Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: Orff's Carmina Burana (2023)

Choral Singing / Choral Music

Carl Orff's CARMINA BURANA presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Date: Saturday 9 September 2023 at 2pm
Venue: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

 

Carmina Burana is a cantata composed in 1935 and 1936 by Carl Orff, based on poems from the medieval collection "Carmina Burana". Its full Latin title is Carmina Burana: Cantiones profanae cantoribus et choris cantandae comitantibus instrumentis atque imaginibus magicis. Its first performance was 8 June, 1937, at Oper Frankfurt.  

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is the blockbuster of the choral repertoire, the kind of music guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Its worldly – and occasionally naughty – texts were assembled by mediæval monks, but its flamboyant music is barely a century old. From the rousing chorus of “O Fortuna!” to the intrepid tenor (the inimitable Kanen Breen) voicing a roasting swan at the top of his range, Carmina Burana will take you on an exhilarating and often visceral journey through the rhythms of life.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs are also thrilled to present the concert premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin’s Human Waves. With words by fellow-pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska, it charts stories of struggle and success from the rich tapestry of Australia’s migrant history, finding inspiration in the diversity of cultures and traditions that make up our society.

Murrgumurrgu, by First Nations artist James Henry, takes its title from the Yuwaalaraay name for the ibis, which breeds on the Narran Lakes before coming to Sydney to find food.

The best-known song from Carmina Burana is “O Fortuna” (“Oh Fortune”), which serves as both prologue and epilogue. It frames the revelry of the three main movements with a stark warning about the power of luck and fate, offering the ancient image of a wheel of fortune that deals out triumph and disaster at random.

PROGRAM

HENRY Murrgumurrgu (Ibis)*†
KATS-CHERNIN Human Waves*†
ORFF Carmina Burana

* Concert premiere
† From 100 Minutes of New Australian Music Project

This program will run for approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
James Henry singer & composer
Lorina Gore soprano
Kanen Breen tenor
Hadleigh Adams baritone
Festival Chorus
River City Voices
Tamara-Anna Cislowska piano & librettist (Human Waves)
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

PRE-CONCERT TALK

Come to the Northern Foyer from 1pm to hear SPC Chorister and 2MBS Fine Music presenter Peter Poole chat with Human Waves librettist Tamara-Anna Cislowska and Murrgumurrgu composer James Henry. Grab a drink at the bar and enjoy this free, 30-minute talk, with plenty of time to find your seat for the 2pm concert.

Seating is on the carpeted stairs in the Northern Foyer.
Access the Northern Foyer via the new tunnel from the Southern Foyer.

• Saturday 9 September: 1:15PM-1:45PM
• Concert Hall, Northern Foyer stairs

 

2023 Pre-Concert Talks are made possible with the support of 2MBS Fine Music.

Reviews: 

Carmina Burana (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs). 4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟Limelight Magazine. Accessed September 11, 2023.

Carmina Burana-Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Orchestra. Reviewed by Shirley Politzer. JWire.com.au. Accessed September 13, 2023.

SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS : CARMINA BURANA @SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE. 5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Sydney Arts Guide. Reviewed by Paul Nolan.  Accessed September 13, 2023.

 

 

 

Related Links:

Carl Orff. Inspired Pen Web. 

Carmina Burana (Orff). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed July 10, 2023.

Carl Orff - O Fortuna ~ Carmina Burana. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Robert Shaw. Artwork: Irudiak - Joseph Mallord William Turner. YouTube, uploaded by Beatriz. Accessed July 10, 2023.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Carl Off's Carmina Burana 2021. Inspired Pen Web.

Video Credit:

Carmina Burana 2023 Version 2. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.  O Fortuna! Carl Orff’s 'Carmina Burana' is the blockbuster of the choral world, the kind of music that will keep you on the edge of your seat with its rousing choruses and wicked humour. Elena Kats-Chernin’s 'Human Waves' offers something completely new from one of Australia’s most popular composers, inspired by the rich tapestry of our migrant history. And Yuwaalaraay compsoer James Henry paints a fond portrait of the ibis in 'Murrgumurrgu'.  YouTube, accessed August 10, 2023.

