Bridge of Dreams Program - Australian Chamber Choir · composer’s passionate love of medieval Japanese culture. ... conjuring up the sounds of the jungles in his homeland. ... Bridge

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR directed by

DOUGLAS LAWRENCE OAM

with Rosanne Hunt – cello

BRIDGE OF DREAMS

Christ Church, Castlemaine, Saturday June 15 at 3.00pm Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Middle Park, Sunday June 23 at 3.00pm

1. AS I CROSSED A BRIDGE OF DREAMS – ANNE BOYD Born at Sydney, 10 April 1946.

A former pupil – and indeed fiancée – of Peter Sculthorpe, Anne Boyd is now Pro-Dean of the Sydney Conservatorium, and has been a member of the Order of Australia since 1996. Probably her best-known piece is As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams, dating from 1975, and embodying its composer’s passionate love of medieval Japanese culture. It shares its title with a memoir by Lady Sarashina, who was born in the year 1008, but does not use actual texts from this source. To quote Anne Boyd’s own words:

‘In at least two senses, this work harks back to the Japan of the 11th century – to me, an infinitely remote and dream-like world whose great art spanning the centuries speaks with as much poignancy and beauty to the mind and heart of contemporary man as it did nine hundred years ago. In the first place, in attempting to write a composition for unaccompanied voices I found myself drawn again to the voice of the sho, a Japanese mouth-organ whose soft, infinitely subtle and slow-moving chords form the background sonority for gagaku, the ancient court music of Japan. The harmony is based upon the whole-tone scale with some chromatic embellishments; the chordal progressions are themselves essentially static in effect being a movement from one version of a chord to another version of the same chord … I have chosen three of Lady Sarashina’s dreams upon which the mood and “text” of each of the three sections of my own work are based.

‘All three dreams take place in temples and the “magic” names of various Buddhas are phonetically transcribed and “hidden” inside the slow-moving choral textures. In the final dream the six-foot Amida shining with golden light appears with outstretched hands promising to return and fetch Lady Sarashina; it is upon this dream that her hope of salvation rests and it is at this point that my work is brought to a final cadence.’

2. TWO ANTHEMS – SIR EDWARD CUTHBERT BAIRSTOW Born at Huddersfield, England, 22 August 1874; died at York, England, 1 May 1946.

I Sat Down Under His Shadow Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Edward (Sir Edward from 1932) Cuthbert Bairstow exemplified that rare creature: an English musician who made a deeply influential career outside London. From 1913 till his death he directed the music at York Minster, having occupied similar posts in Leeds and Wigan. With characteristic North Country bluntness of speech, he rejected the possibility of comparable employment in the USA by saying that he would ‘rather go to the devil’. He designed most of his compositions – including 29 anthems – for Anglican services. I Sat Down Under His Shadow sets words from the Song of Solomon II:3–4. Unaccompanied throughout, it has the melodic and harmonic disposition of folksong. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (from the Liturgy of St James), likewise unaccompanied, begins with hollow-sounding octaves in the tenor and bass voices, these octaves recurring later at key

points. Shortly before the climax, the basses cut loose with prominent crotchets – against slower-moving harmonies in the other parts – to convey the inherent drama of the many-eyed Cherubim.

I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and stand with fear and trembling, and lift itself above all earthly thought. For the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Christ our God, cometh forth to be our oblation and to be given for food to the faithful. Before Him come the choirs of angels with every principality and power, the Cherubim with many eyes, and winged Seraphim, who veil their faces as they shout exultingly the hymn: Alleluia. 3. THREE MOTETS – CARLO GESUALDO, PRINCE OF VENOSA Born at Venosa, Italy, between 1560 and 1566; died Gesualdo, Italy, 8 September 1613.

