A Rose in the Middle of Winter

A ROSE IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER

7:30PM | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2019 PACIFIC SPIRIT UNITED CHURCH, 2205 W 45TH AVE AT YEW ST VANCOUVER CHAMBER CHOIR

Artistic Director Kari Turunen began leading the Vancouver Chamber Choir - one of Canada’s premier professional choral ensembles - in Board of Directors September 2019, its 49th concert season. George Laverock Jon Washburn founded the choir in 1971 and it has President become an amazing success story, ranking with Dr. Jeanette Gallant (Oxford) the handful of North America’s best professional Vice President choruses and noted for its diverse repertoire and Adam J. Garvin, CPA, CMA performing excellence. The choir has presented Treasurer concerts at home in Vancouver and on tour across Brent Hunter Canada. International excursions have taken them Secretary to the USA, Mexico, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Finland, France, Germany, Matthew Baird the Czech Republic, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine. Anne Bonnycastle Dr. Donna Hogge Honoured with the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence by Chorus America, the choir Wendy Kish has performed countless concerts and broadcasts, released 36 recordings and received numerous Colin Miles awards. Foremost supporters of Canadian music, they are responsible for commissions and Alexandra Nicolas premieres of 334 choral works by 145 composers and arrangers, most of whom are Canadian. Over Dr. Robert Rothwell the years the choir has sung over 4,000 performances of works by Canadian composers, in addition Dolores Scott to their extensive international repertoire. Cara Ventura Marianne Werner The choir’s award-winning educational programs include the Conductors’ Symposium for advanced Jennifer Wilnechenko choral conductors, Interplay interactive workshops for choral composers, Focus professional development program for student singers, OnSite visitations for school choirs, the biennial Young Honorary Patrons Composers Competition, and many on-tour workshops and residencies. John Bishop Stephen Chatman, C.M. Tama Copithorne David Cousins KARI TURUNEN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Dr. Stephen Drance, O.C. Sam Feldman Charles Flavelle Kari Turunen is the new Artistic Director of the Vancouver Chamber Violet Goosen Choir and the former artistic director of the male chorus Akademiska Janis Hamilton Sångföreningen, Kampin Laulu chamber choir, the choir of the cantors Ben Heppner, O.C. of the Finnish Lutheran Church, Chorus Cantorum Finlandiae, the all- Don Hudson male Ensemble Petraloysio and the Spira Ensemble. He has won numerous Doris Luking prizes at national and international festivals with his groups. He was Dr. John MacDonald, O.C. named choral conductor of the year in Finland in 2008. Viviane Nitting Imant Raminsh, C.M. Dr. Turunen was educated at the University of Helsinki and the Sibelius Elizabeth Rathbun Academy. He has a Master’s degree in choral conducting and a Doctorate in R. Murray Schafer, C.C. early music performance practice from the University of the Arts, Helsinki. Administrative Staff He tries to balance scholarly activities with his artistic work and firmly believes that scholarship and performance can greatly benefit each other. Dr. Kari Turunen Artistic Director He is a sought-after guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician and teacher of choral conducting, both in Steven Bélanger Finland and abroad. He has also acted as the chairman of the Finnish Choral Directors’ Association Executive Director from the mid-90s until 2017 and is the artistic director of Aurore, an annual Renaissance music Jon Washburn, C.M. festival in Helsinki. Founder & Conductor Emeritus Nat Marshik Before becoming a full-time conductor, Dr. Turunen taught choral conducting and was the head Bookkeeper/Office Coordinator of choral activities at the School of Music of the Polytechnic University of Tampere from 2001 to Karen Seaboyer 2011. He is also a founding member of Lumen Valo, a professional vocal ensemble of eight voices. Manager, Communications & Production Lumen Valo has been a driving force on the early music scene in Finland since its conception in 1993 and has made a name for itself in almost 250 concerts around Finland and Europe. The group has recorded nine CDs, all of them critically acclaimed for their fresh programming and quality of Vancouver Chamber Choir singing. 1254 West 7th Avenue Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6H 1B6 The Vancouver Chamber Choir acknowledges that it operates and performs on the unceded Indigenous land Tel: 604.738.6822 • Fax: 604.738.7832 belonging to the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh [email protected] (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful for this privilege. www.vancouverchamberchoir.com