Resources:

Orff's Carmina Burana. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed July 10, 2023  (Available at this time)

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue. 

 

TICKETS

Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.

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) July 10, 2023. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2022 Handel: Messiah

Classical Music / Choral Singing

Handel: Messiah

Thursday 8 December at 8pm
Saturday 10 December at 1pm
Sunday 11 December at 1pm
 

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Image credit: Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

The world has entered a “new normal”, so many habits you took for granted have changed. But the tradition of Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' biennial Messiah holds fast – a musical anchor to the concert season.

                        Handel’s Messiah, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, 2022. 

                                        Photo © Simon Crossley-Meates

Since 1742, when it was premiered in Dublin, Handel’s Messiah has never left the repertoire. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs has been performing it for nearly a hundred years. With its stirring choruses and sublime solos, and its dramatic expression of faith, Handel’s great oratorio stands as a beacon in the concert calendar – an event to look forward to.

And after a season of singing together again, all SPC choirs will be joining forces in December for what is its finest, most definitive, performance of Messiah yet. From VOX and the Chamber Singers to  Symphony Chorus and the community of singers in the annual Christmas Chorus, SPC look forward to singing its favourite Handel oratorio. The energy of Messiah.

Images Credit: Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
Lorina Gore soprano
Ashlyn Tymms mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Jones tenor
Morgan Pearse baritone
Symphony Chorus
Chamber Singers
VOX
Christmas Choir
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

PROGRAM

Deborah CHEETHAM & Matthew DOYLE Tarimi Nulay – Long time living here*
George Frideric HANDEL Messiah
* Commissioned for our 100 Minutes of New Australian Music project

A digital program book will be available to download on this page a week prior to the concert. A limited number of printed program books will be available for $5 each at the concert.

TICKETS

Premium $124 | A $101 | B $79 | C $58 | D $45
Concessions $112 | A $90| B $71 | C $52 | D $41
A booking fee of $8.50 per transaction applies

Reviews: 

Handel: Messiah (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs). Conducted by Brett Weymark, "Handel's Messiah shines a fresh light after the dark months of the pandemic."  4.5 STARS!  Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. Reviewed by Steve Moffatt on 9 Dec, 2022. 

SYDNEY PHILHARMONIA CHOIRS – MESSIAH @ SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE.  Reviewed by Paul Nolan on 11 December, 2022. Sydney Arts Guide.  "Weymark has thrown down an oratorio gauntlet to ensure our entertainment. His dynamic interpretation and harnessing of the 600 plus choir, the orchestra emitting a crisp accompaniment and soloists pitted against all forces from their challenging spot mid stage were breathtaking elements in this version."

Related Articles: 

• Handel Oratorio Messiah 
  
• Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Handel's Messiah 2019
• Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Handel's Messiah 2017

Resources:    

• Handel Messiah - Sydney Opera House 2022. Accesed November 22, 2022.
• Sydney Philharmonia Choirs  - Handel: Messiah. (Available at the time of posting) Accessed November 22, 2022.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

COVID-19 SAFETY AT OUR CONCERTS

• All SPC singers, musicians and staff are double vaccinated.
• Audiences at the Sydney Opera House are strongly encouraged to wear masks while inside the foyers and Concert Hall, including during the performance. If this changes, we will inform patrons as soon as possible.
• The Sydney Opera House has a well-maintained and effective air-conditioning system to maximise ventilation with fresh air.
• The Sydney Opera House regularly cleans high-traffic and high-touch areas with hospital-grade disinfectant.
• Hand sanitiser stations with aloe vera gel are available in paths of travel, frequently accessed areas and near bathroom facilities.
• Sydney Opera House staff have COVID-19 safety training.
• A digital program book will be available to download on this page a week prior to the concert. A limited number of printed program books will be available for $5 each at the concert.