Laboravi in gemitu meo (I am wearied with sighing) Reminiscere miserationum tuarum (Remember Your tender mercies) Ave dulcissima Maria (Hail, sweetest Mary) Four centuries ago this year, Carlo Gesualdo died. One of musical history’s two best-known murderers – the other being California’s Phil ‘Wall of Sound’ Spector – Gesualdo made his distinctive contribution to the annals of homicide in 1590 when, having surprised his wife and her lover in flagrante, he and his servants slew the guilty couple. (This crime has inspired no fewer than six operas since 1990 alone.) According to some accounts, the murder victims also included Gesualdo’s baby son and his father-in-law. There followed agonies of self-torment, which included the daily floggings to which he insisted on being subjected. His natural penchant for heightened emotional expression in his music through vehement chromaticism became more marked than ever, not least in his late Tenebrae Responsories for Eastertide. The three motets included in today’s concert all date from a 1603 collection entitled Sacrarum Cantionum Liber Primus. They are less harmonically unconventional than the Tenebrae Responsories, or than some of Gesualdo’s secular madrigals. But they still abound in cross-relations among the vocal lines (E natural against E flat, C sharp against C natural, and so on); the tonality quite often veers away in startling directions, particularly after a crotchet rest; and their texts are nothing if not intercessory. The words of Reminiscere miserationum tuarum presumably had for the composer an autobiographical significance.

Laboravi in gemitu meo, Lavabo per singulas noctes lectum meum. Lacrimis meis stratum meum rigabo.

I am wearied with sighing, Every night I flood my bed with weeping. I drench my couch with my tears. (Psalm 6:6)

Reminiscere miserationum tuarum, Domine Deus meus, et ne memineris delicta juventutis meae.

Remember Your tender mercies, O Lord my God, and remember not the crimes of my youth. (Psalm 25:6–7)

Ave, dulcissima Maria, vera spes et vita, dulce refrigerium! O Maria, flos virginum, ora pro nobis Jesum.

Hail, sweetest Mary, true hope and life, sweet comfort! O Mary, flower of virgins, pray for us to Jesus.

4. AWIT NI SOLOMON (SONG OF SOLOMON) – ROBIN C. ESTRADA Born at Manila, 1970.

Seldom does a Filipino composer appear in Australian concert halls, but Robin Estrada (who obtained his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of the Philippines in his native Manila; moved later to California; and is currently undertaking a doctorate at Berkeley) has been described as ‘among the bold and innovative talents in Philippine composition today. His works meld Western forms with South-East Asian musical styles that accentuate the finesse and fire of the region’s cultural diversity.’ He wrote in his 20th year the piece in this program, which is scored for no fewer than 16 different vocal parts (four sopranos, four altos, four tenors, four basses), and which uses – in Tagalog – lines from the Song of Solomon (Chapter 8, Verse 10). Awit ni Solomon won the Musica Nova award in a Manila-based contest known as I Concurso Coral de Ateneo. Estrada runs the gamut from fortissimo howls to delicate murmurings, conjuring up the sounds of the jungles in his homeland.

Ako’y isang batong muog, dibdib ko ang siyang tore; sa piling ng aking mahal ay panatag ang sarili.

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

INTERVAL Our new CD of MOTETS by JS, JC and JM Bach is available today for $25

These works, some of them accompanied by an ensemble of period instruments, appeared on our concert programs in 2011 and 2012

“Last night I listened to the new ACC MOTETS CD intensely. As result the CD jumped to the top of my favorite Bach CD Chart! The ACC has developed a distinctive sound and the German is impeccable. Well done!”

Hans Schroeder, President, Australian Bach Society, 8 May, 2013

Are you enjoying today’s program? Buy two tickets to Bach and His Great Teacher TODAY And receive a $5 discount JS Bach and his great teacher – Sunday November 10 (Sunday November 3 in Geelong and Saturday November 9 in Castlemaine) Just ask the ticket desk personnel 5. SVYATI, FOR CELLO AND CHAMBER CHOIR – SIR JOHN TAVENER Born at Wembley, England, 28 January 1944.

