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AURORA presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Date: Sunday 7 July 2024, 3pm Venue: Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Hickson Road, Sydney
Southern and Northern Lights of the Choral Repertoire
Speaking of Aurora,
VOX conductor Elizabeth Scott said, "This program has been inspired by our respect for and diverse interpretations of the world's natural
phenomena and by our fascination with the mystery that is human nature. Despite the distance...we can see clear parallels in the way the power of nature inspires, influences and unites us."
~ ~ ~
Celestial. Mesmerising. Gorgeous.
Aurora - dawn, beginnings. or perhaps you think of the Aurora Australis and the Aurora Borealis - the southern and northern lights. Either way, this program has you covered, with the talented young singers of Sydney Philharmonia VOX performing luminous music by leading names of the contemporary choral scene, from both hemisphere.
At the heart of this celestial aural experience sits Rautavaara's Missa a cappella - a contemplative devotional work by a Finnish mystic. To frame it, VOX Associate Music Director Dr. Elizabeth Scott has chosen otherworldly and evocative music by Latvian Eriks Esenvalds and Estonian Arvo Paert. These northern 'lights' are joined by Eric Whitacre (his colourful Cloudburst), and three Australian voices. Sydney Philharmonia have commissioned new works from Nicholas Buc and James Henry (whose Murrgumurrgu made such an impression in 2023), and Luke Byrne's Desert Sea will make a welcome return.
It is a mesmerising program that will showcase the pure sound and musical victuosity of VOX and inspire listeners the transformative beauty and sonic splendour of the music.
Join Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for a public reception in Wharf 4/5 Studio and meet the performers following the concert.
Sunday 7 July 2024 at 3pm
Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Sydney
PROGRAM
DEBORAH CHEETHAM FRAILLON and MATTHEW DOYLE Tarimi Nulay – Long Time Living here
†
ALICE CHANCE Aurora Eora †
ĒRIKS EŠENVALDS The First Tears Rivers of Light
JAMES HENRY Fire in the Night Sky †
ARVO PÄRT Magnificat
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA Missa a cappella (Credo, Kyrie)
ERIC WHITACRE Cloudburst
NICHOLAS
BUC Starry Sky †
LUKE BYRNE Desert Sea †
† Sydney
Philharmonia Choirs commission
ARTISTS
Elizabeth Scottconductor Luke Byrne piano
VOX
Duration: approximately 75 minutes. No interval.
Reviews:
As available.
Image Credit:
AURORA, Philharmonia Choirs.
Resources:
AURORA. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed June 25, 2024 (Available at this time)
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue.
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.
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.
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.
Date: Saturday 16 April 2022, 3pm Venue: Sydney Town Hall
What would be your “desert island” Bach?
At Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, they would nominate his Mass in B minor. In just under two hours, this astonishing choral work does it all. On the one hand, it’s a literal portfolio of Bach’s tremendous musical accomplishment – a virtuoso display of style and taste, from the academic to the fashionable, wonderfully varied and yet completely coherent. Easily the most impressive job application in the history of music. Bach collated many of his finest vocal and orchestral styles and examples from across his lifetime: it’s like a sublime “best-of album” from 300 years ago.
When Bach eventually completed the Mass in B minor, he signed it “D.S.G.” – Deo Soli Gloria, the Latin term for Latin term forGlory to God alone. This music was a celebration of an ancient liturgical tradition – an ecumenical setting of the Latin Mass by a deeply devout Lutheran inspired to the glory of God alone.
It was also completely impractical: too long for use in church and calling for brilliant musicians – it’s as if every singer and instrumentalist has a solo part to play. But that’s exactly what makes it so satisfying in the concert hall. In her first concert as Associate Music Director, Dr. Elizabeth Scott will conduct the beautiful voices of SPC's Chamber Singers and young adult choir, VOX – a precision ensemble of singers – accompanied by their own 42-piece Baroque period instrument orchestra, four of Australia's best soloists, for a virtuoso performance to do justice to Bach’s supreme musical craft and spiritual inspiration.