DETAILS ABOUT OUR COVID SAFE PLAN

 

(c) November 22, 2022. Updated December 11, 2011 Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Jubilation: Handel & Haydn

Choral Singing / Classical Music

 

Jubilation: Handel & Haydn

Date:  Sunday 22 May 2022, 3pm
Venue:  Sydney Town Hall

 

 

Image credit: Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
 

The last time Sydney Philharmonia's Festival Chorus performed was in September 2019. Now, as they come together for the first time in nearly two years, they're putting the “festive” back into Festival with a magnificent and uplifting program guaranteed to put a smile on every face.

 

Organist David Drury. Image Credit: Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

                 

There’s nothing restrained about this program. Handel’s four Coronation Anthems, commissioned personally by George II, are in the grand ceremonial style – majestic music capturing all the pomp and splendour of the occasion. Haydn’s Nelson Mass is remarkable for its boldness and rich dramatic power. And Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Festival Chorus bring the celebratory spirit into the present with three new orchestral interludes commissioned from emerging Sydney composers. Sublime!

PROGRAM

George Frideric HANDEL The King Shall Rejoice
Tomas PARRISH-CHYNOWETH The Fractured Crown*
HANDEL Zadok the Priest
Aidan Charles ROSA Ineffable*
HANDEL Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened
Aija DRAGUNS Lavender Paper Cranes*
HANDEL My Heart is Inditing
Joseph HAYDN Missa in angustiis, Hob.XXII:11 (Nelson Mass)
* Premiere

This performance will run for approximately 2 hours, including one 20-minute interval.

 

Top: Penelope Mills, soprano; Russell Harcourt, countertenor
Below: Louis Hurley, tenor; Christopher Richardson, bass-baritone.
Image Credit: Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

 

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
Penelope Mills soprano
Russell Harcourt countertenor
Louis Hurley tenor
Christopher Richardson bass-baritone
Festival Chorus
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

 

TICKETS

Premium $112 | A $101 | B $79 | C $58
Concessions: Premium $101 | A $90| B $71 | C $52
A booking fee of $8.50 per transaction applies.

 

Reviews: 

Will be provided as available. 

Resources:

2022 Season Together Again. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Artistic & Music Director Brett Weymark, OAM

Jubilation: Handel & Bach. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.  (Available on access, 8 May 2022.)

 

BOOK TICKETS HERE

COVID-19 SAFETY

• All SPC singers, musicians and staff are double vaccinated.
• Audiences will be required to wear masks throughout the performance. If this changes we will inform patrons as soon as possible.
• Hand sanitiser will be available.
• A digital program book will be available on this page a week prior to the concert. A limited number of printed program books will be available for $5 each at the concert.

DETAILS ABOUT OUR COVID SAFE PLAN

(c) 8 May 2022.  Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Mozart Requiem & Revelations

CHORAL MUSIC / Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs present:
MOZART Requiem & Revelations

 

Saturday, 19 March 2022, 3pm
Sydney Town Hall

Photo Credit: Robert Catto

 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem is legendary in more ways than one. Even setting aside the popular fictions, there’s something deeply moving in the idea of a composer striving on his deathbed to finish his last creation, breaking off just a few lines into the heartbreaking lament of the Lacrimosa. And of his widow handing the music over to a student so it could be completed for the “mystery” client. It’s a well-known story – as familiar to music-lovers as the music itself. 

Which is why Brett Weymark wants us to hear it with fresh ears. Mozart would have expected to hear his Requiem in church, with chanting and ceremonial business between the musical numbers. In this program, Brett has created a kind of “liturgy” for the concert hall, interweaving the sections of the Requiem with music from throughout Mozart’s life – musical gems that hint at what was to come.

Some you’ll probably recognise (the Ave verum corpus), some may seem oddly familiar (a gorgeous choral adaptation of the Adagio from the Gran Partita), others will sound intriguingly new. Together they amplify the beauty and drama of Mozart’s ultimate masterwork in a musical revelation.

And in Dolor ultimæ melodiæ (Grief of the last song), Jessica Wells creates a meditation on the “Amen” of the Lacrimosa – picking up with a contemporary voice from the point where Mozart left off.

 

Clockwise from top left: Soprano Chloe Lankshear, Mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell, Bass David Greco and Tenor Andrew Goodwin. 