An Orthodox Church communicant since 1977, Sir John Tavener (knighted in 2000) is, in addition, a descendant from, as well as a near-namesake of, the 16th-century composer John Taverner [sic]. He is best known for the religious themes that dominate his works. These works include an opera, Thérèse (based on the Lisieux saint’s life); The Protecting Veil, for cello and string orchestra; the a cappella motet Song for Athene [Hariades], famously performed at Princess Diana’s obsequies; and the present piece, Syvati. Of Syvati, dating from 1995, he writes:

‘While sketching it, I learned that John Williams, father of Jane, my dear friend and publisher, was dying. I could not refrain from dedicating it to Jane and to the memory of her father. The text is in Church Slavonic, and it is used at almost every Russian Orthodox service, perhaps most poignantly after the congregation have kissed the body in an open coffin at an Orthodox funeral. The choir sings “Syvati Bozhye” as the coffin is closed and borne out of the church, followed by the mourners with lighted candles. The cello represents the Priest or Ikon of Christ, and should play at a distance from the choir, perhaps at the opposite end of the building.’

Syvati Bozhye, Svyati Kryeapke, Svyati Byeazsmyeartnuie, pomelooee nas.

Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy upon us.

6. A LEXICON OF DREAMS – CHRISTINE McCOMBE (WORLD PREMIÈRE) Born at Melbourne, 3 April 1967.

Commissioned by Douglas Lawrence for the Australian Chamber Choir, with assistance from Mrs Philippa Miller, A Lexicon of Dreams was written early in 2013 and sets a text by the composer herself (who won the Dorian Le Gallienne Prize in 1995). Christine McCombe has written the following about her motivations in producing the piece:

‘The initial idea for A Lexicon of Dreams came from a suggestion to look at the biblical story of Jacob’s Ladder. Much has been written about the story, its imagery and its wider metaphorical meanings – religious and otherwise; how each of us strives to find happiness, truth or enlightenment. The analysis of dreams is a fascinating area in its own right and I became interested in the symbolism of dreams and the many texts that seem to offer the possibility of deciphering them.

‘Another early source of inspiration came from aspects of Australian Aboriginal culture. I have always been fascinated by the distinct perspective of much Australian Indigenous art – of looking down on the land from above, suggesting a kind of “out-of-body” experience. This aerial perspective and the idea of Aboriginal “songlines” or “dreaming tracks” also influenced the creation of A Lexicon of Dreams.

‘When composing A Lexicon of Dreams I wanted to create a sense of movement through time and space, the music moving through different textures and ideas in the same way that the text moves from one imagined space to another. The piece is thus a journey in itself while also exploring the idea of dream journeys. On a more personal level, A Lexicon of Dreams reflects on the life journey that we all make and how we approach the end of that journey.’

The music starts with a solemn, quiet G minor chord spread among the lower parts, but later the soprano and alto lines are dominated by brief flourishes on words such as ‘wings’ and ‘flying’. Little by little, the music speeds up; the tenor and bass lines, hitherto slow-moving, become more agitated; and a grand climax occurs on the last syllable of ‘ascending.’ The work afterwards returns to the same calm manner in which it began, the concluding Latin phrase (which comes from the Requiem Mass, and means ‘May angels lead you into paradise’) culminating in an enigmatic E flat  minor.  

Wings A dream of wings. A bird. I am flying. Looking down At tree tops A forest of tree tops. I see a clearing A path, leading somewhere … I dream I am in a boat On a wide river, Being carried along by its current. A wide river, leading out to sea. I am a boat Alone in the ocean. Floating away from shore. A dream of stairs, Endless stairs

Like Piranesi or Escher Going up and up But never ascending. There is a door. I open it. Limitless blue The sky opens up before me. I dream of a ladder, Like Jacob dreamed of a ladder Reaching up Rung after rung, Higher and higher I climb. And like Jacob I hear a voice, saying ‘I am with you’ ‘I will not leave you.’ I hear birds, Music.

All the birds are singing Like angels, singing.

In Paradisum deducant te Angeli.

