AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR directed by DOUGLAS LAWRENCE OAM

Transcription

1 AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR directed by DOUGLAS LAWRENCE OAM Gyorgy Ligeti ETERNAL LIGHT LUX AETERNA Palestrina, Purcell, Bach, Bruckner, Pergolesi Sunday 2 November 2014, 3pm: Basilica of St Mary of the Angels, Geelong Saturday, 8 November, 3pm: Church of the Resurrection, Macedon Sunday 9 November 2014, 3pm: Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Middle Park

2 MISSA AETERNA CHRISTI MUNERA Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Born at Palestrina, Italy, in or around 1525; died at Rome, 2 February This is one of Palestrina s last works 1590 being the year usually ascribed to it and one of his most frequently performed, thanks in part to the modest forces it requires. Indeed, among Palestrina s 105 authentic Mass settings, it ranks second in fame only to the much earlier Missa Papae Marcelli. It achieved the rare distinction of having been commercially recorded in the 1920s. Musicologist and choral conductor Bruno Turner observes that it has been a favourite of church choirs for good reasons: its classic simplicity, its brevity, its clear singability and its four voice parts (only the second Agnus Dei divides the tenors). It is based on three melodic strands taken from the tune which gives the Mass its title, the hymn for Matins of Apostles and Evangelists; the fourth line of the verses has a repeat of the first line s melody. Palestrina employs these themes in turn in the opening Kyrie-Christe-Kyrie sections, passing them from voice to voice, transforming and elaborating them. He uses them in the wordy Gloria and Credo in a less complicated way, alluding to them mainly in the top voice. 2 Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison. Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax, hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili unigenite Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Glory to God on high, And on earth peace to men of good will. We praise Thee, we bless Thee. We adore Thee, we glorify Thee. We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory. Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty, Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. That takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; That takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.

3 Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. Credo in unum Deum; Patrem omnipotentem, factorem coeli et terrae, visibilium omnium et invisibilium. Credo in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum, Et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, Genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri: per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem descendit de coelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas. Et ascendit in coelum: sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria, judicare vivos et mortuos: cujus regni non erit finis. Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum, et vivificantem: qui ex Patre Filioque procedit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per Prophetas. Credo in unam sanctam 3 That sittest at the right hand of the Father,have mercy upon us. For Thou alone art holy, Thou alone art the Lord, Thou alone art the Most High, Jesus Christ. With the Holy Spirit, in the Glory of God the Father. Amen. I believe in one God; the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; God of God, light of light, true God of true God, begotten not made; being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven; and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, and was made Man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered, died, and was buried. And on the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures: He ascended into heaven. He sitteth at the right hand of the Father; He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; and His kingdom shall have no end. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, Who from the Father and the Son proceedeth, With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified; and hath spoken through the prophets. I believe in One Holy,

4 catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma, in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen. Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism unto the remission of sins. And I await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. 4 Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth, Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem. Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant us peace. O SING UNTO THE LORD Henry Purcell Born in or around September 1659, London; died on 21 November 1695, London. The Orpheus Britannicus produced abundant music (enough of it to occupy no fewer than eleven CDs) for the Anglican Church, which King Charles II had re-established after his 1660 restoration to the throne. Historian Thomas Tudway noted: His Majesty, who was a brisk and airy prince, coming to the crown in the flower and vigour of his age, was soon, if I may so say, tired with the grave and solemn way which had been established by Tallis, Bird [sic], and others. Protracted French exile had given the Merry Monarch a zest for those brisk dance-like rhythms, which even the sacred works of Louis XIV s court tended to exploit. Purcell, though no mere imitator of these Gallic models or any other models, happily obliged his sovereign for much of the time, as here. Of the present anthem, dating from 1688 (the year which saw the downfall of Purcell s employer James II), conductor Robert King writes: It shows Purcell at his most Italianate, with vigorous antiphony between voices and

5 5 instruments, and also between a prominent solo bass and the chorus. This seems to have been a verse anthem written for a special occasion when the large string orchestra [of the Chapel Royal] was available. The words are taken from Psalm 96. Soloists: Erika Tandiono Soprano Helen Toner alto Christopher Roache counter-tenor/tenor Lucas Wilson-Richter Bass 1 Matthew Tng Bass 2 O sing unto the Lord a new song. Alleluia. Sing unto the Lord, all the whole earth. Alleluia. Sing unto the Lord and praise His name: be telling of His salvation from day to day. Declare His honour unto the heathen: and His wonders unto all people. Glory and worship are before Him: power and honour are in His sanctuary. The Lord is great, and cannot worthily be praised: He is more to be feared than all gods. As for the gods of the heathen, they are but idols: but it is the Lord that made the heavens. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: let the whole earth stand in awe of Him. Tell it out among the heathen that the Lord is King: And that tis He who hath made the round world so sure that it cannot be moved; And how that He shall judge the people righteously. Alleluia. Amen. INTERVAL Save at least 20% when you buy a Subscription Ticket for three concerts. Buy your 2015 tickets today and save an additional 10%. All the details of the Australian Chamber Choir s concerts are in our 2015 International Concert Season brochure. We look forward to seeing you next year. ACC CDs make fantastic Christmas gifts. Bach MOTETS and our Christmas-themed AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR CD are on sale today for $25 each.