Photo credit: SPC

 

Sydney composer Jessica Wells

Photo Credit: Steven Godbee

 

PROGRAM

Deborah CHEETHAM & Matthew DOYLE Tarimi Nulay – Long time living here*
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Requiem (Süssmayr completion)
interleaved with…
Masonic Funeral Music, K.477
Miserere mei (Kyrie, K.90)
Ne pulvis et cini, K.Anh.122 (based on a chorus from Thamos, King of Egypt)
Solfeggio No.2 (Adagio), K.393
Quis te comprehendat, K.Anh. 110 (based on the Adagio from the Gran Partita, K.361)
O Gottes Lamm (from 2 Sacred Hymns, K.343)
Ave verum corpus, K.618
Laudate Dominum (from Solemn Vespers for a Confessor, K.339)
and traditional plainchants from the Mass for the Dead
Jessica WELLS Dolor ultimæ melodiæ**
* Commissioned for our 100 Minutes of New Australian Music project
**Premiere

ARTISTS

Brett Weymark conductor
Chloe Lankshear soprano
Sally-Anne Russell mezzo-soprano
Andrew Goodwin tenor
David Greco bass
Symphony Chorus
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

 

This program will be approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. No interval. 

 

TICKETS

Premium $112 | A $92 | B $71 | C $50
Concessions $101 | A $83| B $64 | C $45
A booking fee of $8.50 per transaction applies.

BOOK Tickets Here

 

Reviews:

 

•  Mozart Requiem and Revelations (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs).  This "Requiem of the Imagination", featuring Mozart and new music by Jessica Wells, was a superb concert eliciting excitement and joy. Limelight Magazine, by Steve Moffatt. Reviewed 19 March 2022. Accessed 24 Mrch 2022.
  

•  MOZART – REQUIEM AND REVELATIONS | Sydney Arts Guide. Sydney Arts Guide by Paul Nolan. Reviewed 22 March 2022. Accessed March 24. 2022.

•  Review: Mozart: Requiem & Revelation at the Sydney Town Hall. EastSideFm(89.7),  by Paul Neeson. Reviewed 20 March 2022. Accessed 24 March 2022.
  

 

Resources & Features:

• 2022 Season Together Again. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.  
• "Beyond the Requiem with Brett Weymark and Jessica Wells". A conductor and composer map out a journey through Mozart's final masterpiece for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Limelight Magazine. By Clive Paget on 11 March, 2022. Accessed March 11, 2022. 
• Mozart Requiem & Revelations. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. (Available at this posting) Accessed 4 February 2022.    
• Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Performs 'Mozart: Requiem & Revelations' at Sydney Town Hall in March. The performance is on Saturday March 19. Broadway World Sydney. By Stephi Wild, February 7, 2022. Accessed February 8, 2022.

 

COVID-19 SAFETY INFORMATION

(Note from Sydney Philharmonia Choirs) 

• All SPC singers, musicians and staff are double vaccinated.
• Audiences will be required to QR code and show proof of double vaccination upon entry to the Sydney Town Hall.
• Audiences will be required to wear masks throughout the performance. If this changes we will inform patrons as soon as possible.
• Hand sanitiser will be available.
• A digital program book will be available on this page a week prior to the concert. A limited number of printed program books will be available for $5 each at the concert.

Details About SPC  COVID Safe Plan 

 

 

This website supports Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

 

 

(c) February 4, 2022. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2021 SING ON! A Choral Celebration

Choral Singing/

SING ON! A Choral Celebration

Date: Saturday 24 July 3pm (Due to Sydney lockdown resulting from COVID-19 Delta variant, this concert has been moved to 21 November 3pm, 2021.)

 

Venue: Sydney Town Hall

  

A concert like this only comes around every 100 years, or so. COVID-19 may have put paid to Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' centenary concert last year, but they're determined to present the amazing music planned so in 2021 – a long year later – they are thrilled to invite everyone their all-new, all-Australian choral extravaganza.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs are proud that they can now present works that were commissioned as part of their 100 Minutes of New Australian Music centenary project, such as Indigenous composer James Henry’s hypnotic Murrgumurrgu.

