Synopsis
The harp is one of the most beautiful instruments ever heard. This instrument represents all that we know and love about the noble delicacy of classical music and only rarely does one have the chance to enjoy this pleasure.
In this concert, the harp shines through and, with it, the OCS choir performs a fine musical selection which will transport you. If angels were to play instruments, the harp would most certainly be a part of that heavenly orchestra.
Works by B. BRITTEN, G. FAURÉ, P. TCHAIKOVSKY
Programme Notes
Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft (England) and studied music in London, where he went on to launch his career. He then, however, due to the political situation in Europe brought on by the Second World War, found himself obliged to travel to the United States of America, where he would stay until 1942. The Ceremony of Carols, op. 28, was composed upon his return, by sea, to England in the same year. At the core of this work, which includes eleven songs, we encounter a selection of texts from The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems by Gerard Bullet (1893-1958).
The French composer and organist, Gabriel Fauré, was considered the father of French chamber music. The musical sensitivity, the melodic lines, the uniformity and simplicity of his musical shape are just some of the elements which mark Fauré’s artistry, especially in his masterpiece, the Requiem, especially with regard to the excerpt In Paradisum that we will hear in this concert.
The Hymn of the Cherubim, whose text was taken straight from the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom – the most celebrated eucharist ceremony of the Eastern Orthodox Church –, is a choral work by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed in 1878. At the time, Russian church officials were quick to censor and ban the performance, as they did not consider this new interpretation of the sacred texts acceptable. His editor had to face a lengthy legal wrangle, which he ended up winning. This victory paved the way for future Russian composers to create sacred music free from the constraints of bureaucratic restrictions.
Programme
B. BRITTEN (1913 -1976)
Ceremony of Carols
G. FAURÉ (1845 – 1924)
Requiem
Sanctus
In Paradisum
P. TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Hymn of the Cherubim
Participatory Chamber Choir of OCS & Harp
Rui Baeta, Direction
Inês Cavalheiro, Harp
04/12
FARO
Igreja do Carmo
07.00 pm
Free admission subject to room capacity
+ info (OCS) 289 860 890
Orquestra Clássica do Sul, Organization
Ordem do Carmo de Faro, Support