Video Credit: Keith Saunders, Michael Bradfield, Robert Catto & Rebecca Sawyer.
PROGRAM
Deborah CHEETHAM & Matthew DOYLE Tarimi Nulay – Long time living here*
Johann Sebastian BACH Mass in B minor, BWV 232
* Commissioned for our 100 Minutes of New Australian Music project.
This performance will run for approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes, including one 20-minute interval.
Dr. Elizabeth Scott, Conductor
Top: Celeste Lazarenko, soprano; Anna Dowsley, mezzo-soprano
Below: Jonathan Abernethy, tenor; Simon Lobelson, baritone.
ARTISTS
Elizabeth Scott conductor Celeste Lazarenkosoprano Anna Dowsleymezzo-soprano Jonathan Abernethytenor Simon Lobelsonbaritone Chamber Singers VOX Sydney Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
Composed over the course of 16 years, Bach's B Minor Mass is a
compendium of every aspect of Bach’s genius and a profound testament of his faith.
Johann Sebastian Bach was a deeply religious man. On July 28, 1750, less than a year after completing B-minor
Mass, he died in Leipzig, due to complications from treatment
following eye surgery. His body in a humble oak casket was buried in a
site unmarked until the mid-19th century. Mozart found revelation in
Bach's work reflected in the younger composer's famous unfinished Requiem. But
it was not until 1829, during Mendelssohn's revival of Bach's work, in
particular, Mendelssohn’s momentous performance of the St. Matthew Passion
that secured Bach’s place in history.
Bach's Mass was published in 1845,
nearly 100 years after the composer's death. Complete performances followed in
Europe. Bach's B-minor Mass is a masterful combination of sublimity and
profundity.
All SPC singers, musicians and staff are double vaccinated.
Audiences will be required to 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.
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.
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.
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs present: Arvo Pärt’s Berliner Messe (Berlin Mass)
Saturday, 13th March 2pm and 5pm St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney
For its first concert of 2021, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs turn to the music from the Baltic region, with a concert featuring Arvo Pärt’s luminous Berliner Messe (Berlin Mass). Pärt is an Estonian composer of classical and religious music. His music is in part inspired by Gregorian chant. His most performed works include Fratres, Spiegel im Spiegel, and Für Alina.
Image Credit: Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
In building this program, Sydney Philharmonia has chosen music that highlights the pristine young voices of VOX – music which they love to sing. If you
know the sound world of Arvo Pärt, you’ll know what makes him one of the
most popular and frequently performed living composers. The apparent
simplicity, the bell-like tones, close harmonies and chant-like,
introspective melodies combine in music that is deeply spiritual. But
it’s not all floating serenity – what makes music like the Berliner Messe so moving is its emotional range and rich intensity of feeling.
Elizabeth Scott conducts VOX Philharmonia Choir for the premiere of Aija Draguns' new choral work, Lux Aeterna. The piece was performed and recorded at St Andrews Cathedral in Sydney, within Vox's 'Berliner Messe' (Arvo Pärt ) concert on the 13th of March 2021. (YouTube, uploaded by Aija Draguns Music. Accessed April 13, 2021.)
Presented by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and City Recital Hall. Thursday 20 February, 7:30pm
City Recital Hall
Considering Matthew Shepard
In 1998 Matthew Shepard, a first-year college student in Wyoming, was
kidnapped, beaten and left to die. This brutal anti-gay hate crime
inspired anguish and outrage. Nearly 20 years later it inspired composer
Craig Hella Johnson to contemplate suffering, death and the flame of
love and led him on a challenging creative journey. “In composing Considering Matthew Shepard,”
he says, “I wanted to create, within a musical framework, a space for
reflection, consideration and unity around his life and legacy.”