Photo credit: Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Elena Kats-Chernin’s Human Waves reflects the rich legacy of Australia’s migrant history. Elena said, “Brett Weymark had a vision for a large work to be centred around the tapestry of our mixed community: an exploration and celebration of Australia’s diversity and how the fusion of cultures and traditions has enriched our society and taught us tolerance, thoughtfulness and gratefulness. He came up with the title Human Waves which I loved from the beginning. It can mean so many things: a warm wave of welcome; the waves of the ocean – bringing so many migrants by boat; the waves people make when they change society.”

Daniel Walker’s Choral Crackers is a high-energy medley of the top-10 hallmark choral works that have featured in SPC's performances over the last 100 years – works such as Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’, Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Zadok the Priest.

The journey from that first concert at Randwick Hospital on 9 September 1920 by the newly formed Hurlstone Park Choral Society – through wars, generations, seismic culture shifts and a global pandemic – has seen Sydney Philharmonia Choirs what it has become, Australia’s premier choral arts company. Celebrate with them at Sing On!

The program will run for approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.

PROGRAM

Deborah CHEETHAM & Matthew DOYLE Tarimi Nulay – Long time living here†
Daniel BRINSMEAD Cantate Domino*†
Andrew ANDERSON Song in My Heart*†
Elena KATS-CHERNIN Human Waves*†
James HENRY Murrgumurrgu*†
Matthew ORLOVICH MMXX A Meditation on Auld Lang Syne*
Daniel WALKER Choral Crackers*

*Premiere
† Commissioned as part of our 100 Minutes of New Australian Music centenary project in 2020. 

ARTISTS
Brett Weymark conductor
Elizabeth Scott conductor
Chamber Singers
Symphony Chorus
VOX

Elena Kats-Chernin piano
Sydney Youth Orchestra
Members of Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

Tickets: Premium $109 | A $89 | B $69 | C $49. Concessions available.
A booking fee of $8.50 per transaction applies.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

 

Reviews:
 

Will be provided as available.


Related Link:

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2021 SING ON! A Choral Celebration. Inspired Pen Web, Tel Asiado. June 11, 2021.

Resources:

Sing On! A Choral Celebration. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Website. (Available on access, June 11, 2021.)

Sing On! A Choral Celebration. Sydney Opera House Website (Available on access, June 23, 2021)

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Will Perform SING ON! A CHORAL CELEBRATION in July. By Stephi Wild, May 20, 2021. Broadway World. Accessed June 11, 2021.



COVID-19 SAFETY

• Audiences will be required to QR code register upon entry to the Sydney Town Hall.
• As a condition of the venue, audiences will be required to wear masks throughout the performance. If this changes we will inform patrons as soon as possible.
• Hand sanitizer will be available.
• We will publish a digital program book on our website a week prior to the concert. A limited number of printed program books will be available for $5 each at the concert.

DETAILS ABOUT COVID SAFE PLAN

(c) June 11, 2021. Updated June 23, 2021. Tel.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Handel's Messiah 2019

Handel’s greatest and most loved choral masterpiece sung by more than 600 voices at the Sydney Opera House. Brett Weymark conducts the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for three concert events for the festive season.

Handel's Messiah has become a biennial fixture in the Sydney Philharmonia concert calendar and has yet to wear out its welcome – a sure sign of a masterpiece. But 2019 marks our final performance of Messiah in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall before it closes for renovations, so join us for one ‘last hallelujah’ in what promises to be our most rousing performance yet!




Handel’s Messiah emerged from the white heat of inspiration – an astonishing creative act, completed in just 24 days. The story goes that G.F. Handel finished the Hallelujah Chorus in tears, saying ‘I think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself!’ And since its first triumphant performances in Dublin in 1742 it has inspired listeners with the power and unity of its music, and its impressive portrayal of the text. Despite containing almost no storytelling, this is an oratorio that is carried by its intrinsic drama.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Centenary in 2020: Celebrating 100 Years

Choral Music / Choral Singing

(Sadly, SPC's concerts -  St. John Passion Re-Imagined, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and A Centenary Celebration - have been cancelled due to coronavirus crisis. We have faith and hope this pandemic will end soon.) 