7. O SACRUM CONVIVIUM – OLIVIER MESSIAEN Born at Avignon, 10 December 1908; died at Paris, 27 April 1992.

Dating from 1937, this is an early work of Messiaen’s; nevertheless, early does not mean atypical. Already his lush harmonic voice – which could never be mistaken for any other composer’s – is apparent, as is his rejection of conventional Western metre (the score contains no time-signature). It provides an unusual instance of its creator setting an extract from the Catholic liturgy, rather than conveying his irrepressible religious faith in the concert hall and the organ loft. While Messiaen makes provision for an organ discreetly doubling the vocal parts, the piece is usually performed a cappella.

O sacrum convivium! In quo Christus sumitur: Recolitur memoria passionis ejus: Mens impletur gratia: Et futurae gloriae Nobis pignus datur. Alleluia!

O sacred banquet! In which Christ is received, The memory of His passion is recalled, The mind is filled with grace, And the pledge of future glory Is given to us. Alleluia!

8. TWO SONGS FOR DOUBLE CHOIR, OPUS 141 – ROBERT SCHUMANN Born at Zwickau, Germany, 8 June 1810; died at Endenich, Germany, 29 July 1856.

Zuversicht (Assurance) Words by J. C. von Zedlitz An die Sterne (To the stars)  Words by Friedrich Rückert

Few associate Schumann with choral music. Yet in his all-too-short life, he actually contributed a large amount to the genre. His output for massed voices includes two Requiem settings (one in Latin and another, much shorter, in German); three oratorios (Paradise and the Peri, The Pilgrimage of the Rose, Scenes from Goethe’s Faust); and four part-songs from 1849, of which two will be heard today. At the time Schumann wrote these part-songs, he was conducting a Dresden choir, whose members must have found themselves considerably taxed by the composer’s habitual love of restless modulation. The mood of An die Sterne is predominantly restrained, that of Zuversicht somewhat more dramatic, with due emphasis being placed by forte passages upon such ideas as ‘you can grasp on to hope.’ In neither piece does much counterpoint occur. The stress in both pieces, but especially Zuversicht, remains on the two four-part ensembles being pitted against one another – and at times combining their resources – rather than on what happens within each ensemble.

Zuversicht Nach oben musst du blicken, gedrücktes, wundes Herz, Dann wandelt in Entzücken sich bald dein tiefster Schmerz. Nach oben musst du blicken, gedrücktes, wundes Herz, Froh darfst du Hoffnung fassen, wie hoch die Fluth auch treibt; Wie wärst du denn verlassen, wenn dir die Liebe bleibt?

Assurance You must look aloft, oppressed and weary heart, then your deepest pain will soon turn to delight. You must look aloft, oppressed and weary heart, then you can grasp on to hope, no matter how high the floods may reach; how could you be abandoned when love remains to you?

An die Sterne Sterne, in des Himmels Ferne! die mit Strahlen bessrer Welt

To the Stars Stars in the distant heavens, you who with rays from a better world

ihr die Erdendämmrung hellt; Sterne, in des Himmels Ferne! Schau’n nicht Geisteraugen von euch erdenwärts, dass sie Frieden hauchen in’s umwölkte Herz! Sterne, in des Himmels Ferne! träumt sich auch in jenem Raum, eines Lebens flücht’ger Traum? Sterne, in des Himmels Ferne! hebt Entzücken, Wonne, Trauer, Wehmuth, Schmerz, jenseit unsrer Sonne auch ein fühlend Herz! Sterne, in des Himmels Ferne! winkt ihr nicht schon Himmelsruh’ mir aus euren Fernen zu? Wird nicht einst dem Müden auf den goldnen Au’n ungetrübter Frieden in die Seele thau’n! Sterne, Sterne, bis mein Geist den Fittig hebt, und zu eurem Frieden schwebt, hang’ an euch mein Sehnen, hoffend, glaubevoll! O ihr holden, schönen, Könnt ihr täuschen wohl?

lighten the earthly darkness; stars in the distant heavens, turn your eyes earthwards, to breathe peace into the troubled heart! Stars in the distant heavens, is life’s fleeting dream also dreamt in your domain? Stars in the distant heavens, can a feeling heart lift up its enchantment, bliss, sorrow, sadness and pain beyond our sun to you? Stars in the distant heavens! Are you not already showing me distant signs of heavenly peace? Will untroubled peace one day warm the weary soul in paradise? Stars, oh stars, until my soul takes wing and soars upward to heavenly peace, until then my hopeful, faithful longing clings to you. Lovely, beauteous ones, could you deceive me?