The result is a fusion-oratorio, stylistically eclectic music that
moves between Lutheran hymnody, chant, blues, cowboy songs and Broadway
as it captures the fullness of Matthew’s life and the legacy of his
death. In the background are the Passion settings of JS Bach – offering
musical comfort as their listeners reflect on a story of intense
suffering. And Considering Matthew Shepard begins with Bach: the serene sounds of the first prelude from the Well-Tempered Clavier (the music that underpins Gounod’s Ave Maria).
Considering Matthew Shepard will be performed by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' young adult choir, VOX – some of its members the same age as Matthew himself when he died – in a
semi-staged presentation. Join the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (VOX) at City Recital Hall for this musical
memorial that reverberates with hope and serenity.
“…this modern-day Passion will move many listeners to tears even as it reaches beyond tragedy to peace, understanding and forgiveness.” - The Chicago Tribune
PROGRAM Craig Hella JOHNSON Considering Matthew Shepard
ARTISTS Elizabeth Scottconductor Shaun Rennie director VOX with soloists from the choir
Sydney Philharmonia Ensemble
Photo Credit:
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: VOX. Accessed February 1, 2020.
Resources:
City Recital Hall. Considering Matthew Shepard. Accessed February 4, 2020. (Available at the time of posting.)
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Considering Matthew Shepard. Accessed February 1, 2020.(Available at the time of posting.)
(c) February 1, 2020. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights Reserved.
Saturday 11 May at 8pm Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Presented by TEDX Sydney Curator and host of The Movie Show on SBS
Fenella Kernebone and conducted by Elizabeth Scott with the Sydney
Philharmonia Orchestra, this promises to be the most spectacular concert
of the year.
Free pre-concert talk in the Northern Foyer 45 minutes prior to the concert.
Sponsored by Fine Music 2FM.
Sydney Philharmonia's Music from the Movies, 11 May 2019.
Behind nearly every great movie scene is an equally memorable musical moment. Pay closer attention and you’ll notice just how many of those are powered by the human voice. From the crystal purity of the opening to Frozen to the primal sounds of Hans Zimmer’s score for Gladiator,
there’s really nothing the voice can’t express, and for the first Festival Chorus concert of 2019 we’re assembling a blockbuster program of the highlights.
Representing the classic soundtracks of John Williams, there’s ‘Dry Your Tears, Afrika’ (Amistad) ‘Hymn to the Fallen’ (Saving Private Ryan) and the terrifying ‘Duel of the Fates’ (Star Wars). We’ve got Australian film-making covered with the ingenious, eclectic score from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and the aural vista of Nigel Westlake’s Solarmax and Babe soundtracks.
And the concert wouldn’t be complete without some of the great
classical choral works that have been ‘borrowed’ for the movies:
Handel’s Zadok the Priest (The Madness of King George), Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ (A Clockwork Orange) and, of course, Mozart’s Requiem (Amadeus).
PROGRAM
Choral highlights from the movies including:
Alice in Wonderland, Amadeus, Babe, Frozen, Gladiator, Hymn of the Fallen, Star Wars, The Lion King, The Mission, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, Saving Private Ryan, and more ...
ARTISTS
Elizabeth Scott Conductor Fenella Kernebone, Presenter Festival Chorus VOX
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
(The performance will be recorded by Fine Music 102.5FM for future broadcast. Recording engineer Peter Bell)
Babe Soundtrack. "If I Had Words", one sung by Farmer Hoggett, and Babe End Music. YouTube, uploaded by balletic. Accessed 15 April 2019. Babe, the 1995 Oscar-winning movie, was adapted from Dick King-Smith's children's book 'The Sheep-Pig',
features an adorable piglet who is rescued from a brutally
realistic-looking agribusiness breeding shed as his mum and siblings are
taken off to be slaughtered; it finds a home in an old-fashioned farm with many other animals.
Lyrics:
Songwriters: Jonathan Hodge / Camille Saint-Saens
"If I had words to make a day for you I'd sing you a morning golden and new I would make this day last for all time Give you a night deep in moon shine."
Choristers Unite. Life: get amongst it. Accessed April 1, 2019. (This video was produced during one of our rehearsals for Music for the Movies concert.)