The year 2020 is a special year for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs as it celebrates 100 years of singing and music-singing with a future-focused program, shining light on Australian composers, and on the organisation’s longstanding commitment to collaboration, community and connection.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs marks 100 years since 12 church choristers first met in 1920, forming the original “Hurlstone Park Choral Society”. It also pays tribute to the many collaborations and partnerships that have seen the organisation mature over the decades, reinforcing its position as Australia’s leading choral organisation, recognised around the world for their contribution to Sydney’s vibrant artistic and cultural identity.

To fulfill the artistic vision for SPC's Centenary, at the heart of the celebrations is Sydney Philharmonia's commissioning of “100 Minutes of New Australian Music”, to be premiered as part of the Choirs’ 2020 Season.  This new music will be created for SPC by emerging and established composers. From the most well-known composers, “100 Minutes of New Australian Music” embraces a diverse expertise, representative of the rich makeup of Australia’s music community: with pieces by Brett Dean, Elena Kats-Chernin, Deborah Cheetham, Joseph Twist, Brooke Shelley, James Henry, Nardi Simpson, Will Yaxley, Matthew Orlovich, Daniel Brinsmead, Maria Lopes, and Andrew Anderson.

These world premiere performances will feature throughout the year and on SPC's European tour. Works from these 12 Australian composers will make their debut as part of the initiative, including four on the international stage, as part of a European tour in October.

Comprising a variety of works created to varying length, scale and theme, the composite “100 Minutes of New Australian Music” will showcase a uniquely Australian contribution to the art form of choral music.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Bach and Mozart: In the Imagination of their Hearts

Choral Singing / Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Saturday 20 April at 2pm Sydney Opera House Concert Hall

Free pre-concert talk in the Northern Foyer 45 minutes prior to the concert. Sponsored by Fine Music FM.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Capella St Crucis Choristers.
Photo Courtesy: Eric Hansen.

Between the solemnity of Good Friday and the joy of resurrection on Easter Morning, Easter Saturday might be the ‘deadest day of the church calendar’, but in 2019 you can spend Saturday afternoon with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs at the Sydney Opera House for a musical expression of faith that will lift your soul.

At the heart of the program is Johann Sebastian Bach and his brilliant Magnificat. Voices ring out – ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord!’ – and the music resounds with trumpets and drums in a spirit of festive celebration. Five soloists bring their dazzling virtuosity and expressive powers to a text that ranges between sheer elation and a profound expression of humility as Mary responds to the news that she will be the mother of Christ.

Framing the Magnificat are two works that, each in their own way, look to Bach for inspiration. The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs have commissioned a new motet for 50 voices from The Song Company’s artistic director Antony Pitts, who takes the explosive harmonies from Bach’s setting of the words ‘In the imagination of their hearts’ as his starting point. As he describes it, Bach’s moment of collective madness is frozen in a kind of anachronistic bullet time and scattered to the four winds and back to Bach.

After interval you can eavesdrop on the newly married Mozart through his work in Great Mass in C minor, embarking on a grand mass for choir and orchestra, to be performed in Salzburg when the couple make their first visit to his disapproving father. Wolfgang Mozart found fresh inspiration in the Baroque techniques of Bach and Handel, combining their complex weaving of voices with the elegance and drama of the Classical style. But he didn’t finish – no one’s entirely sure why – and so it remains ‘half a mass’, tantalising nevertheless magnificent.

The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs invited the Capella St Crucis of Hannover and its conductor Florian Lohmann to join the Sydney Philharmonia's Chamber Singers and Symphony Chorus as they continue their much-loved tradition of Easter concerts.

PROGRAM

Antony PITTS    XLX Mente cordis sui (Premiere)
     "Song of the Elders" - Revelation 5: 9-10
     "Song of theAngels" - Revelation 5:12
     "Song of All Creatures" - Revelation 5: 13-14
    
JS BACH    Magnificat in D major BWV 243
     from the Magnificat - Luke 1:51
     (in the imagination of their hearts, He hath scattered the proud ...)