Program notes © R. J. Stove, 2013

The singers today were: Sopranos: Felicity Bolitho, Bronwyn Jones, Amande Lee*, Erika Tandiono*, Sarah Turner, Jennifer Wilson-Richter, Jessica Wynne Altos: Elizabeth Anderson*, Grace Cordell, Hannah Spracklan-Holl, Ailsa Webb Tenors: Alastair Cooper-Golec*, Ben Owen*, Michael Petruccelli, Christopher Roache* Basses: Luke Hutton, Kieran Macfarlane*, Andrew Moffat, Lucas Wilson-Richter* * soloist ABOUT US During its first five years, the AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR has undertaken three European concert tours and three Australian regional tours, recorded three CDs and given many concerts in Melbourne and Geelong – a total of 98 concerts, many of which have been recorded for broadcast on 3MBS FM or ABC FM. Now in our sixth year, we undertake our fourth European concert tour. We perform in Berlin and Hamburg, in the cathedrals of Meissen, Freiberg and Ribe, and at five international festivals in Denmark and Poland. Of the 18 engagements, 12 are return invitations. The choir returns to that most beloved of choral venues, St Thomas’ Church, Leipzig, where JS Bach was Cantor for 27 years. Of their performances in 2011, the current St Thomas’ organist, Ullrich Böhme, said: ‘In Leipzig, we have several fine choirs, not only the Thomanerchor. Of the many visiting choirs we hear, not many come up to our standard. The Australian Chamber Choir did.’ The booklet of the new MOTETS CD contains a number of beautiful photographs of the choir, taken at St Thomas’ Leipzig. More details of the choir’s touring plans can be found below.

In addition to the European tour, this year we have expanded our Melbourne and Geelong subscription series to Castlemaine and will give our first concerts in Canberra, Bowral and Sydney. While the choir’s European tours are financed by earnings, personal contributions and grants (from the Australia Council and Arts Victoria), Australian touring relies heavily on support from our donors.

Donations to the Australian Chamber Choir Support Fund are tax deductible. If you would like to assist the choir with its Australian activities, fill in the form provided in the into the future brochure or contact us at [email protected] or telephone 9387 3004 or donate online at www.AusChoir.org

BRIDGE OF DREAMS will be performed in the venues listed below. If you know people in any of these cities, please let them know about our concert.

Saturday June 28 at 8pm NORDLINGEN: KONZERTE IN SANKT GEORG Venue: Georgskirche, Nördlingen, Germany

Sunday June 29 at 9.30am NORDLINGEN: Service Venue: Georgskirche

Sunday June 29 at 5pm DILLINGEN: DILLINGER BASILIKAKONZERTE Venue: St Peter’s Basilica, Dillingen, Germany

Monday July 1 2013 at 7.30pm TÜBINGEN Venue: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Church, Tübingen

Wednesday July 3rd 2013 at 7pm DARMSTADT: ORGELSOMMER Venue: Pauluskirche, Darmstadt, Germany

Friday July 5 2013 at 8pm BERLIN: KONZERTE IN EPIPHANIEN Venue: Epiphanienkirche, Charlottenburg, Berlin

Sunday July 7 2013 at 7pm Ecumenical Centre, HafenCity Venue: Ecumenical Centre, HafenCity, Hamburg, Germany

Tuesday July 9 2013 at 8pm RIBE DOMKIRKES SOMMERKONCERTER Venue: Ribe Cathedral, Denmark

Wednesday July 10 2013 at 8pm 44th SORØ INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL Venue: Sorø Klosterkirke, Sorø, Denmark

