AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR directed by

DOUGLAS LAWRENCE

Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Middle Park Sunday October 23 at 3 pm

with Briar Goessi (violin 1)

Christine Ruiter (violin 2) John Quaine (viola)

Rebecca Diederich (cello) Ruth Wilkinson (violone) Rhys Boak (organ)

1. MISSA ‘PANGE LINGUA’ Josquin des Prez Probably born at Hainault (present-day Belgium), between 1445 and 1450;

died at Condé-sur-l’Escaut (France), 27 August 1521 One thing upon which musicians and music-lovers in the early sixteenth century spoke with one voice was the greatness of Josquin des Prez (often enough, then as now, called simply ‘Josquin’). No living composer could match him for fame and respect. Luther wrote of him: ‘He is master of the notes; others are mastered by them.’ Others who applauded Josquin’s achievement at the time included Baldassare Castiglione (the Italian diplomat best known for his Book of the Courtier) and Heinrich Glareanus (the Swiss theorist notable chiefly for having systematised the prevailing system of musical modes). Living by turns in Milan, Rome, Ferrara, and Paris, Josquin produced superb examples of music in almost all the varieties then possible: Mass settings, motets, and often decidedly popular-sounding secular songs (as well as a handful of instrumental pieces, such as his tribute to the French King Louis XII: Vive le roy). In many respects the four-voice Pange Lingua Mass – Josquin’s best-known, and probably his final, work for the Catholic rite – sums up a creative lifetime. Dating from around 1514 when he was living in semi-retirement, and already circulating quite widely in manuscript copies by the time he died, the Mass is based on the chant tune of the same name. Yet it is by no means a straightforward treatment of this tune, which Josquin more often alludes to in tantalising snatches than actually proclaims.

Kyrie (soloists in ‘Christe’ section: Bronwyn Jones, Zoe Gannon, Andrew Collyer, Simon Gannon)

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison..

Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.

Gloria

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. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis.

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 Theefor 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.That sittest at the right hand of the Father,have mercy upon us.

Quoniam tu solus sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe. Cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.

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.

Credo (soloists in ‘Crucifixus’ section: Ailsa Webb, Elizabeth Anderson)

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 Sanctoex Maria Virgine: et homo factus est. Crucifixus etiam pro nobissub 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 simuladoratur et conglorificatur: qui locutus est per Prophetas. Credo in unam sanctam catholicam et apostolicam Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum baptisma, in remissionem peccatorum. Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum et vitam venturi saeculi. 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 worlds; 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, 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 proceedeth from the Father and the Son, With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified; as it was told by the Prophets. I believe in One Holy, 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.

Sanctus (soloists in ‘Benedictus’ section: Thomas Dalton, Thomas Healey)

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.

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.

Agnus Dei (soloists in ‘Agnus Dei II’ section: Felicity Bolitho, Elizabeth Anderson)

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.

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.

2. SAUL, WAS VERFOLGST DU MICH? Heinrich Schütz Born at Köstritz (Germany), 8 October 1585; died at Dresden, 6 November 1572. Schütz is generally acknowledged to be the greatest of all German composers before Bach. He spent much of his youth in Venice as a pupil of Giovanni Gabrieli, whose teaching he always revered, so much so that he once said: ‘Gabrieli, immortal gods, what a man!’. His own idiom often combined Venetian opulence with Teutonic solidity. For most of his long life he worked in Dresden at the (Lutheran) Elector of Saxony’s court – with occasional visits to Denmark – and one of his many collections of sacred works was the 1650 book Symphoniae Sacrae, from which today’s piece comes. It deals with the conversion on the road to Damascus (see Acts 9:5) of Saint Paul, whose epistles Schütz, a lifelong Biblical scholar, knew with especial thoroughness. Although the score of Schütz’s sole known opera (Dafne) perished in an eighteenth-century fire and no copy of it has turned up since then, this motet – written, by the way, for fourteen voices, two violins, and keyboard – illustrates how keen the composer’s sense of drama was. From the basso profondo evocations of God’s voice at the opening (‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?’), to the massed but often soft voices near the end, this is the work of a composer accustomed to the grand gesture, in church no less than on the stage.

Saul, Saul, was verfolgst du mich? Es wird dir schwer werden, wider den Stachel zu löcken.

Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? It will be hard for thee to kick against the goads.