Childhood is a fleeting , fragile thing but can so easily be touched by tragedy. Elizabeth Scott conducts the eilte voices of the VOX youmg adult choir in a luminous acapella program that will make you smile and move you to tears. Two performances only in the intimate space of the Sydney Opera House Utzon Room.
Saturday 23 March 2019, at 5pm Sunday 24 March 2019, at 2pm
Whether you have children of your own or simply remember your own
childhood, you’ll know the earnestness and the innocence, the sheer
magic, the love and the sorrow. And for this concert with the VOX young
adult choir, Elizabeth Scott brings together exquisite music that
captures that fragility and wonder.
Anchoring the program are songs of loss: the sombre intensity of
Nigel Westlake’s Requiem for his son Eli, James MacMillan’s tender
prayer in memory of the children killed in the Dunblane massacre, and
Eric Whitacre’s desperately sad When David Heard, dedicated to a
friend who’d lost a son. This music becomes even more poignant when
sung by young voices, and yet there is solace and consolation in the
luminous beauty of their sound.
But there’s joy and humour too. John Rutter pays homage to the world
of children with nursery rhymes and nonsense poems. And there are
highlights from Martin Wesley-Smith’s witty, environmentally aware Who Killed Cock Robin,
possibly the only contemporary Australian classical work that’s been
known to inspire impromptu sing-alongs! And to end, music by Sting and
Stevie Wonder’s song celebrating the birth of a daughter.
The themes are timeless but this is a concert for today – music by
living composers to showcase the beauty and raw emotional power of
voices in harmony.
PROGRAMME:
Nigel WESTLAKE Nasce la gioia mia (My joy is born) Karl JENKINS And the Mother did weep James MACMILLAN A Child’s Prayer John RUTTER Five Childhood Lyrics Martin WESLEY-SMITH Who Stopped the Rain? Martin WESLEY-SMITH Highlights from Who Killed Cock Robin? Eric WHITACRE When David Heard STING Fragile (arr. Carl Crossin) Stevie WONDER Isn’t She Lovely (arr. The Idea of North) EllaMACENS Neviens Putniņš EriksESENVALDS Only in Sleep
ARTISTS:
Elizabeth Scott, conductor
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' VOX
Reviews of Performance
Review: VOX - WONDER. Reviewer: David Barmby. Performing ArtsHub. Accessed March 30, 2019.
In a globe-spanning collaboration, Sydney Philharmonia - VOX and Estonia’s E Stuudio Youth Choir celebrate the rich vocal music of our countries. The young voices of Sydney’s VOX choir are a product of
Australia’s bold musical culture – and its great choral music. VOX
performs new Australian music by leading composers such as Ross Edwards,
Paul Stanhope and Dan Walker inspired by Australia’s unique
environment. E Stuudio Choir will showcase the spiritually-inclined
music of their homeland. Finally, the
two choirs join forces to stunning effect in a meeting of north and
south.
On the face of it, the tiny Baltic state of Estonia and the vast continent of Australia couldn't be more different, or distant. But there's at least one thing that unites us: the vibrancy of our musical
traditions.
Featuring works by Arvo Pärt, Eric Whitacre, Ola Gjeilo, Dan Walker and Paul Stanhope.
Music transports us to other times and places. Journey to the Elizabethan era with our Symphony Chorus and works inspired by a
golden age of English art. Thomas Tallis and Thomas Tomkins created a unique style of choral music: expressive, dramatic and intimate. A great English composer of a later generation rediscovered their music and was profoundly transformed: Ralph Vaughan Williams paid tribute to his forebears in his Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis and invoked the spirit of Shakespeare in his gorgeous Serenade to Music, but it is the Five Tudor Portraits that are Vaughan Williams’ most extended love letter to Merrie Olde England.
A musical collaboration between Synergy Percussion and Sydney Philharmonia's VOX.