2 VANCOUVER VANCOUVER CHAMBER CHOIR CHAMBER CHOIR KARI TURUNEN, CONDUCTOR s o p r a n o s Beth Currie (Buono) A ROSE IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER Emily Cheung Christina Cichos This concert will be presented without intermission. Lorraine Reinhardt Audience members are asked to hold their applause until the end of each set. Madeline Lucy Smith

a l t o s Guds Son är född arr. Otto Olsson Dinah Ayre (1879-1964) Maria Golas Liz Hamel Carol of the Bells Mykola Leontovych, arr. Peter Wilhousky Fabiana Katz (1902-1978) Dolores Scott ______ t e n o r s Ian Bannerman Northern Lights Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977) Eric Biskupski Eric Schwarzhoff, tenor Tom Ellis Carman J. Price The Waiting Sky Oliver Tarney Eric Schwarzhoff (b. 1984) b a s s e s ______ ______Steven Bélanger Jacob Gramit Що то за предиво (Oh, What a Wonder!) Vasyl Barvinsky Paul Nash (1888-1963) George Roberts Dolores Scott, mezzo-soprano Wim Vermeulen Joseph Timothy C. Takach (b. 1984) Maria Golas, alto & Ian Bannerman, tenor

The Rose in the Middle of Winter Bob Chilcott (b. 1955) There is no Rose of such Vertu Fredrik Sixten (b. 1962) ______ ______

The Shepherd’s Carol Bob Chilcott

Blessed be that Maid Marie Seán Doherty (b. 1987) ______ ______

Canticum Mariae virginis Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016) Please turn off all phones. Ныне силы небесныя (Now the Powers of Heaven) Giuseppe Sarti Recording devices of any kind (1729-1802) are strictly prohibited. ______ ______

James Ong O salutaris hostia Ēriks Ešenvalds Stage Management Christina Cichos & Madeline Lucy Smith, sopranos Corporate Graphics Graphic Design Спасение соделал (Salvation is Created), Op. 25, No. 5 Pavel Chesnokov Violet Goosen (1877-1944) Development Silent Night Franz Gruber, arr. Michael McGlynn José Verstappen (b. 1964) Program Typography Ian Bannerman, tenor & Jacob Gramit, baritone

3 Sun Life Community Outreach Program

Sun Life is pleased to provide a Community Outreach Program through which the regular season

concerts of the Vancouver Chamber Choir are made available to hundreds of people with health

related disabilities.

Non-profit organizations involved with community health join with the Vancouver Chamber Choir

to help distribute tickets. For more information on this program or to register your organization,

please call the Vancouver Chamber Choir office at 604-738-6822 and speak with Steven Bélanger.

BYRDS AND BEES Thank you to all of our wonderful front of house volunteers. You are greatly appreciated. Lisa Akizuki David Harvey Gloria Aldrich Jacquie Hurst Cecilia Bernabe Yvonne Kato 7:30PM | FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2020 Alison Block Sharon Newman PACIFIC SPIRIT UNITED CHURCH, 2205 W 45TH AVE AT YEW ST WITH JON WASHBURN, CONDUCTOR Ana Brkich Adele Peters Our Founder and Conductor Emeritus presents choral Ron Costanzo Ron Schubank favourites, but with a slightly misleading concert title. There is Marylin de Verteuil Kristina Skoritskaya music by Byrd and “three Bs” - Brahms, Britten, Bernstein - but there is nothing naughty going on! There is sacred music, Francesca Fung plus delightful music about nature. And we’ll present the

world premiere of a commission from Latvian composer riks Ešenvalds. If you would like to be part of this committed Ē 1.855.985.ARTS (2787) and enthusiastic team, please email us at vancouverchamberchoir.com [email protected] or call 604-738-6822

4 NEW HONORARY PATRON

Stephen Chatman C.M.