6 LUX AETERNA ETERNAL LIGHT Györgi Ligeti Born at Tarnaveni, Romania, 28 May 1923; died at Vienna, 12 June Of Hungarian-Jewish origin despite his Romanian birthplace, Ligeti studied at Budapest s Liszt Academy of Music Kodály being much the most celebrated of his teachers there but after the Soviet tanks rolled into Hungary during late 1956, he fled to Vienna; and for most of the next five decades he lived in either Austria or Germany. Until 1968 Ligeti remained much better known to his fellow musicians than to the general public. That all changed with the release of Stanley Kubrick s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick had so admired three Ligeti pieces Lux Aeterna (originally the second movement of a Requiem), Aventures, and Atmosphères that he insisted on using them in the film s soundtrack, along with Thus Spake Zarathustra and The Blue Danube. Regrettably, for whatever reason (a predilection for cutting corners in haste? a belief that film directors could transcend ordinary ethical criteria?), Kubrick neglected to gain permission from Ligeti before he went ahead, whereupon Ligeti sued Kubrick. Sensibly, he sought damages of just one dollar, thus hoping to establish a clear artistic principle of general relevance, without the issue being obscured by questions of individual amour-propre. The case reached eventual settlement out of court, as such lawsuits tend to do. But it had a positive outcome for the composer, since Kubrick supplied proper credit and royalties for his subsequent citations of Ligeti s music in two other box-office hits: The Shining (1980) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). More recently the latest (2014) remake of Godzilla quotes from Ligeti s music; so did Martin Scorsese in Shutter Island (2010). Lux Aeterna, already two years old when Kubrick appropriated it, calls for sixteen solo singers and exemplifies, in its extreme density of texture, what Ligeti himself called micropolyphony. 6 Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis. May perpetual light shine upon them, O Lord, with Thy saints in eternity, for Thou art merciful. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them.

7 O JESU CHRIST, MEINS LEBENS LICHT (BWV 118) Johann Sebastian Bach Born at Eisenach, Germany, 31 March 1685; died at Leipzig, 28 July On three counts, this stands out from the bulk of Bach s cantatas. First, its concision (few if any of its companions are over and done with inside a quarter of an hour). Second, its single-movement structure, which brings it close to the pattern of Bach s motets (Bach himself permitted the description Motetto to be applied to it). Third, the extended performing tradition which it has notched up; whereas an actual majority of Bach s cantatas remained unobtainable on disc before the 1970s and 1980s, BWV 118 had already become a studio favourite during the early 1960s. Bach is thought to have written it around 1736, but the first traceable performance of it occurred in 1740, at the burial of a Leipzig aristocrat, Count Friedrich von Flemming. In its original form exceptionally in Bach s choral output it omits all stringed instruments. (With typical practicality, Bach did later release an alternative version, which does include strings, and which is used in today s programme.) The initial scoring demands an organ, three trombones, one cornetto, and two litui. Scholars continue to dispute exactly what litui are; one plausible hypothesis is that they are deep-toned trumpets, which would fit with the prevalent grim atmosphere, redolent of Fili mi Absalom and other such stern laments by Heinrich Schütz. Christoph Wolff (probably the world s leading Bach expert of our time, and a recent visitor to Melbourne) has noted of BWV 118: The solemn instrumental accompaniment to the choir suggests an outdoor funeral procession. The number of strophes sung could have been determined by the length of the route the funeral procession would have had to take leading to the Johannisfriedhof (St John s Cemetery) outside the city walls. Be that as it may, the surviving version which might have been subject to repetition at the 1740 ceremony has just one written-down verse: dating from 1610 and the work of Martin Behm, a Lutheran pastor based in Breslau (now known as Wrocław). 7 O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht Mein Hort, mein Trost, mein Zuversicht, Auf Erden bin ich nur ein Gast Und druckt mich sehr der Sunden Last. O Jesus Christ, my life s true light, My prize, my strength, hope to my sight, On earth here am I but a guest And by sin s burden sore oppressed.

