The sound of string instruments and voices together is something special. Michael Close last accompanied the Choral Union on cello in 2012 for Ola Gjeilo’s "O Magnum Mysterium." He observes, "the opportunity to play solo cello with a large a cappella chorus does not come up often. These songs are profoundly personal for me, born entirely out of my new love for this soprano, poet, and now my beautiful wife, Hila Plitmann." He remembers, "Each of the songs captures a moment that Hila and I shared together. They also accompanied the choir for contemporary American composer Eric Whitacre's delightful "Five Hebrew Love Songs." Whitacre originally scored these for violin and soprano Hila Plitmann, who wrote the texts.
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Violinists Raymond Karl Malone and Patricia Fitzgerald, violist Paul Reynolds, and cellist Michael Close joined the Choral Union for the premiere of the Báthory-Kitsz work. Within a few measures, the composer says, he dropped the 'Tavener way' and followed his own path. "I claimed that any competent composer could write like Tavener, and aimed to prove it-though when the composing began, I was quickly drawn into the argument from the other side," Báthory-Kitsz noted. The composer says, "Sometimes mundane events produce ethereal results." He reports that his setting of "Ave Verum Corpus" arose from an argument on Facebook about the merits of John Tavener’s music. The new Báthory-Kitsz work sets an ancient Latin hymn text in a hushed, ethereal manner, with the voices seemingly suspended as they gradually shift from one note to the next. Tavener's works often reflect his orthodox spirituality, as can be heard in the "Song for Athene" that will also be performed in this program (that song was heard worldwide as part of the memorial service for Princess Diana). Báthory-Kitsz composed this work in late 2013 in memory of distinguished British composer John Tavener, who passed away in November. composer Dennis Báthory-Kitsz in this concert. The Choral Union had the honor of premiering "Ave Verum Corpus" by Northfield, Vt. Thirty years later, distinguished American composer Randall Thompson, inspired by the painting "The Peaceable Kingdom" by American artist Edward Hicks, composed an extended work on texts from Isaiah, including "Ye Shall Have a Song," also scored for eight-part chorus. In the first decade of the twentieth century, English composer Edward Elgar uniquely arranged Tennyson's text "There is Sweet Music" with beautiful melodies and surprising harmonies as a four-part men's chorus sings in a key just a half step away from the women's four-part chorus. Johannes Brahms composed the three richly sonorous songs of his opus 42, scored for six voice parts, during the Romantic era. The program continued with music by Brahms, Elgar, and Thompson. The 35 Choral Union singers opened their program entitled "There is Sweet Music" with joyful Renaissance and early Baroque motets by European composers Palestrina, Sweelinck, and Schütz as the ensemble members, quoting texts from Psalms, "make a joyful noise" and "sing a new song." The eighty members of the Community Chorus come from communities throughout Addison, Rutland, and Chittenden counties. Tim Guiles accompanied the chorus, in these works whose melodies and harmonies deeply touch both performers and listeners. Randall Stroope The Ground by Norwegian-born Ola Gjeilo and Sure on This Shining Night by Morten Lauridsen. The program opened with inspirational American choral works performed by the Community Chorus: Omnia Sol by Z.
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The Choral Union made its first appearance in Middlebury under the direction of Jeff Rehbach in this performance, while the Community Chorus returned to the Chapel for its annual May concert. The concert took place at Mead Chapel on the college campus at 7:30 p.m.
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2013/2014 season Our program, with the Vermont Choral UnionĪ special Sunday evening spring concert on May 4 highlighted two community-based choral ensembles, the Vermont Choral Union and the Middlebury College Community Chorus.