Programme:
Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001), Idmen A Dan Forrester (b. 1978), Three Nocturnes Melody Eötvös (b. 1984), World Premiere of a new work Xenakis, Ohko Eric Whitacre (b. 1970), Sleep Luke Byrne (b. 1980), Desert Sea
The name Petra belies the colossal, elemental and timeless nature of this program. There is a
primal, ancient connection between voice and percussion, and in this hotly anticipated collaboration, VOX and Synergy deliver the full musical gamut, from the most melodic to the most rhythmic, from soothing “night” music to the musical equivalent of a titan battle-sequence.
The music of Greek composer Iannis Xenakis has achieved a cult status - almost a mythical aura about it - and his work for choir and percussion Idmen is a virtuosic and visceral tour de force for both ensembles. This is to the best of our knowledge the first time it has been presented in its entirety in Australia.
A musical collaboration between Sally Whitwell and Sydney Philharmonia's VOX.
With works by Sal Whitwell, Philip Glass, Arvo Paert and Bjoerk.
PROGRAMME:
Sally Whitwell (b. 1974) A Hundred thousand Birds Echo - soloist Bianca Von Oppell Starlight Steeple - soloist Joanna Forbes Arvo Paert (b. 1935) Morning Star (a capella) Which was the son of (a capella)
Sally Whitwell (b. 1974)
Flying
To Your Shore
Michael Nyman (b. 1944)
Miserere (a capella) - soloists Bianca Von Oppell and Elise Morton
Sally Whitwell (b. 1974)
Going Somewhere (a capella) - soloist Kathleen Morris
She Walks in Beauty
Michael Nyman (b. 1944)
Big My Secret (piano solo)
Philip Glass (b. 1937)
Etude for Solo Piano, o 2 (piano solo)
Opening/Heart of Glass (Glass/Blondie)
Massive Attack (formed 1988)
Psyche
Ben Folds (b. 1966)
Effington
Rufus Wainwright (b. 1973)
The Tower of Learning - soloist Remington Owen
Sally Whitwell (b. 1974)
When I was One (a capella)
Aria award-winninng composer and pianist, Sally Whitwell and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' young adult choir, VOX, present a program spanning classic choral repertoire through to pop music, including music by Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Bjoerk, Ben Folds, Massive Attack, and Sally Whitwell.
VOX is Sydney Philharmonia Choirs skilled young adult choir for singers
aged 18-30.These skilled musicians, led by effervescent Music Director,
Elizabeth Scott, deliver a avocal prowess that is both exciting and
inspiring.
Choral Singing / Sydney Philharmonia - Festival Chorus & VOX
"If war is defined as an active conflict that has claimed more than one thousand lives, of the past three thousand four hundred years, humans have been entirely at peace for only two hundred and sixty-eight of them, or just eight percent of recorded history." - Quoted from SPC program's Conductor's Note page.
Karl Jenkins' A Concert for Peace: The Armed Man
Dates:
Saturday 16 May 2015, 1:00pm
Sunday 17 May 2015, 7:30pm
Venue:
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
The Armed Man is a Mass by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, subtitled "A Mass for Peace". The piece was dedicated to victims of the Kosovo crisis. It was commissioned by the Royal Armouries Museum for the Millennium celebrations, to mark the museum's move from London to Leeds. It is essentially an anti-war piece based on the
Catholic Mass, but which Jenkins combines with other sources, principally the 15th-century folk song "L'homme armé" in the first and last movements. Other religious and historical sources include the Islamic call to prayer, the Bible (e.g. the Psalms and Revelation), and the Mahabharata. Writers whose words appear in the work include Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Sankichi Toge, who survived the Hiroshima bombing but died some years later of leukaemia. It was written for SATB chorus with soloists (soprano and muezzin) and a symphonic orchestra.