8 CHRISTUS FACTUS EST Anton Bruckner Born at Ansfelden, Austria, 4 September 1824; died at Vienna, 11 October Dating from 1884, Christus Factus Est (a setting of Philippians 2:89) is among the grandest, most powerful, and most elaborate things Bruckner ever wrote for voices. Sometimes it can be hard to equate choral Bruckner with orchestral Bruckner; not here. According to English broadcaster Stephen Johnson: [There are] some extraordinary modulations following the words mortem autem crucis ( even the death of the Cross ) a test of any choir s security of pitch. More than any of Bruckner s great motets, Christus Factus Est follows an almost symphonic path of motivic and harmonic development a striking parallel to Christ s journey of obedience unto death. All suggestion of triumphalism is avoided in the final reference to the name which is above every name. 8 Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Propter quod es Deus exaltavit illum et dedit illi nomen quod est super omne nomen. Christ became obedient for us unto death, even the death of the Cross. Therefore God hath exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name. MAGNIFICAT Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Born at Jesi (Italy), 4 January 1710; died Pozzuoli (Italy), 16 or 17 March Pergolesi s extremely short career encompassed the extremes of success and failure (his opera L Olimpiade so enraged its original Roman audience in 1735 that one enterprising customer hit the composer in the head with an orange). Lo and behold, after he had been killed by tuberculosis, he suddenly became so fashionable that publishers started attributing to him all sorts of works which he never wrote, and other works to which he might have contributed portions, as well as issuing the music entirely his own (including the celebrated Stabat Mater, which during the late eighteenth century was the most popular piece of sacred music anywhere, judging by the number of printed editions it went through). The present Magnificat is one of the compositions that does seem to have been Pergolesi s after all. For a

9 long time it was attributed to Francesco Durante ( ) of Naples, but it does not sound like any of Durante s own surviving choral output. Durante s style there is usually self-conscious, complex, and rarefied, with much chromaticism. This Magnificat is, by contrast, cheerful, straightforward, diatonic, and buoyant. At the very beginning the main theme as the music s original audiences would have realised constitutes a long-drawn-out plainchant melody. Few moments in the entire choral literature can match, for sheer excitement, the return of this theme at the words Sicut erat in principio, elaborated this time, but accompanied by much the same chugging Vivaldian string motifs as were heard before. 9 Soloists: Erika Tandiono Soprano Elizabeth Anderson Contralto Alastair Cooper-Golec Tenor Matthew Tng Bass Magnificat anima mea Dominum, Et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo. Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae; Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent Omnes generationes. Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est Et sanctum nomen eius. Et misericordia a progenie in progenies Timentibus eum. Fecit potentiam in bracchio suo. Dispersit superbos Mente cordis sui. Deposuit potentes de sede Et exaltavit humiles. Esurientes implevit bonis Et divites dimisit inanes. Suscepit Israel puerum suum Recordatus misericordiae suae, Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros Abraham et semini eius in saecula. Gloria Patri, et Filio My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on them that fear Him throughout all generations. He hath shown strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek. He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich He hath sent empty away. Remembering His mercy, He hath holpen [helped] His servant Israel. As He promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

10 Et Spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio Et nunc et semper Et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. The singers today were and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 10 Programme notes R. J. Stove, 2014 Sopranos Grace Cordell, Bronwyn Jones, Alexandra Mathew, Erika Tandiono*, Ellen Walker, Jennifer Wilson-Richter Altos Elizabeth Anderson*, Hannah Spracklan-Holl, Helen Toner*, Ailsa Webb Tenors Alastair Cooper-Golec*, Sam Gleisner, Christopher Roache*, Leighton Triplow Basses Luke Hutton, Kieran Macfarlane, Matthew Tng*, Frenio Redeker, Lucas Wilson-Richter* * denotes soloist The instrumentalists today were Violins Viola Cello Violone Organ Timothy Willis, Elizabeth Welsh Dovi Hanner Jamie Wallis Ruth Wilkinson David Macfarlane About us The AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR has undertaken four European concert tours (You are invited to join us on our next! See below). We have recorded many programs for ABC FM, made three CDs, given concerts in Canberra, Sydney, regional NSW and throughout Victoria. This year, we expanded our activities to include Warragul, Macedon and Flinders. In 2015 we will expand further, adding Hamilton and Brighton to the list, with our first program for the year, Soul of Anzac performed in seven Victorian venues. Our second program for 2015, Kakadu Man will be premiered in Macedon and Melbourne and then repeated with slight variants in 16 concerts in Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. Come with us to Europe in 2015 For the first time, we will take a group of friends with us to share the excitement of the first 15 days, beginning on 26 June in the medieval walled town of Nördlingen. You stay in a converted monastery (now 4-star) in the centre of the old town. The choir sings in the 15 th century Georgskirche. Douglas will give a private recital just for you on the immaculately copied