You may notice that on page two of tonight’s program there are a number of new Honorary Patrons of our organization. Th ese are all people who have made important contributions to the history of the Vancouver Chamber Choir. Tonight we are honouring composer Dr. Stephen Chatman, C.M. One of Canada’s most frequently performed composers, Dr. Chatman is Professor of Composition at the University of British Columbia School of Music. He has received many awards, including the Western Canadian Music Awards’ “Classical Composition of the Year” in 2005, 2006 and 2010, the SOCAN Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award in 2010 and 2012, three BMI Awards, three JUNO nominations, the Dorothy Somerset Award, and the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2012 Dr. Chatman was appointed to the Order of Canada and in 2019 he was named a Fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music. More than 100 of his musical works, published by ECS Publishing, Oxford University Press, Boosey & Hawkes, E. B. Marks, earthsongs and Cypress have sold 500,000 printed copies; and many of his choral works have entered the standard repertoire.

Recordings of Dr. Chatman’s music include three choral In partnership with the Canadian Music Centre and the UBC collections performed by the Vancouver Chamber Choir: School of Music, Stephen Chatman’s music will be featured in a Due North (Centrediscs), Due West (CBC Records), Due East Vancouver Chamber Choir concert on Monday, March 30, 2020 (Centrediscs), and several other choral and instrumental (7:30pm) at the Roy Barnett Recital Hall at the UBC School of recordings on the Centrediscs, ATMA, Naxos, and Crystal labels. Music. Tickets available on the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s website. Sharing the stage with the choir that evening will be Since 1976, Dr. Chatman has taught a generation of prominent the musicians of Vetta Chamber Music. Canadian composers including Glenn Buhr, John Burge, Timothy Corlis, John Estacio, Jocelyn Morlock, Larry Nickel, John Oliver, Bruce Sled, John Stetch and Peter Togni. Upon being appointed as a Vancouver Chamber Choir Honorary Patron, Professor Chatman remarked: “It is, indeed, a great honour to be an Honorary Patron of the Vancouver Chamber Choir. For more than four decades I have cherished my relationship with Jon Washburn and the Choir. I truly appreciate the Choir’s sustained interest, generous support and dissemination of my music, which have had, perhaps, the most crucial and benefi cial impact on my career. I congratulate Jon Washburn on his legacy, his many accomplishments, and welcome with much enthusiasm and open arms their exciting new conductor, Dr. Kari Turunen.”

STUDENTS! For only $15, you can enjoy some of Canada’s fi nest choral concerts when you purchase rush tickets to Vancouver Chamber Choir regular season performances. All students and youth (26 and under) are welcome. Tickets are available at the door, one hour before the concert.

5 PROGRAM NOTES, TEXTS & TRANSLATIONS

A ROSE IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER

Th is concert will be presented without intermission. Audience members are asked to hold their applause until the end of each set.

arr. Otto Olsson: Guds Son är född

Otto Olsson left a legacy as an organ virtuoso, a teacher of organists and composer in early 20th-century Sweden. His Six Advent and Christmas Songs, op. 33 (1917), are Swedish Christmas classics. I have always been drawn to the archaic ’Old Christmas Carol’, Guds Son är född. It is based on a folk carol from Southwest Sweden. Olsson notated the carol on a fi eld trip and arranged it for mixed choir. He manages to elegantly weave the quintessential Lutheran Christmas hymn Vom Himmel hoch into the texture.

Guds Son är född God’s Son is born i Betlehem på denna dag in Bethlehem on this day allt eft er Guds eget välbehag, according to God’s grace, och vorden kött. and became fl esh. Av blotta gunst och nåde For pure favor and grace, är han oss till stor hjälp och tröst he is of great help and comfort to us, och haver från allt våde and has from all danger all världen återlöst. the whole world redeemed. Ack, himlabud! Oh heavenly message! I änglar och härskaror Angels and rulers now proclaim nu förkunnen frid på jordene, peace on earth, och prisen Gud and praise God med edra änglatungor, with your angel tongues, med harpor och basunaljud. with harps and trumpets. Ja, hjärtelig lovsjungen Yes, with warm hearts sing thanks och prisen Herren Gud. and praise the Lord God. Ack, hjärtans fröjd! Oh, heartfelt joy! Nu låt oss alla vara glad, Now let us all be glad, och med de herdar gå åstad, and with the shepherds be on our way to town, med hjärtans fröjd, with heartfelt joy, och följa stjärnan eft er, and follow the star, som är vår Guds ords klara ljus which is the clear light of our God’s word, på vägen jämn och släter on an even and smooth road till Herrens helga hus. to the Lord’s holy house. >

Th ank you to tonight’s Concert Patron, Dr. Robert Rothwell

Th e Vancouver Chamber Choir appreciates your continued support of our performances.