Composer Karl Jenkins was born and grew up on the Gower Peninsula, the son of a local organist and choirmaster. He studied music at Cardiff University and then at the Royal Academy of Music. Originally an oboist, he took to the saxophone and established himself early on as a jazz musician. He then introduced the oboe as a jazz instrument. As a composer, Jenkins manages to combine very different styles of music from classical to pop and to draw on different cultures from around the globe. His Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary (1994) topped the classical album charts. His Requiem, which we sang in 2006, is enjoyed by choristers and audiences alike.
The Armed Man charts the growing menace of a descent into war, interspersed with moments of reflection; shows the horrors that war brings; and ends with the hope for peace in a new millennium, when "sorrow, pain and death can be overcome".
Below photo: Prior to our Saturday performance, a release of doves will take place on the
forecourt of the Sydney Opera House while our Sydney Philharmonia choirs perform Festival Alleluia, by Australian composer Lyn Williams.
The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs in association with the
United Nations Association of Australia, present 'The Armed Man: A Mass
for Peace.' This very special concert reflects on the passing of 'the
most war-torn and destructive century in human history' and looks
forward in hope to a more peaceful future.
The distinctive texts are drawn from many parts of the world and
from diverse religions and cultures. The captivating music takes the
audience on a journey to the battlefields and beyond with stirring brass
movements, haunting cello, and heavenly choral accompaniments.
The Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (SPC), Australia's oldest and most prestigious iconic choir, continue to share the joy of choral music to both audience and singers. At the helm is its charismatic and dynamic Music Director Brett Weymark.
As the largest choral group of Australia, the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs mainly comprises the following: Chamber Singers, Symphony Chorus, Festival Chorus, and VOX youth group led by Liz Scott, Music Director.
The Chamber Singers. The dynamic Chamber Singers are renowned for their exceptional performances and professionalism. It comprises of 32-voice choir, auditioned annually to ensure the highest standard is maintained. As a flexible ensemble, they
are also be engaged for commercial performances and corporate functions, Royalty and foreign dignitaries. It also performs annually in events such as the City of Sydney.
The Symphony Chorus. The Symphony Chorus, with up to 150 members, performs in concerts with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra headed by David Robertson, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director. It performs alongside the world's best conductors and soloists at the highest standard of excellence.
VOX. SPC's young adult ensemble led by Music Director, Liz Scott. It comprises of singers aged 18-30 (orig. 16-26) performing programs of classical, popular and contemporary works. Recent highlights have included a
recording with Aria award-winning composer and pianist, Sally Whitwell, appearances at the World Netball Championships, and in the Video Games concerts at the Enmore Theatre. In 2015 they performed in A Concert for Peace with the Festival Chorus. They also performed in Holst:The Planets for Earth Hour and Danny Elfman Music from the Films of Tim Burton with Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Festival Chorus. The Festival Chorus is the largest of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, with 350 to 400 members who come together twice a year to perform works from a diverse musical range. Singers are selected during Festival Chorus Open Days, which are held twice each year. To join Festival Chorus all
singers must attend a voice placement workshop in early February. Each
session will take around an hour and a half. At the workshop, the Music Director, possibly with other vocal associates, will conduct voice placements in order for him to assess singing ability and to determine vocal range. It also comprise warm-up exercises, simple melodies, scales and easy harmony pieces to give one the feel of being part of a wonderful sea of sound. Its performances are often in collaboration with other organizations such as musical theatre company.
Recent previous Festival Chorus programs include Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, Leonard Bernstein’s hit musical Wonderful Town, Rossini Stabat Mater and Elgar Dream of Gerontius.
The choir has premiered compositions by Matthew Hindson and Carl Vine, and collaborates with organisations such as the Sydney Youth Orchestra.
In 2018 Festival Chorus will present Haydn's The Creation and Bernstein's Candide.
Joining will give you the opportunity to perform not only with hundreds of other passionate singers but also with professional
orchestral players and some of Australia’s best soloists. In 2018 you will perform in the iconic Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House and the stunning Centennial Hall at Sydney Town Hall.