WA MOZART    Great Mass in C minor KV 427


ARTISTS

Florian Lohmann conductor (Mozart)
Brett Weymark conductor (Bach, Pitts)
Sara Macliver soprano
Anna Dowsley mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Tolputt countertenor
Nicholas Jones tenor
David Greco baritone
Capella St Crucis Hannover
Chamber Singers
Symphony Chorus
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
Fiona Ziegler, concertmaster


(The performance will be recorded by Fine Music 102.5FM for future broadcast. Recording engineer Peter Bell)


Reviews of Performance

Bach & Mozart: In the Imagination of their Hearts. Stage Whispers. Accessed April 26, 2019.

Bach & Mozart: In the Imagination of their Hearts @ The Sydney Opera House.  Sydney Arts Guide. Accessed April 26, 2019.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: A dazzling Easter dip into Bach and Mozart. Reviewer: Peter McCallum. The Sydney Morning Herald. Accessed April 21, 2019.


(Personal note:  I found this concert timely, performed right on a Holy Saturday. It is compelling and meaningful. I'm not just talking about the superb repertoire, the magnificent choirs, soloists, orchestra,  and quality conducting. I'm talking about an extra depth that one experiences as an audience-member ... when I was transposed into something divine ... I have no words, I can only feel. Everything started with Antony Pitts' featured new work XLX MENTECORDIS SUI. The delightful voices of various split choirs well-positioned inside the Sydney Opera House sounded like calm ocean waves that washes away the weariness of the soul, in reflection of the Holy Week. And Bach's Magnificat! What an enthralling interpretation. How can one not be touched! And the program's finale: Mozart's Great Mass in C minor. I lie if I don't admit that the main attraction for me is this Wunderkind's Mass in C. SPC did not disappoint. Whilst listening intently to the performance came to mind the 1984 Milos Forman movie Amadeus, for in parallel with the Great Mass in C, unfinished like WAM's Requiem but considered also his greatest work. What an uplifting glorious performance! Bravo, and thank you, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Capella St. Crucis. / Tel)

Suggested Listening:

 

Mozart Mass in C minor K.427 Gardiner. YouTube, uploaded by vse vsad. Accessed April 1, 2019. (Monteverdi Choir. Eric Ericson. Chamber Choir. Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Mia Persson soprano. Ann Hallenberg mezzo-soprano. Helge Rønning tenor. Peter Mattei bass. Nobel Prize Concert 2008.)

 

Video Credit:

In Conversation: Brett Weymark, Bach, Mozart at Easter. Uploaded by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed April 1, 2019.

Resources: 

Antony Pitts: 50 is the new 40. Limelight Magazine. Accessed April 16, 2019.

Bach & Mozart. Sydney Opera House. April 15, 2019.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs / Bach & Mozart (available at this time of Posting).  Accessed April 1, 2019.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Program.



(c) April 1, 2019.  Updated, April 20, 2019. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Mozart Great Mass in C Minor

Sacred Music /

 

Great Mass in C of Mozart premieres in Salzburg, October 26, 1783.

The Great Mass in C Minor, K. 427 (K. 417a), is a musical setting of the Mass of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was composed in 1782 and 1783 in Vienna. The large scale work remained unfinished. It was set for two soprano soloists, a tenor and a bass, double chorus and large orchestra. The Mass was written as a result of a vow Mozart made with himself in relation to Constanze, his wife, and his father, Leopold Mozart.  At that time, his relationship with his father was strained.

As a thanksgiving offering after his marriage to Constanze Weber, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed this "great" Mass in C in 1782 and 1783. The mass was first performed in the Church of St. Peter's Abbey in Salzburg, October 26, 1783. It took place in a Roman Catholic Mass context, with the performers, the Hofmusik, employed at the court of Salzburg's Prince-Archbishop Count Hieronymus von Colloredo. At this premiere the soprano solos were sung by Constanze Mozart.




In a letter written to his father, Leopold Mozart (January 4, 1783), Wolfgang mentioned the score of "half a mass lying on his desk bearing witness to the promise". Later that year in St. Peter's Salzburg (October 26), the completed sections of the mass were performed - the Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, and Benedictus, had been completed, but the Credo was not set in full. It was scored in Mozart’s usual draft, and the Agnus Dei was not even begun. 

