Choral Singing / Choral Music
The Little Match Girl PASSION presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Date: Saturday 14 October 7:30pm (2023)
Venue: Verbrugghen Hall, Conservatorium of Music, Sydney
"Lang's retelling of Hans Andersen's fairy tale is an entrancingly beautiful piece... what makes it so compelling is the haunting vocal writing."
~ The Guardian ~
A modern reflection on a tragic fable - a passion for our time.
In a Sydney Philharmonia Choirs first, they're presenting one of the most profound choral works of our time: David Lang’s Pulitzer prize-winning Little Match Girl Passion.
Lang takes Hans Christian Andersen’s dark tale – almost too despairing to be a children’s story – and views it through the lens of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, weaving its narrative of suffering and hope with commentary and reflections that heighten its emotional impact.
“There is no Bach in this piece,” says Lang, “and there is no Jesus.” Instead he substitutes the suffering of the Little Match Girl for Jesus’ suffering, “elevating her sorrow to a higher plane”.
Musically, The Little Match Girl Passion combines the clarity of unaccompanied voices with the antique aura of bells and drums, building a haunting sound world from the simplest of means. It’s impossible to hear this breathtaking music – this passion for our time – and be left unmoved.
To complement Lang’s 35-minute oratorio, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs have chosen music for choir and piano by Australian composers Luke Byrne and Naomi Crellin. VOX will perform this concert in the wonderful acoustics of Verbrugghen Hall at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Saturday 14 October 2023 at 7.30pm
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
PROGRAM
BYRNE Four Songs from Grimm’s
BYRNE The Six Swans
CRELLIN Thrice Upon a Time*
LANG The Little Match Girl Passion
* Premiere
This program will run for approximately 70 minutes, without interval.
ARTISTS
Elizabeth Scott conductor
VOX
Luke Byrne piano
Sydney Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra
TICKETS
General admission | $75
No concessions or Youth prices
**Buy this concert with MacMillan’s Stabat Mater for $140**
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.
Reviews:
‘Clear as a bell’ VOX in an impressive performance. ClassicON. Reviewed by | Oct 15, 2023 | Ambassador thoughts, Chamber Groups, Choirs.
SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS-VOX : THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL PASSION @VERBRUGGHEN HALL. 5 Stars. Sydney Arts Guide. Reviewed by Paul Nolan, 16 October, 2023.
Related Link:
David Lang – The Little Match Girl Passion | A day in the library | Ep. 5 |. YouTube, uploaded by The Norwegian Soloists' Choir. The Norwegian Soloists' Choir (Det Norske Solistkor) and conductor Yuval Weinberg perform composer David Lang's "The Little Match Girl Passion", based on H. C. Andersens' fairytale The Little Match Girl (Piken med svovelstikkene). Accessed September 11, 2023.
Video Credit:
2023 MacMillan Stabat Mater & The Little Match Girl Passion. YouTube, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed October 9, 2023.
Image Credit:
The Little Match Girl PASSION. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.
Australian Composers Luke Byrne (L) and Naomi Crellin (R). Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.
Resources:
The Little Match Girl PASSION. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed August 11, 2023 (Available at this time)
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue.
BOOK TICKETS HERE
COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS
Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House.
(c) August 11, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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