Bach�s Magnificat

add to outlook add to google calendar remind me

Friday, November 2nd, 2018
8:00 PM to 9:30 PM

The Victoria Choral Society presents BACH'S 'MAGNIFICAT' and 'ADAM'S LAMENT' by Arvo Pärt under the direction of Brian Wismath and with guest choir Vox Humana.

The program will feature Bach’s magnificent Magnificat, which will be performed by over 130 singers, featuring soloists Emma Hannan (Soprano), Kristen Birley (Soprano), Ciara Gallagher (Mezzo), Benjamin Butterfield (Tenor), and Nathan McDonald (Bass). Adam’s Lament will be performed by Vox Humana Chamber Choir. Both choirs will combine to perform Immortal Bach. The concert will be accompanied by an orchestra of musicians from the Victoria Symphony.

J.S.BACH'S 'MAGNIFICAT'

"[J.S. Bach’s] music is a phenomenon of the reality of the inconceivable as is the cosmos itself."~Albert Schweitzer

Johann Sebastian Bach introduced a bold, complex, and magnificent form of music to his audiences. In 1723, he arrived in the prosperous German city of Leipzig with his family, and set off with an ambitious agenda to radically reshape church music. At a time when securing long-term employment was not easy, Bach became Music Director of the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church), a position he held until his death in 1750. During his time at the Thomaskirche, Bach composed at least four major choral compositions as well as some 250 church cantatas. In spite of a hugely demanding workload, Bach composed what is considered his greatest music during this period.

Bach originally composed the Magnificat in E-flat for Christmas. About seven years later, he rewrote the work as the large scale, dramatic Magnificat in D. This brighter, more festive piece could be performed at any time of the year. The change was an improvement for the trumpets, which featured prominently in the revised introduction. In addition to the trumpets, this highly popular second version includes drums, flutes, oboes, bassoons, strings, organ, a large choir, and soloists. The Magnificat in D has become the standard for performance, and it is this version that will be performed by the Victoria Choral Society.

After Bach’s death, a large portion of his work was lost. His widow and his son Friedemann sold a number of his cantatas for a fraction of their worth. Although the Thomaskirche kept much of his work, his musical style was quickly considered out of date and was nearly forgotten in the 18th century. In 1789, after hearing one of Bach’s cantatas, Mozart announced, “Now there is something one can learn from!” Many other composers, including Schumann, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, and Verdi, have since been inspired and influenced by Bach’s music.

ARVO PÄRT'S 'ADAM'S LAMENT'

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is considered by many to be the most significant living composer of choral music. In 2009 he wrote Adam’s Lament, a piece for choir and string orchestra that takes its story from the text of Silouan, a monk on Mount Athos. The text, in Church Slavonic, follows Adam as he is cast out of paradise and mourns his fate, emphasizing his pain and grief at his banishment. It represents “humankind in its entirety and each individual person alike, irrespective of time, epochs, social strata and confession.” The mix of Orthodox-style chant, ethereal string writing, and block-like vocal writing amalgamates Pärt’s most familiar styles. This concert marks the BC premiere performance and second national performance of Adam’s Lament.

VICTORIA CHORAL SOCIETY

The Victoria Choral Society, directed by Brian Wismath, is an auditioned, mixed-voice symphonic chorus. It is dedicated to presenting the finest choral music from baroque to contemporary.

Founded in 1934, the Victoria Choral Society has played a leading role in Victoria’s cultural life, and has performed with every Victoria Symphony conductor since the symphony’s inception.

Recent performances with the Victoria Symphony include Verdi’s 'Requiem', Britten’s 'War Requiem', Handel’s 'Messiah', Mozart’s 'Requiem', Beethoven’s 'Ninth Symphony', and Orff’s 'Carmina Burana'. Each year, the Victoria Choral Society also produces its own concerts with orchestra and soloists, most recently Beethoven’s 'Missa Solemnis', Handel’s 'Joshua', Songs of Destiny: Mendelssohn’s 'Lobgesang' and 'Hear My Prayer', Brahms’ 'Schicksalslied' and the world premiere of 'Nocturno' by Liova Bueno, Jonathan Dove’s 'The Passing of the Year,' Knut Nystedt’s 'Immortal Bach', Rheinberger’s 'Mass in C Major', and Vivaldi’s 'Gloria'.

VOX HUMANA CHAMBER CHOIR

Since its founding in 2002, the mixed-voice ensemble Vox Humana has established itself as Victoria’s premier chamber choir. Under the direction of Brian Wismath, its core group of 24 singers ranges from advanced students to professional musicians. As part of its regular concert season from September to June, Vox Humana presents several different programmes of diverse repertoire. Their artistic mandate includes the presentation of new music; their repertoire history includes a number of commissions and Canadian premieres. In addition to their self-produced concerts, Vox Humana is a frequent artistic collaborator with other groups; since 2011 they have appeared annually with the Victoria Symphony in works as diverse as Bach’s 'Christmas Oratorio', Britten’s 'War Requiem', and Handel’s 'Messiah'. Two of Vox’s annual traditions have become sold-out favourites: 'Vox in the Stars' a performance in the dome housing the Plaskett Telescope at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Saanich, BC, and 'A Child’s Christmas in Wales', a concert of seasonal music centered on a reading of the beloved Dylan Thomas story.

https://www.victoriachoralsociety.ca/