6 De vise män The wise men och hedningar från österland, and the heathens from the East, som kommo ifrån Midian till Betlehem, who came from Midian to Bethlehem, uppläto sina håvor gave their riches med största hjärtans rörelse with heartfelt devotion, och skänkte sina gåvor: and presented their gifts: guld, myrrha, rökelse. gold, myrrh, and frankincense. Låt oss begå Let us go och fira så vår julefest; and celebrate our Christmas feast att Jesus själv må bli vår gäst, so that Jesus himself will be our guest! vi önska må! This shall we desire. Då skall oss icke fela välsignelse Then shall we not stand in need of i råd och dåd grace either in speech or deed när han med oss vill dela for he will share with us sin kärlek och sin nåd. his love and grace. En härlig tröst A wonderful comfort att han, som är vår frälsare, that he who is our Saviour skall en gång bli vår domare, will one day be our judge; en härlig tröst. a wonderful comfort! Då han i skyn skall komma When he comes from heaven med makt och mycken härlighet with power and beauty och giva sina fromma and gives his faithful ones sin lön i evighet. their prize in eternity. (Folk carol from Southern Halland, Western Sweden)

Mykola Leontovych, arr. Peter Wilhousky: Carol of the Bells

I wanted to present quite a few pieces from the Eastern European Christmas tradition in this concert. As American as the Carol of the Bells might feel, it is actually a Ukrainian choral piece (Shchedryk) celebrating New Year, composed by Mykola Leontovych in 1917. The song became known in the US when Peter Wilhousky, a Ukrainian immigrant, performed it with his own English text on live radio concerts broadcast from New York in the 1930s. And lo! a small New Year song from afar, based on the most minimal melodic material, became a beloved American carol!

Hark! How the bells, Oh, how they pound sweet, silver bells raising the sound all seem to say o’er hill and dale “throw cares away”. telling their tale. Christmas is here Gaily they ring bringing good cheer while people sing to young and old; songs of good cheer, meek and the bold. Christmas is here! Ding, dong, ding, dong: Merry, merry, merry Christmas! that is their song On, on they send, with joyful ring on without end all caroling. with joyful tone One seems to hear to every home. words of good cheer (English text Peter J. Wilhousky) from everywhere filling the air.

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7 Ēriks Ešenvalds: Northern Lights

Ēriks Ešenvalds has admitted to being fascinated by the northern lights and they figure prominently in many of his works. In this work, the Latvian composer combines three texts: a Latvian folk song (the northern lights are harbingers of war in Latvian folk tradition) and the diary annotations of two well-known explorers of the northern areas. Ešenvalds creates a resonant and fluent choral texture and the tuned wine glasses and handbells give the work a unique colour.

Cik naksnīnas pret ziemeli redzēj’ kāvus karojam, (How many nights against the north wind Ē, redzēj’ kāvus karojam; I saw the northern lights fighting; Karo kāvi pie debesu, vedīs karus mūs’ zemē; Fighting in the sky, the northern lights Ē, vedīs karus mūs’ zemē. Bring wars to our land.)

It was night, and I had gone on deck several times. Iceberg was silent; I too was silent. It was true dark and cold. At nine o’clock I was below in my cabin when the captain hailed me with the words: “Come above, Hall, at once! The world is on fire!” I knew his meaning, and, quick as thought, I rushed to the companion stairs. In a moment I reached the deck, and as the cabin door swung open, a dazzling light, overpow’ring light burst upon my startled senses! Oh, the whole sky was one glowing mass of coloured flames, so mighty, so brave! Like a pathway of light the northern lights seemed to draw us into the sky Yes, it was harp-music, wild storming in the darkness; the strings trembled and sparkled in the glow of the flames like a shower of fiery darts. A fiery crown of auroral light cast a warm glow across the arctic ice. Again at times it was like softly playing, gently rocking, silvery waves, on which dreams travel into unknown worlds.

(Cik naksnīnas pret ziemeli…) (Latvian folksong; texts by Charles Francis Hall and Fridtjof Nansen)

Oliver Tarney: The Waiting Sky

Oliver Tarney’s The Waiting Sky, from 2018, is placed in a landscape that is refreshingly atypical for a Christmas carol. Cows wander in the green fields, even if the trees are leafless and the air cool. The music is calm and reflective and Tarney, a young English composer, manages to balance the stagnant and the imminent in a delightful way.

