sign in sign up
<<
Home , Christmas Eve (opera), Christmas Oratorio, John Rutter, Magnificat (Bach)

Classical Friday, Dec. 9

CHristmas 10:30am

Stefan Sanders leads the BPO and Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus in this festival

celebration of timeless musical treasures, including Bach’s REPERTOIRE: and Handel’s .

Rimsky-Korsakov: Suite from Eric Whitacre: Winter, Naryan Padmanabha, sitar Respighi: L’Adorazione dei Magi from Trittico Botticelliano Bach: Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248 [] Cantana IV: On New Year’s Day (The Feast of Circumcision) No. 36 Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben (chorus) No. 38 Recitativ: Immanuel, o susses Wort ! ( and ) No. 39 : Flost, mein Heiland, lost dein Namon (soprano and boy soprano) V: On the Sunday After New Year (King Herod) No. 53 Choral: Zwar ist solche Herzensstube Cantata VI: On the Feast of the (The Adoration of Magi) No. 64 Choral: Nun said ihr wohl gerochen Emily Helenbrook, Brad Hutchings, Ayden Herried, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus Intermission: Randol : Festival . Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus Arr. : I saw Three Ships. Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus John Rutter: Mary’s Lullaby. Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus Adam/ John Rutter: O Holy Night. Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus Handel/ John Rutter: Joy to the World. Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus Tchaikovsky: Finale to Act 1 of The Nutcracker, Op. 71 6. Scena 7. Scena (Battle) 8. Scena 9. Waltz of the Snowflakes Women of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus Handel: Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah. Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: “Christmas Eve” Russian Composer (1844-1908) Rimsky-Korsakov’s Christmas Eve was completed in 1895. The four act (text of the opera) by the composer is based on a short story by from his collection titled “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”, published in 1832. Eric Whitacre: “Winter” (Raga Desh) American Composer (1970-present)

Whitacre is renowned for his brilliant settings for chorus and vari- ous instrumental ensembles. In his life times he has earned many acco- lades, including a Grammy in 2012 for Best Choral Performance. In March of 2016 he was appointed as Artist-in-Residence at the Walt Dis- ney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. His piece Winter is based on a 3-note raga from the tradition of Indian music in Asia, of which is primarily in- terpreted on sitar. Indian music in a nutshell is based from two major elements, the raga (pattern of notes) and the tala (repeating rhythmic phrase). The composer uses raga desh and tin tala in his piece. Ottorino Respighi: “Botticelli Tryptych” Italian Violinist, Composer and Musicologist (1879-1936) Respighi is known primarily as a composer of tone poems devoted to the Italian panorama. Most frequently performed are his lavishly or- chestrated Pines of Rome and Fountains of Rome. No less accomplished is his Botticelli Tryptych, composed in 1927. Sandro Botticelli (1445- 1510) was a great master of the Italian Renaissance, producing master- pieces for major churches of Florence and also for the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Respighi’s Botticelli Tryptych offers am Impressionist tribute to the art and music of the Italian Renaissance.

Johann Sebastian Bach “Christmas Oratorio” German Composer (1685-1750) From day one in the history of Western music, no greater master of the art can be found than . His influence can be put in a simple word: profound. For the power of spiritual expression and the poetic blend of science and art, the music of Bach is unsurpassed. In virtually any work by Johann Sebastian, the melody is exquisitely spiritual or reso- lutely down-to-earth (he used many folk tunes, even in his sacred scores). Likewise, the harmony is perfectly lucid, often with that sounds like heavenly geometry, with rhythms in timer with a mystical clock. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio was composed in in 1734. The full piece includes six canta- Page 2 tas derived from two biblical narratives, St. Luke 2,1-21 for I-IV and St. Matthew 2, 1-12 for V and VI. FRIDAY, DEC. 9 Page 3 Randol Alan Bass: “Festival Magnificat” America Composer and Arranger (1953-present) As a composer and arranger, Randol Bass has received commissions by leading choruses and orchestras throughout the U.S. and Europe, including the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Symphony and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus. For the 70th Anniversary of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus he composed Passage into Spirit, a tuneful, five-movement suite based on the lyrics of American poet Walt Whitman. Bass' up-beat setting of Festival Magnificat was commissioned by the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra and the Sacramento Children's Chorus. Composed in 2012, the well- known text is derived from the Catholic Liturgy. Marked Allegro vivo, the blend of chorus and orches- tra offers an uplifting celebration of the spirit of Christmas. John Rutter: “I Saw Three Ships”, “Mary’s Lullaby”, “O Holy Night” British Composer, Conductor and Arranger (1945-present) Rutter has become the most popular and widely performed vocal composer of his generation, espe- cially in the United Kingdom, and in the United States and Canada. His style derives from centuries of British choral tradition, from Handel through Vaughan Williams. Rutter's catalog includes hundreds of carols and chorus works for the Christmas season. The current selections derive from his collected Carols for and stand-alone settings. Rutter's settings are all bright, with well defined melody and clear and dynamic harmony, all set over a lucid orchestration. : “The Nutcracker” Russian Composer (1840-1893) Tchaikovsky was a composer from the late-romantic period. He made a lasting impact as the first Russian composer to leave an interna- tional impression. Many of his works are among the most popular in the classical repertoire. Like the pre-eminence of La Bohème or Carmen in the world of opera, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker composed in 1892 is the all- time most-performed ballet in the world, largely due to its setting on Christmas Eve, with stunning music and brilliant dances. George Frideric Handel: Without question, Handel's greatest contribution German (English) Composer (1685-1759) to the form known as the English Oratorio is Messiah. “Joy to the World”, “Messiah” The now-famous story accounts that the work was completed in just 24 days - August 22 through September 14, 1741. About the creative process, Handel noted: "I had the impression that our all- powerful God had opened all of heaven's skies before my eyes." The full score is replete with brilliant , powerful instru- mental settings and glorious choruses. Handel is known as one of the greats from the Baroque period, while born in Germany, he is also considered to be a “British” composer considering the amount of time spent in London during his career. Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra As Buffalo’s cultural ambassador, the Grammy Award- winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, under Music Director JoAnn Falletta, presents more than 120 Classics, Pops and Youth Concerts each year and reaches more than 42,000 K-12 students per year across all eight counties of Western New York.

Since 1940, the orchestra’s permanent home has been JoAnn Falletta, Conductor Kleinhans Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen with an international reputation as one of BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC the finest concert halls in the United States. ORCHESTRA

Friday Morning Concert Series

[email protected]

Explore and Learn: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio composition is based off of text from the Bible. Bach was greatly influenced by the Christian church as was his music. The Christian church has for a long time influenced mu- sic even as early as the 9th century AD with styles like .

Can you think of any modern examples of music that have influence from the Christian church, or likewise, from another religious background?

(Blues, Etc.)

Sources: Edward Yadzinski, BPO.org, Wikipedia.org