INTERVAL

The Australian Chamber Choir CD makes a great Christmas gift: 5 of the 15 tracks are based on Christmas themes: A Boy was Born and Hymn to the Virgin – Benjamin Britten, In Dulci Jubilo – JS Bach, O Magnum Mysterium – Thomas Kristof, By-by Lullaby – Stephen Hodgson. The CD makes enjoyable all-year-round listening. To thank you for your support, we would like to offer you these at a special price: 1 CD for $25, 2 CDs for $45, 3 CDs for $65, 4 CDs for $80, 5 CDs or more for $19 ea.

3. KOMM, JESU, KOMM (BWV 229) Johann Sebastian Bach JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH: Born, Eisenach, Germany, 31 March, 1685; Died, Leipzig,

28 July, 1750

Bach wrote at least six motets – the authenticity of a seventh is disputed – during the 1720s; all were intended for the Thomaskirche (St Thomas’s Church), Leipzig, where he became Cantor in 1723. The text of this one is by a little-known seventeenth-century poet, Paul Thymich, and had been printed in a 1697 anthology, the Leipziger Gesangbuch. It refers to Christ’s words in John 14:6 (‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life’) in such a way as to indicate that Bach meant the composition for a funeral, though exactly whose funeral he had in mind is unclear. He had not been the first to set Thymich’s words. An earlier Thomaskirche Cantor, Johann Schelle (1648-1701), had also turned to them. Bach uses only

Thymich’s first and last stanzas. Overall, he is less inclined here than in some of his other motets to set the two choirs against one another, and less disposed towards elaborate counterpoint than might be expected of him. But within his uncharacteristically chordal texture is a good deal of rhythmic variation, with an entire middle passage – starting at ‘Du bist der rechte Weg’ – in a 6/8 metre not totally removed from the dance spirit. This spirit should not surprise us: again and again Bach, above all in his cantatas, emphasises the joys of heaven.

Komm, Jesu, komm, mein Leib ist müde, Die Kraft verschwindt je mehr und mehr, ,Ich sehne mich nach deinem Frieden; Der saure Weg wird mir zu schwer. Komm, komm, ich will mich dir ergeben, Du bist der rechte Weg, Die Wahrheit und das Leben. Drauf schliess ich mich in deine Hände Und sage, Welt, zu gutter Nacht! Eilt gleich mein Lebenslauf zu Ende,Ist doch der Geist wohl angebracht, Er soll bei senem Schöpher schweben, Weil Jesus ist und bleibt Der wahre Weg zum Leben.

Come, Jesus, come, my flesh is weary, My strength deserts me more and more, I yearn for Thy peace; Life’s bitter journey is too hard for me. Come, I will give myself to Thee, Thou art the sure Way, The Truth and the Life. Thus I yield myself into Thy hands, And bid the world good night. Soon as my life may end, My soul is prepared. It shall rise up with its Creator, For Jesus is, and remains, The true way to Life.

4. LEGEND Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Born at Votkinsk (Russia), 25 April 1840 (Old Style calendar); died at Saint Petersburg, 25 October 1893 (Old Style calendar).

We do not normally think of Tchaikovsky as a choral composer. Maybe we should, if this poignant Christmas carol is any guide. It originally appeared in a collection from 1883 called Chansons pour la jeunesse, the words being by one Alexei Plechtcheyev. Later on a certain Hans Schmidt made a German translation of the poem. Later still, an Englishman, Geoffrey Dearmer, supplied the English words used in today’s concert. On this piece Tchaikovsky lavished one of those unforgettable melodies in which his muse abounded; and after his death, his friend Anton Arensky based upon this same melody his own Tchaikovsky Variations for string orchestra. There is a touch of Orthodox liturgical gravitas in the sombre chords starting at ‘Wherein He cherished roses fair,’ as if to foreshadow the text’s final image of Christ being humiliated before His Crucifixion.

When Jesus Christ was yet a child, He had a garden small and wild, Wherein He cherished roses fair, And wove them into garlands there. Now once, as summer time drew nigh, There came a troop of children by, And seeing roses on the tree, With shouts they plucked them merrily.

‘Do you bind roses in your hair? ’ They cried, in scorn, to Jesus there. The Boy said humbly: ‘Take, I pray,All but the naked thorns away.’ Then of the thorns they made a crown, And with rough fingers pressed it down, Till on His forehead fair and young, Red drops of blood, like roses sprung.