The trees are bare, green fields where puddles hold the waiting sky. The waiting sky. The cows move slowly, their breathing clouds the air as they walk by. What if the clouds smother the shining star? We’ll know it’s there. Warm light will fill the puddles, and the cows will stop and stare. The trees are bare, green fields hold the waiting sky. (Lucia Quinault)

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8 Vasyl Barvinsky: Що то за предиво (Oh, What a Wonder!)

Ukrainian folk carols, numbering in the hundreds, were collected and notated in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Vasyl Barvinsky, who was amongst the fi rst Ukrainian composers to achieve international recognition, was one of the composers of the turn of the century to utilize and arrange these melodies. Shcho to za predïvo is scored for solo and choir and Barvinsky gives the beautiful poem and melody a musical form it deserves.

Що то за предиво, Shcho to za predïvo, Oh, what a wonder! в світі новина, v sviti novïna, Th e news has gone forth що Мария Діва, shcho Mariya Diva that the Virgin Mary Сина родила. Sïna rodïla. has borne a Son. А як Вона породила, A yak Vona porodïla, And when she bore Him, тоді Вона повідала: todi Vona povidala: she exclaimed: „Сусе, Сину Мій!“ “Suse, Sïnu Miy!” “Jesus, my Son!” А Йосип старушок A Yosïp starushok Old man Joseph в жолобі стоїть v zholobi stoyit stands in the cavern та на Суса Христа ta na Susa Hrïsta and prepares swaddling clothes пеленки строїть. pelenkï stroyit. for Jesus, the Christ; А Марія сповиває, A Mariya spovïvaye, then Mary wraps Him до серденька пригортає; do serdenka prïghortaye; and presses Him close to her heart. Пречіста Діва. Prechista Diva. Virgin most pure!

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9 RECORDINGS Timothy C. Takach: FOR SALE IN Joseph THE LOBBY Another new Christmas work is Joseph, written by US composer Timothy C. Takach in 2016. If Tarney’s The Waiting Sky * presented us with an unusual Christmas landscape, Joseph presents us with an unusual point of view – that of the father. Without doubt this vantage point, and Joseph’s thoughts in the The Healing Series Michael Dennis Browne poem, reflect our day more than the h Finding the Still Point music for healing * A healing ambience of calm, world of two thousand years ago, but I enjoy the change of angle. warmth and consolation projected through 15 beloved choral favourites with The music moves effortlessly and subtly from confusion to joy interconnecting Gregorian chants. and vocation to tenderness. h A Quiet Place music for healing III * An outstanding collection of choral a starry sky is in my arms treasures chosen to help find peace, quiet and healing in today’s hectic world. I hear my breathing—now not only mine The Masters Series each dawn is different now that you are here h BaroqueFest Festive music of Bach, Purcell, Handel and Monteverdi from a sometimes I stare at you, sometimes I tremble gala Expo 86 concert, with Jon Washburn and Michael Corboz conducting their I stand above you, my head a moon professional choirs from Canada and Switzerland. and you down there on the sweet straw h Missa Brevis Four contrasting short masses by Haydn Missa Brevis Sancti each dawn is different now that you are here Joannis de Deo, Fauré Messe basse, von Weber Jubelmesse and Christoph Bernhard I hear my breathing, now not only mine Missa Durch Adams Fall.

