright;Round yon Virgin, Mother and ChildHoly Infant so tender and mild.Sleep in heavenly peace,Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!Shepherds quake at the sight:Glories stream from heaven afarHeavenly hosts sing “Alleluia!”Christ the Saviour is born,Christ the Saviour is born.

Silent night, holy night!Son of God, love’s pure light,Radiant beams from Thy holy face,With the dawn of redeeming graceJesus Lord, at Thy birth,Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

(Joseph Franz Mohr, translated into English by John Freeman Young)

O, Saving Victim,Who expandest the door of heaven,Hostile armies press,Give strength; bear aid.To the One and Triune Lord,May there be everlasting glory;may he who gives life without endto us give in our homeland.Amen.

Spaseniye sodelal yesi posrede zemli, Bozhe.

Alliluiya, alliluiya, alliluiya.

Salvation is created in the midst of the earth, O God.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

(Communion Hymn for Fridays, Psalm 74:12)

1.855.985.ARTS (2787) vancouverchamberchoir.com

7:30PM | GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 THE ORPHEUM, 601 SMITHE ST AT SEYMOUR ST WITH ZACH FINKELSTEIN, EVANGELIST PACIFIC BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

ST. JOHN PASSION

The longevity and success of Bach’s passions are based on their deep grasp of humanity. The range of emotions and the psychological acuity of Bach make the story arresting time after time. The St. John Passion is the more dramatic and concise of the two Bach passions, which are an important part of the cultural inheritance of mankind. While Bach’s works are easy to find in recordings, the intensity of this music needs to be experienced in concert.

ZACH FINKELSTEIN, EVANGELIST

a rose in the middle of winter - vancouver chamber choir · 2020. 9. 13. · stephen chatman c.m....

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