5. EPIC Christine McCombe Born 3 April 1967.

Melbourne-based composer Christine McCombe, winner of the 1995 Dorian Le Gallienne Composition Award, has had various pieces performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the

Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, in addition to various chamber ensembles. The work in this programme was commissioned by the Australian Chamber Choir and written in 2011. The composer has supplied the following commentary:

‘Epic explores a variety of choral textures ranging from quite complex intertwining vocal lines to more harmonically simple textures and the use of whispered text. Some of the more ornamented vocal lines reflect the influence of Scottish folk music and traditional Gaelic psalm singing. The work was inspired by Birago Diop’s beautiful poem “Les Souffles” (“souffle” meaning breath or spirit) and explores the idea that the cycle of life, of birth and death, is part of an epic journey that we all undertake. On a more personal level, Epic reflects something of my own experience of becoming a mother and the life changing aspects of that particular epic journey. This work is dedicated to the memory of my mother.’

Listen to things more than beings Hear the voice of fire Hear the voice of water Listen in the wind The bush sobbing It is the breath of the ancestors

The dead are never gone They are in the shadow that grows lighter They are in a woman’s breast And in the glowing ember They are in the cry of a child Birago Diop

an epic journey an unwritten destiny an unknowable truth a transformative love

an unspeakable fear an aching guilt a blind fury a breathtaking love

a leaden dullness a staggering tiredness a wrenching uneasiness an aching love

a wave of humility a sea of fallibility an ocean of possibility a universe of love

a child is born a shell is cracked a skin is shed a journey begins an epic of love

Christine McCombe

6. MAGNIFICAT Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Born at Jesi (Italy), 4 January 1710; died Pozzuoli (Italy), 16 or 17 March 1736.

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 long time it was attributed to Francesco Durante (1684-1755) 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.

Soloists: Felicity Bolitho (soprano), Elizabeth Anderson (alto), Jacob Lawrence (tenor)Thomas Drent (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, Et Spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio Et nunc et semper Et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoiceth 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 magnified me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on them that fear Him throughout all generations. He hath shewed 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. He remembering His mercy, Hath holpen His servant Israel. As He promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed forever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: as it was in the beginning, and is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Programme notes © R. J. Stove, 2011 The singers today were: Sopranos: Felicity Bolitho, Bridget Healey, Cailin Howarth, Bronwyn Jones, Erika Tandiono, Ailsa Webb Altos: Elizabeth Anderson, Zoe Gannon, Myfanwy McIndoe, Helen Seymour Tenors: Robin Czuchnowski, Thomas Dalton, Jacob Lawrence, Andrew Collyer Basses: Rhys Boak, Thomas Drent, Simon Gannon, Thomas Healey, Andrew Moffat

“During the evening’s concert, the sound produced by this ensemble was quite simply phenomenal: flawless intonation, superb uniformity, perfect tonal balance, astounding dynamic range and sleek voice-leading”. (General Anzeiger, Bonn, July 23, 2011) “In J.S. Bach’s motet Jesu meine Freude one could clearly recognize director Douglas Lawrence’s penetrating interpretation, the musical shape strictly governed by the text, endowing the recurrent main melody with interesting variants. On an emotional level the gently blended voices and their balanced distribution often lent the text additional inner meaning”. (Augsburger Allgemeine, July 10, 2011). “The young ensemble under the direction of Douglas Lawrence began softly with Schütz’s tender motet: Selig sind die Toten (Blessed are the Dead) in German and convincing with their homogeneous sound in further sacred works by Byrd and in the radiant Jubilate Deo of Gabrieli”. (Leipziger Volkszeitung, July 19, 2011).

“... it was a great pleasure to have this wonderful choir here in Thomaskirche (Leipzig) ... The concert and service were magnificent. A few choirs touch your heart: this was one such choir.” (Gudrun Hartmann, Office for Church Music, St Thomas Church, Leipzig, July 21, 2011) The ACC was well-received on its third European concert tour in July this year, where it presented monuments of the choral repertoire alongside Australian composer, Philip Nunn’s “I heard the owl call my name”. Full versions of the reviews above are to be found on our website: www.AusChoir.org. Last week, the choir undertook its second Australian regional concert tour, visiting Albury, Wagga Wagga and Wangaratta. A third such tour is planned for March 2012, with a concert to celebrate Bach’s Birthday in the Great Hall of Sydney University and two regional concerts. While the European tours are financed by contributions from choir members in addition to concert fees, Australian touring relies heavily on support from our donors. All choir members and administrators currently volunteer their services to the ACC. Donations to the Australian Chamber Choir Support Fund are fully tax deductible. If you would like to assist the choir, fill in the form provided in the into the future brochure or contact us at info@AusChoir.org or telephone 9387 3004.