The Canadian Composer Series all my dreams for you, wondering who you might be, how far you may have come h A Garden of Bells * R. Murray Schafer, Vol. 1: Early choral works including to be with us Miniwanka, Epitaph for Moonlight, Snowforms, Gamelan, Sun, Fire, Felix’s Girls each dawn is different now that you are here and A Garden of Bells. sometimes I feel among waves too steep, h Imagining Incense* R. Murray Schafer, Vol. 3: Recent choral works including Magic Songs, Three Hymns, Rain Chant, Alleluia, Beautiful Spanish Song, my boat too small Imagining Incense and other works. for these wide hands to have made h The Love that Moves the Universe * R. Murray Schafer, Vol. 4: Three when I’ve been working, when the sun is low, outstanding major works recorded in 2018 for the composer’s 85th birthday: I sink into the stream and lie there, pale as stone the title piece for choir and orchestra, plus The Star Princess and the Waterlilies and still this burning that I feel and Narcissus and Echo. so deep inside me h Earth Chants Imant Raminsh, Vol. 2 Missa Brevis in C Minor, Earth Chants how are you mine, child? & smaller works. how are you ever mine? h Due West Stephen Chatman, Vol. 2 With oboist Roger Cole and pianist Linda I am like a father Lee Thomas. I am like a father h Due East Stephen Chatman, Vol. 3 The Canadian composer’s latest pieces since so let the old Joseph die, the new be born 2000. hold high this lantern for the world to see— h Rise! Shine! * Music of Jon Washburn Including The Star, A Stephen Foster this child, this light, this saving one Medley, Chinese Melodies, Rossetti Songs, God’s Lamb, Noel Sing We!, Behold I build an house and Rise! Shine! a starry sky within my arms (O heart) each dawn is different now that you are here (Michael Dennis Browne) The Christmas Recordings h A Dylan Thomas Christmas* The Vancouver Chamber Choir’s signature performance of A Child’s Christmas in Wales, read by Welsh actor Russell Missing out on the latest news? Roberts with special carol settings by Jon Washburn. Sign up for the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s h A World Christmas Carols and seasonal songs of many lands from guitarist e-announcements and receive all the latest and arranger Ed Henderson, the Worldfest Ensemble and the Vancouver information right away about concerts, tours, Chamber Choir with Jon Washburn conducting. workshops, auditions, fundraising dinners and more. h The Miracle of ChristmasChristmas music with a colourful Central and Simply visit our website and scroll down our home South American flavour played by the ensemble Ancient Cultures with several page to Join our email list. tracks featuring the Vancouver Chamber Choir. www.vancouverchamberchoir.com

10 Bob Chilcott: By that rose we may well see Th e Rose in the Middle of Winter Th ere be one God in persons three, Pares forma. [Equal in nature.] Bob Chilcott has produced a body of fresh and modern Th e aungels sungen the shepherds to Christmas works that are popular worldwide. Th e Rose in the Gloria in excelsis deo, [Glory to God in the highest,] Middle of Winter is a liltingly dancing piece that approaches the Gaudeamus. [Let us rejoice.] poem with a light and playful touch. Leave we all this werldly merth Th ere’s a rose in the middle of winter And follow we this joyful birth, a rose which has no thorn, Transeamus. [Let us pass over.] into the garden it comes Amen. like a child who is waiting to be born. (Anonymous, 14th century) And while he waits for the rose to bloom the gardener sings – and the clouds all dance to his tune. ______ ______Th ere’s a bird in the middle of winter a bird whose song is a prayer, into our dreams it comes Bob Chilcott: like a child who is almost here. Th e Shepherd’s Carol And while he waits for the bird to sound the gardener sings – Th e Shepherd’s Carol is another Chilcott carol from the early and the stars all dance in a round. 2000s. It has more gravity than the Th e R se o heard earlier but loses nothing in elegance. Th e work grows from a hauntingly Th ere’s a child in the middle of winter beautiful unison melody to a strong climax, only to fade slowly a child like a fl ower in the snow, into silence. into our days he comes the child who is with us now. We stood on the hills, Lady, Our day’s work done, And while he listens to the song of a rose Watching the frosted meadows the gardener sings – Th at winter had won. and the child is a dance in his soul. (Charles Bennett) Th e evening was calm, Lady, Th e air so still, Silence more lovely than music Fredrik Sixten: Folded the hill. Th ere is no Rose of such Vertu Th ere was a star, Lady, Shone in the night, Fredrik Sixten’s approach to this famous medieval poem is Larger than Venus it was expansive. Th e Swedish composer uses pretty much all the And bright, so bright. stops in dynamic scale, the tessitura is enough to stretch any choir, there are antiphonal passages, with even canonic passages Oh, a voice from the sky, Lady, thrown in for good measure. But, somehow, the overall eff ect is It seemed to us then restful, fl owing and poignant. Telling of God being born In the world of men. Th ere is no rose of such vertu And so we have come, Lady, As is the rose that bare Jesu. Our day’s work done, Alleluia. Our love, our hopes, ourselves, For in this rose contained was We give to your son. Heaven and earth in litel space, (Clive Sansom) Res miranda. [Marvellous thing.]