Orchestral masses compositions had fallen out of favour in Austria during the reign of Emperor Joseph II, and Mozart composed it during this time. Even the older Joseph Haydn did not compose any orchestral masses between 1782 and 1796.

Of the remainder of the mass, the Credo was never completed, the Sanctus and Benedictus, although complete, subsequently became partially lost, and the Agnus Dei had never been contemplated by Mozart beyond some sketches he made for the Dona nobis pacem. 

Perhaps Mozart's Great Mass's incompleteness rightly symbolizes the failure of its  underlying purposes: to express filial piety (respect to his father), to evidence devotion to religious music in an age of reform, and especially to serve as an emblem of Mozart's reconciliation with his father and sister, conditioned upon their acceptance of his wife, whose worthiness Mozart expressed by the sublimity of the 'Great Mass in C' itself.   



Suggested Listening:

Great Mass in C minor - Kyrie - K. 427- W. A. Mozart - Bernstein - Delacroix. Uploaded by codonauta. Accessed Octoboer 25, 2010. Leonard Bernstein - Conductor. Arleen Auger - Sopran. Frederica von Stade - Mezzo sopran. Frank Lopard - Tenor. Cornelius Hauptmann - Bass. Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Symphonie orchester des Bayerrischen Rundfunks. Pictures: Delacroix

Mozart: Great Mass in C Minor, KV 427 - John Eliot Gardiner. YouTube, Uploaded by Huckleberry Finn.  Accessed October 25, 2014. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Mass in C minor, KV 427 Barbara Bonney, soprano. Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano. Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor. Alastair Miles, bass. Monteverdi Choir. English Baroque Soloists. John Eliot Gardiner, conductor. Barcelona, December 1991.

Mozart: Mass in C minor Kv. 427: Kyrie (1785). Uploaded by Azael Hernandez. Accessed August 25, 2016. (effectively dismantled and used as a cantata, Davidde Penitente K. 469). Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra & Monteverdi Choir. Conducted by John Eliot Gardiner.

 

Mozart Mass in C minor K.427 Gardiner. YouTube, uploaded by vse vsad. Accessed April 1, 2019. (Monteverdi Choir. Eric Ericson. Chamber Choir. Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Mia Persson soprano. Ann Hallenberg mezzo-soprano. Helge Rønning tenor. Peter Mattei bass. Nobel Prize Concert 2008.)

Trivia
(Added: April 4, 2019).  For 2019 Easter offering, our Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and the visiting Capella St Crucis from Hannover will fill the Sydney Opera House with the glorious and uplifting sounds of J.S. Bach's Magnificat and Wolfgang A. Mozart's Great Mass in C minor. The concert: "Bach and Mozart: In the Imagination of their Hearts" will be conducted by Florian Lohmann, for Mozart, and Brett Weymark, for Bach. It will also include Anotny Pitts new setting of 'Mente cordis sui' (in the imagination of their hearts), as he takes inspiration from Bach.  Saturday April 20 at 2pm. Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.    


Video Credit:

Mozart - Great Mass in C minor, Nathalie Stutzmann, Conducting.  Accessed August 25, 2017.

Resources:

Bras, Jean-Yves; Bras, Jean-Yves; transl. Derek Yeld (2006). "A Mass of Thanksgiving", p. 31 [CD]. Album notes for Mass in C minor (La Chapelle Royale, Collegium Vocale Gent, Orchestre des Champs-Éllysées, cond. Philippe Herreweghe) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Arles: Harmonia Mundi (HMX 2961393).

Mozart, W. A.; Holl, Monika (preface), Thalmann, Gabriele (transl.) (2006).  Mass in C minor (Urtext). Bärenreiter-Verlag. pp. VII. ISMN M-0006-20223-2

Solomon, Maynard. (1995) Mozart: a Life.  Harper Collins Publishers.



(c) Posted Oct. 25, 2010. Updated Aug. 25, 2017. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.