We would like to thank all our sponsors, listed below.

Chairman: Dr Robin Batterham, AO Patrons: Dr Barry Jones, AO Prof John Griffiths, Oficial de la Orden de Isabel la Católica

Australian Chamber Choir Inc. No.A0049983Y

Thank you for attending today’s concert.

We would like to thank the following people for their financial support: Bob Henderson, Robin Batterham, Thorry Gunnersen, Rowan McIndoe, Merrilyn Murnane, Max Griffiths, Hector Maclean, Glen Witham, Mobiquity, Alana Mitchell, Elisabeth Murdoch, George and Ann Littlewood, Nola Rogers, David Beauchamp, Lyn Howden, Mel Waters, Peter and Sarah Martin, Heather Low, Warren and Iris Anderson, James Barber, Anne Gilby, Helen Bayston, John and Cheryl Iser, Rod and Deborah Edwards, Vicky and Peter Balabanski, Wallace and Jenny Young, Lenore Stephens, the late Alf Miller and Philippa Miller, Eric Stokes, Barbara Kristof, David Brand, MJ and RM Norton, Alma Ryrie-Jones, Carolyn Williams, Heather and Ian Gunn, Elizabeth Burns, Dianne and David Gome, Annette Robinson, Barry and Kate Michael, Michael Edgeloe, Nicole Spicer, Michael Elligate, Peter Kingsbury

Small in Number but Great in Voice

The Australian Chamber Choir: small in number but great in voice, sensitive and vocally perfect. Such was the audience’s experience on Wednesday evening.

WANGEN/jr The Australian Chamber Choir from Melbourne contributed an aural and musical richness to The International Summer Concert Series 2011.

Conductor Douglas Lawrence has created an ensemble that sings with utmost precision and utmost sensitivity, possessing a perfectly balanced choral sound. Already the first piece Selig sind die Toten (Blessed are the Dead) by Heinrich Schuütz (1585-1672) hovered weightlessly in the space of the nave, wholly in the spirit of the text. Factum est silentium by Richard Dering (1585-1672) worked a dense polyphony into a perfectly-weighted structure, in which the voices swung to and fro like bells. William Byrd (1543-1625) set his Ave verum corpus very simply and yet economized his means to achieve the maximum impact. Text and music were closely interlocked. Johann Sebastian Bach created a similar interaction in his Motet: Jesu, meine Freude: a richly coloured rhetoric achieved solely through the possibilities of the human voice. The excitement arose from the juxtaposition of the grand with the intimate. The choir compressed the sound and then spread it out again, mastering both the articulation of the text and the glistening harmony. The design was perfect to the smallest detail; every note was controlled and consciously focused and that was the prerequisite for perfect expression and a perfect interpretation.

Giovanni Gabrieli’s (15578-1612) Jubilate Deo constructed a magnificent cathedral sound within which the text formed a series of inter-connected columns. Very intense and very modern but at the same time very sensitive, Philip Nunn (born 1968) based his composition on Margaret Craven’s novel I heard the Owl Call my Name. In the first part the male voices traveled between murmuring, chanting and sombre chorale, while the female voices superimposed piercing vocal effects. The second part used (organ-like) mixtures growing in intensity and creating an archaic sound representative of finality and death, with which the work deals. A tired waltz linked to the concluding section of vibrating clusters and imitation of animal sounds. The piece is not calculated to provoke. It is rather a very accurate and sensitive mood picture, in its diversity manifesting great beauty and power.

In his Magnificat Charles Villiers Standford (1825-1924) combined the tonal ideals of the renaissance with the spirit of the late romantics. Powerful tones and tender whispers were embedded in the magnificent interplay of two choirs. Drama and peace alternated resulting in a first class tonal experience, in which excellence and vivacity were intimately linked.

Translated Hans Schroeder and Elizabeth Anderson

Schwäbische Zeitung (Wangen) July 11, 2011