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11 Seán Doherty: Blessed be that Maid Marie

Seán Doherty is an up-and-coming Irish composer who has written some excellent choral music. Blessed be, set to an anonymous English 15th-century carol, is a strange mash-up of elements from a hip-hop song (Hey Ya! by Outkast) to Gregorian chant and full of varying choral textures. The result? Energetic, varying and fun music.

Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine. Sweet and blissful was the song [Jesus is today born of the Virgin Mary.] Chanted of the Angel throng: “Peace on earth, alleluya! Blessed be that maid Marie; In excelsis gloria.” [Gloria in the highest] Born He was of her body; Very God ere time began, Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine. Born in time the Son of man. Fare three Kings from far-off land, Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est deVirgine. Incense, gold and myrrh in hand; In Bethlehem the Babe they see, In a manger of an ass Stelle ducti lumine. [Led by the light of the stars.] Jesus lay and lullèd was; Born to die upon the tree Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine. Pro peccante homine. [For the sins of man.] Make we merry on this fest, Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine. In quo Christus natus est; [on which Christ is born] On this Child I pray you call, To assoil and save us all. Eya! Ihesus hodie natus est de Virgine.

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Einojuhani Rautavaara: Canticum Mariae virginis

I have been a little reluctant to program any Finnish music in this, my first season. But I just could not avoid the music of Einojuhani Rautavaara, who left behind a marvelous body of choral works when he passed away a few years ago. Canticum Mariae virginis from 1978 sets the traditional Ave maris stella text to music. The Canticum features many traits typical of Rautavaara’s choral music: the diatonic field created through a dense canon; mirrored melodies above and below this texture; low bass notes; full harmonies; and soprano duets floating freely above the other voices.

Ave, maris stella, Hail, star of the sea, Dei mater alma, Nurturing Mother of God, atque semper virgo, And ever Virgin felix cœli porta. Happy gate of Heaven Sumens illud «Ave» Receiving that “Ave” Gabrielis ore, From the mouth of Gabriel, funda nos in pace, Establish us in peace, mutans Evæ nomen. Transforming the name of “Eva”. Solve vincla reis, Loosen the chains of the guilty, profer lumen cæcis, Send forth light to the blind, mala nostra pelle, Our evil do thou dispel, bona cuncta posce. Entreat (for us) all good things. Monstra te esse matrem, Show thyself to be a Mother: sumat per te preces, Through thee may he receive prayer qui pro nobis natus Who, being born for us, tulit esse tuus. Undertook to be thine own. >

12 Virgo singularis, O unique Virgin, inter omnes mitis, Meek above all others, nos culpis solutos Make us, set free from (our) sins, mites fac et castos. Meek and chaste. Vitam præsta puram, Bestow a pure life, iter para tutum, Prepare a safe way: ut videntes Jesum That seeing Jesus, semper collætemur. We may ever rejoice. Sit laus Deo Patri, Praise be to God the Father, summo Christo decus, To the Most High Christ (be) glory, Spiritui Sancto To the Holy Spirit tribus honor unus. Amen. (Be) honour, to the Three equally. Amen. Gaude Maria virgo! Rejoice, Virgin Mary! Cunctas haeres sola interemisti, You who shunned all temptation, quae Gabrielis archangeli dictis believing in the message of the credidisti. Archangel Gabriel. Gaude Maria virgo! Rejoice, Virgin Mary! Dum virgo Deum Because You gave birth to et hominem genuisti, God and Man et post partum and yet virgo inviolate permansisti. remained a virgin. Dei genitrix, Mary, Mother of God, intercede pro nobis. intercede for us. Beatam me dicent All the generations omnes generations, shall call You blessed, quia ancillam Because He has looked on Deus humilem respexit. the humble servant of God.

Giuseppe Sarti: Ныне силы небесныя (Now the Powers of Heaven)

Giuseppe Sarti was an 18th-century Italian composer who spent almost 20 years in St. Petersburg as the court maestro. During this period, he wrote music for the court chapel, including a dozen works for a cappella choir. One of these is Nïne silï nebesnïya, scored for six voices. The work is a bewildering combination of Italian 18th-century musical style and Russian Orthodox liturgy. As so often, a cultural clash creates something extremely interesting.