Here's a sneak peek of our rehearsals for George and Ira Gershwin's Of Thee I Singperformed Sept 26 and 27, 2015, timely too, for the composer's (George Gershwin) birthday. In 1932, Of Thee I Sing was the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Three other major events include: ChorusOz, Carols at the House & Handel's Messiah.
More recently, other initiatives have transpired, including: Singing at the House collaborated with the Sydney Opera House, commissioning and presenting Australian composers' works, and the Discover Series workshop.
How to Audition at Sydney Philharmonia
Sydney Philharmonia Festival Chorus Open Day Audition. In keeping with the times, there have been new developments in the FC audition process.
Here's Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Ode to Joy" Excerpt 2, performed during SSO's Season Opening Gala 2012. Sydney Symphony Orchestra with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Symphony Chorus, Chamber Singers and VOX. Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor, Lorina Gore soprano, Sally-Anne Russell mezzo-soprano, James Egglestone tenor, Michael Nagy baritone.
Sharing a Favourite Quote:
"Sing, then. Sing, indeed, with shoulders back, and head up so that song
might go to the roof and beyond to the sky. Mass on mass of tone, with a
hard edge, and rich with quality, every single note a carpet of colour
woven from basso profundo, and basso, and baritone, and alto, and tenor,
and soprano, and also mezzo, and contralto, singing and singing, until
life and all things living are become a song..." ~ Richard Llewellyn, How Green Was My Valley
Resources:
Beethoven Symphony No. 9: Ode to Joy Excerpt. Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs / Ashkenazy. YouTube, uploaded by Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Accessed November 12, 2016.
Facebook.com/SydneyPhilharmoniaChoirs. Accessed December 6, 2014.
The St Matthew Passion (German: Matthäus-Passion), BWV 244, is a Passion, an oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander (Christian Friedrich Henrici). The setting is based on the Holy Bible's Gospel of St. Matthew chapters 26 and 27 (in the German translation of Martin Luther) to music, with interspersed chorales and arias. It is widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of classical sacred music and pinnacle of JS Bach's musical artistic achievement.
Below is a video performed by the King's College Chapel in Cambridge, conducted by Stephen Cleobury. Rogers Covey-Crump - tenor (Evangelist),
Michael George - bass (Jesus),
Emma Kirkby - soprano,
Michael Chance - alto,
Martyn Hill - tenor,
David Thomas - bass,
The Choir of King's College, Cambridge;
The Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge (Soprano in ripieno);
The Brandenburg Consort (Roy Goodman - leader).
Bach - St. Matthew Passion (Cambridge, 1994). Apology. Embedding is no longer available for this video. Here's the link: Bach's St Matthew Passion. Uploaded by EuroArtsChannel. Accessed November 11, 2017.
Another video, for more listening ... Here's the link: Bach St. Matthew Passion (Complete). Youtube, uploaded by ClassicalMusicTVHD. Accessed Nov 11, 2014 (more listening)
The St Matthew Passion is the second of two Passion settings by JS Bach that have survived, the first being the St. John Passion, first performed in 1724. Very little is about the creation process of the St Matthew Passion. The available information derives from extant early manuscripts, contemporary publications of the libretto, and circumstantial data, for instance in documents archived by the Town Council of Leipzig. It was probably first performed on 11 April 1727 in the St. Thomas Church and again on 15 April 1729, 30 March 1736, and 23 March 1742. Bach then revised it again between 1743 and 1746.
Trivia: Our Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (Symphony Chorus, Chamber Singers and VOX) performed Bach's St Matthew Passion, with Brett Weymark conducting. Soloists: Robert Macfarlane (Evangelist), Christopher Richardson (Christus), Celeste Lazarenko (Soprano), Sally-Anne Russell (Mezzo Soprano), Jonathan Abernethy (Tenor) and David Greco (Baritone). An amazing statement of faith! Saturday, 15 April 2017, Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. The last time Sydney Philharmonia Choirs performed this was 10 years ago (2007). Here's a review from the Sydney Morning Herald: "Bach's St Matthew Passion an epic undertaking of power and energy."