11 Baroque swallows-nest organ, rebuilt in its original position after it was destroyed by fire in You travel by luxury coach to the ancient university town of Tübingen. After our concert, you are invited to supper with the choir, hosted by Prof. Andrei Lupas, Director of Protein Evolution at the Max Planck Institute. The next morning, just for fun and if you are interested, meet Douglas in the church for a Friends Choir rehearsal. In Bonn, visit the house where Beethoven was born, now a museum. In Berlin, we sing in the city s most famous landmark, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, with its tower left in ruins as a memorial to World War II. In Copenhagen, from your room in the Skt Petri hotel, you may be able to see the Trinitatis Church, where the Choir will perform. Adjacent to the church is the Round Tower, built in the 17 th century by King Christian IV. You can ascend the tower s spiral corridor and visit King Christian s astronomical observatory and the Trinitatis Library Hall in the roof of the church. We will cross the Oresund Bridge to Sweden and take a ferry to the picturesque Danish island of Bornholm. You conclude your tour in Hamburg, where we enjoy a post-concert meal together in a restaurant overlooking the harbour. You are a VIP guest at eight performances and are invited to four postconcert celebrations. You spend two or more nights in each hotel and take your pick of the sightseeing we have planned for you. Come with us for 15 days of 4-star luxury, fabulous music and priceless experiences. Read more at Would you like more information? We suggest Subscribe to our enews letter Sign in at the door today or at Visit our website: Like us on Facebook: Donations to the ACC are tax deductible. Australian Chamber Choir Inc Brunswick Rd West Brunswick Vic 3055 GOVERNANCE Chairman: Dr Robin Batterham, AO Treasurer: Richard Bolitho Public Officer: Dr Sarah Martin Assisting on the Management Committee: Stuart Hamilton AO Manager: Elizabeth Anderson Artistic Director: Douglas Lawrence OAM Patrons: Dr Barry Jones, AO Prof John Griffiths, Oficial de la Orden de Isabel la Católica 11

12 Thank you to all who support the choir, including our friends and sponsors Warren and Iris Anderson, Jörg and Elisabeth Bahner, Vicki and Peter Balabanski, James and Barbara Barber, Robin Batterham, Heather Bayston, Jennifer Bellsham-Revell, Lyn Howden and David Beauchamp, Carmel Behan, Rhys Boak, Anna Bohn, Roger Boyce, David Brand, Eleanor Bridger, Sally Brown, Harold Burge, Elizabeth Burns, Margaret Callinan, Bernard Carter, Lois Cooke, Sally Cordell, Tony Correll, Kim Dahl, Felicity Demediuk, Michael Dolan, Patricia Duke, Michael Edgeloe, Rod and Deb Edwards, Gregory Eccleston, Michael Elligate, Priyanka Erasmus, Ken Falconer, Hellen Fersch, Jennie Smith and Bruce Fethers, Anne Gilby, Rosemary Gleeson, Roland Godfrey, David and Dianne Gome, John and Bernie Griffiths, Tom Griffiths, Ian and Heather Gunn, Thorry Gunnersen, Alan Gunther, Stuart Hamilton, Bob Henderson, Tom Henry, Geoff Hone, Arwen Hur, Thomas Hurley, John and Cheryl Iser, Patrick Johnston, David Kellam, Ozlem Keskin, Peter Kingsbury, Judy Kiraly, Barbara Kristof, Alan Larwill, Neil Lawrence, George and Ann Littlewood, Pamela Lloyd, Heather Low, Janice and Andrei Lupas, Lenore Macdonald, Hector Maclean, Penelope Maddick, Sarah Martin, Chris Maxwell, Campbell and Noreen McAdam, Kate McBride, Monica MacCallum, Gwenlyn McIntosh, Hilary McPhee, Lorraine Meldrum, Catherine and Barry Michael, Philippa Miller, Alana Mitchell, Mobiquity Inc, Adam Morris, Mary Muirhead, Elisabeth Murdoch, Max Griffiths and Merrilyn Murnane, Christine Newman, Margaret Newman, Chris Pushson, Joan Roberts, MJ and RM Norton, Jenny O Donnell, The Ian Potter Foundation, Elizabeth Powell, Chris Punshon, Jennifer and Bill Raper, Rosalie Richards, David Ritchie, Annette Robinson, Nola Rogers, Lars Rolner, John Rowe, Alma Ryrie-Jones, Robert Salzer Foundation, Ken Sargeant, Geoff Scollary, Cathy Scott, Stephen Shanassy, David and Lorelle Skewes, Nicole Spicer, Lynne Star, Leonore Stephens, Eric Stokes, Rob Stove, Brian Swinn, Ross Telfer, Pauline Tointon, Elsie Valmorbida, Alison Waller, Mel Waters, Margaret and Dilhan Webb, Dianna Wells Design, Ron Whitmore, Patricia Wilkinson, Carolyn Williams, Harry Williams, Glen Witham, Robert Wright, Jenny and Wallace Young, Margaret Zammit and anonymous donors. Australian Chamber Choir Inc. No.A00499