Нынѣ силы небесныя съ нами Nïne silï nebesnïya s nami nevidimo Now the Powers of Heaven serve невидислужатъ: sluzhat: invisibly with us; се бо входитъ Царь славы, se bo fhodit Tsar slavï, lo, the King of Glory enters. се, жертва тайная совершена se, zhertva taynaya sovershena Lo, the mystical sacrifice is upborne, дориносится. dorinositsia. fulfilled. Вѣрою и любовію приступимъ, Veroyu i liuboviyu pristupim, Let us draw near in faith and love да причастницы жизни вѣчныя da prichastnitsï zhïzni vechnïya and become communicants of life будемъ. budem. eternal. Аллилуия, аллилуия, аллилуия. Alliluya, alliluya, alliluya. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

(from the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts)

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13 Ēriks Ešenvalds: O salutaris hostia

Ešenvalds’ O salutaris hostia has to be one of the most beautiful choral works of the past decade. In essence, it is a soprano duet above a choral accompaniment. This piece is all about soaring melodies and soft harmonies and the text is almost an afterthought.

O salutaris Hostia, O, Saving Victim, quæ cæli pandis ostium: Who expandest the door of heaven, bella premunt hostilia, Hostile armies press, da robur, fer auxilium. Give strength; bear aid. Uni trinoque Domino To the One and Triune Lord, sit sempiterna gloria, May there be everlasting glory; qui vitam sine termino may he who gives life without end nobis donet in patria. to us give in our homeland. Amen. Amen.

Pavel Chesnokov: Спасение соделал (Salvation is Created), Op.25, No. 5

Pavel Chesnokov was a composer, choral conductor and the founder of the choral conducting program of the Moscow Conservatory (1920 to his death in 1944). His early works were mainly sacred works for the Orthodox Church, a form not encouraged in Soviet Russia. Spaseniye sodelal from 1912 is based on an ancient melody from Kiev and it flows like a wide river inexorably to its calm ending.

Спасение соделал еси посреде земли, Spaseniye sodelal yesi posrede zemli, Salvation is created in the midst of the Боже. Bozhe. earth, O God. Аллилуия, аллилуия, аллилуия. Alliluiya, alliluiya, alliluiya. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. (Communion Hymn for Fridays, Psalm 74:12)

Franz Gruber, arr. Michael McGlynn: Silent Night

Silent Night has traveled a long way since 1818, when Franz Gruber, the teacher of a small Austrian village school, wrote the song to the text of a local chaplain. The song has been arranged and rearranged endless times. This evening’s arrangement is by Irish composer and conductor Michael McGlynn. Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright; Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child Holy Infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight: Glories stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing “Alleluia!” Christ the Saviour is born, Christ the Saviour is born. Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light, Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace Jesus Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus Lord, at Thy birth. (Joseph Franz Mohr, translated into English by John Freeman Young)

14 W I T H O U R T H A N K S

The Vancouver Chamber Choir is pleased to thank and acknowledge our Corporate and Individual Sponsors and Donors as well as the Foundations and Government Agencies who, through their leadership and financial support over the past season, make it possible for the Vancouver Chamber Choir to present outstanding high-quality performances of choral music and deliver award-winning education and community programs. 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212 1212

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* Special Thanks to our Most Loyal Donors The Vancouver Chamber Choir acknowledges the sustained generosity of those who have supported the Choir for five or more continuous years. Their names have been marked with an asterisk (*).

IN REMEMBRANCE IN HONOUR

15 ST. JOHN PASSION

ZACH FINKELSTEIN, EVANGELIST

7:30PM | GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020 THE ORPHEUM, 601 SMITHE ST AT SEYMOUR ST

WITH ZACH FINKELSTEIN, EVANGELIST PACIFIC BAROQUE ORCHESTRA

The longevity and success of Bach’s passions are based on their deep grasp of humanity. The range of emotions and the psychological acuity of Bach make the story arresting time after time. The St. John Passion is the more dramatic and concise of the two Bach passions, which are an important part of the cultural inheritance of mankind. While Bach’s works are easy to find in recordings, the intensity of this music needs to be experienced in concert.

1.855.985.ARTS (2787) vancouverchamberchoir.com