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messiah reimagined @handel1 LEC Birthday th messiah reimagined PART 1 Concert 2018 1. Awake my soul – Chan Symphony 20 2. Thy Peace Be Like A River – Chan LEC’s Desiderata: finding the whole Comfort Ye from fragments 3. Every valley shall be exalted– Chance Ev’ry valley shall be exalted” Go placidly amid the noise and haste 4. Ave Maria – Basden …silence A virgin shall conceive Speak your truth quietly, clearly 5. Sea chronicles 2– Stanhope Oh thou that tellest good tidings to Zion Be gentle on yourself 6. Vidit lucem magnum – Gibson Listen to others The people that walked in darkness In January, under the influence of the superb Sydney Even the dull and ignorant have their story surf and all the head space and possibilities for 7. The gift – Whitwell Be gentle with others creativity that a decent holiday will bring, I decided For unto us a child is born that the only thing to do to truly celebrate the Avoid comparisons 8. Daybreak – Kats Chernin incredible choir which I founded all of twenty years Your spirit may become vain and bitter. ago, was of course to reimagine the most famous choral work of all time - the Messiah!! Surely that Be. Gently. PART 11 9. The lord is my shepherd – Byrne would give our audience, musicians and choristers Be yourself something to sing about? What a unique opportunity There were shepherds in the fields abiding Enjoy your achievements, your labours to once again draw upon the creative genius of 10. The word is peace – Walker the composers who I have been privileged to work Do not feign affection, love Glory to God with over the years to together create something Love is as perennial as the grass collectively greater than ourselves - something that 11. Our sorrows – Howes speaks directly to our times, our concerns, our hopes the trees, the stars. He Was Despised, Surley He Has Borne Our Grief and to the way we want our world to be… and so it Dark imaginings 12. His yoke is easy – Elsley began. Vexations 13. All we like sheep – Benedict I could NEVER have imagined how profoundly Fears born of fatigue and loneliness. beautiful and energising these works would be for us 14. Do Not Be Discouraged -Markerink Be gentle with yourself. Their sound is gone out all - and what wonderful musical gems would flood my inbox week by week - as we embarked on this rather Little one, 15. How beautiful are they who love – Barker ambitious program. The generosity of the composers, You have a right to be here How beautiful are the feet their thoughtful reimagining, the enthusiasm of the choristers to learn an entire program of new works The universe is unfolding 16. Hallelujah chorus – Barker - and their ongoing support for this reimagining - As it should. has left me yet again feeling incredibly grateful that PART 111 Surrender gracefully gentle one. such a community of people exists - People who 17. I know my redeemer liveth - Pahos believe in creative risk taking, who wish to support Be at peace with Sophia the creation of new work, and the idea of leaving a 18. Since by man came death – Burton whatever you conceive Her to be birthday gift that will be performed again and again 19. The trumpet shall sound - Masden is incredibly gratifying. This whole process has truly Keep peace with your soul encapsulated what the LEC has stood for for the last Find the Gentle within. 20. Darkness cannot drive out darkness – Walker 20 years - a brave heart and a generosity of spirit. Worthy is the Lamb Bravo and happy birthday LEC - You have helped Be….. 21. Before the throne - Brophy create something extraordinary for us all - may the Amen celebrations last long into the night!! Elisabeth Burke 2 3 alongside the original King James Bible in Messiah. Awake My Soul My guiding principle is to not alter any of Handel and Music by Lyle Chan Jennens, but to increase depth by layering. Awake, My Soul Out of the deepest respect for Muslims and Mormons, (Sinfony for Voices) of course I do not quote the scriptures, but I fashion mine after their inspiration to convey the joyous meaning. Read! Behold, the Word of God, Every Valley Who taught by the pen, Music by Alice Chance, The Word of God the world knew not. Thy Peace Be Like A River Behold, the Angel! Every valley shall be exalted Read! Behold, the Word of Truth, Thy Peace Be Like A River (Comfort Ye) And every mountain and hill caressed, That came by the pen, none missed The Word of Truth the world knew not. Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. The crooked cherished Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, And rough places kissed Awake, my soul, that her warfare is accomplished, that her Iniquity is Rejoice, my heart, pardoned. Every facet, vice or asset, shall be No longer droop! exalted I am as calm as a summer morning. Thy peace be as a river, And every effort, if true, shall be The sun, the moon, the stars gives light, Thy virtues be as waves upon the sea. received gratefully As they roll upon their wings. On earth and in yourselves, The battle to be good There are signs of Truth, do you see them? Itself a victory The faithful shall rise, Do you see the signs of Heaven? The Ev’ry Valley movement from Handel’s Messiah, beloved by Tenors the world over, The pure heart will rise, As angels bring you to the light. has inspired my composition Every Valley. The original is famous for its overt word- The virtuous shall rise, painting. The music leaps and plummets as led by the contours of the landscape it Their light shall shine, There is no creature that walks the earth, describes. Ostentatious, dexterous melismas inspire awe at the power and the glory of The faithful with pure heart, Or flies with wings, God. Many performers of this work seem to exude a desire for this audience awe to be Shall rise to heaven. Except they are just like you. directed at their own power and glory instead. The roads and the rivers and mountains In the angel Gabriel’s first vision to Muhammad, the Gladly guide you. I have created a poetic and musical response to this movement. The original biblical prophet is instructed to read, because God teaches text uses ‘exalted’ in its archaic literal meaning: ‘raised up’. The verses speak of how lylechan.com by the pen. The revelations eventually become the God will eventually smooth out the Earth. A common misinterpretation is that ‘exalted’ Qur’an. This is the beginning of Islam. I am a lover means ‘praised’ in this context, implying that all of God’s landscape should be of books and writing, and such a tale is exhilarating praised. I have used this misconception as a springboard into a poetic and musical to me: that revelation is literary. It’s a wondrous story ode to accepting and loving things as they are. I am seeking to honour the diverse I’ve known my entire life, because I was born in a landscapes of human bodies, as well as the efforts of their occupants. Muslim country and lived there my first twelve years. To have words where there were no words before – Alice Chance is a sought-after composer with a flare for the human voice. Her this is the perfect allegory for the transformation of the music is performed in concert halls (Sydney Opera House, The Kennedy Centre, instrumental Overture of Messiah into a ‘Sinfony for City Recital Hall Angel Place) and cathedrals (St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney, Stanford Voices’. Memorial Church California, Trinity Church Wall St New York City.) But it is also sung in auditoriums, paddocks and showers all around Australia. Ensembles which have The so-called Abrahamic religions have more in commissioned or premiered Chance’s work include The Australian Brandenburg common than they don’t. Christians don’t generally Orchestra, The Song Company, The Australia Piano Quartet, Gondwana Choirs, and know, for instance, that Muslims regard Isaiah as Ensemble Offspring. Alice has been composer in residence with the multi-APRA- a prophet, the same Isaiah whose words are in Award-winning Moorambilla Festival from 2013-15 and will return in 2018. Australian Messiah’s ‘Comfort Ye, My People’. The irony of our school children are finding that Alice Chance’s music is becoming a staple in their global conflict on religious lines is that it is between choir’s repertoire. Alice calculates that at least five thousand children have publicly people who share so much. performed her music since 2012. alicechance.com Another Abrahamic religion with truly beautiful writing is the Latter Day Saints movement. Regardless of their faith, well-read people everywhere regard the Bible as great literature, and so too it is with other books of faith, including the Qur’an and Mormon scriptures that I have allowed to be my inspiration for new texts 4 5 Sea Chronicles 2 Music by Paul Stanhope Sea chronicles has been reimagined as a solo for Soprano sax and chamber strings as a response to the text set for Alto soloist in the original. “ oh thou that tellest good tidings to zion - get thee up unto the high mountain, lift up thy voice, with strength, lift it up and be not afraid, shine for thy light is come, arise for thy light is come and the glory of the lord is risen upon thee” Paul Stanhope (b.