Friday July 12 2013 time TBC Osno Lubuskie, Poland

Saturday July 13 ZIELONA G´ORA: 6th INTERNATIONAL MOZART PLUS FESTIVAL TBC

Sunday July 14 2013 at 7pm WROCLAW: 20th Festival NON SOLA SCRIPTA Venue: Kreuz Kirche, Wrocław, Poland

Monday July 15 2013 at 7pm KALISZ: INTERNATIONALORGAN FORUM Venue: Garnison Church, Kalisz

Tuesday July 16 2013 at 7.15pm 22nd LEGNICA EVENING ORGAN CONCERTS Venue: Legnica Cathedral, Legnica, Poland

Thursday July 18 2013 at 8pm FREIBERG: KONZERTE IM FREIBERGER DOM Venue: Freiberg Cathedral, Freiberg, Germany

Saturday July 20 20 at 5pm MEISSEN: GEISTLICHE ABENDMUSIK Venue: Meissen Cathedral, Germany

Sunday July 21 2013 at 9.30am LEIPZIG: Motet Service Venue: Thomaskirche,Thomaskirchhof 18, Leipzig, Germany

Wednesday July 24 2013 at 7pm WANGEN Venue: Martinskirche, Wangen (Allgäu), Germany

Saturday October 12 at 3pm CANBERRA Venue: St Paul’s Church, Manuka

Saturday October 12 at 7.30pm BOWRAL Venue: St Jude’s Church, Bowral

Sunday October 13 at 3.30pm SYDNEY Venue: Great Hall, University of Sydney

The 2013 European tour is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and supported by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria. We are planning a European concert tour for July 2015. Would you like to come with us? Watch our website for details of how the tour will look. We look forward to this fabulous opportunity to get to know you better. Would you like more information? We suggest …

Visit our website: www.AusChoir.org Friend us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/AusChoir Sign up at the door today or at the website to receive our e-newsletter. Governance Chairman: Dr Robin Batterham, AO Treasurer: Richard Bolitho Public Officer: Dr Sarah Martin Assisting the Management Committee: Stuart Hamilton AO

General Manager: Elizabeth Anderson Artistic Director: Douglas Lawrence OAM Patrons: Dr Barry Jones, AO

Prof John Griffiths, Oficial de la Orden de Isabel la Católica

We would like to thank all our sponsors, including those listed on this page.

Thank you for attending today’s concert. We would like to thank all those who support the choir, including the following people: Warren and Iris Anderson, Vicki and Peter Balabanski, James and Barbara Barber, Robin Batterham, Heather Bayston, Lyn Howden and David Beauchamp, Rhys Boak, David Brand, Harold Burge, Elizabeth Burns, Lois Cooke, Patricia Duke, Michael Edgeloe, Rod and Deb Edwards, Michael Elligate, Priyanka Erasmus, Ken Falconer, Jennie Smith and Bruce Fethers, Anne Gilby, David and Dianne Gome, John and Bernie Griffiths, Tom Griffiths, Ian and Heather Gunn, Thorry Gunnersen, Stuart Hamilton, Bob Henderson, Thomas Hurley, John and Cheryl Iser, David Kellam, Peter Kingsbury, Barbara Kristof, Neil Lawrence, George and Ann Littlewood, Pamela Lloyd, Heather Low, Lenore Macdonald, Hector Maclean, Sarah Martin, Campbell and Noreen McAdam, Kate McBride, Hilary McPhee, Rowan McIndoe, Lorraine Meldrum, Catherine and Barry Michael, Philippa Miller, Alana Mitchell, Mobiquity Inc, Adam Morris, the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, Max Griffiths and Merrilyn Murnane, MJ and RM Norton, The Ian Potter Foundation, Annette Robinson, Nola Rogers, Alma Ryrie-Jones, Geoff Scollary, Cathy Scott, Stephen Shanassy, David and Lorelle Skewes, Nicole Spicer, Lynne Star, Leonore Stephens, Eric Stokes, Rob Stove, Brian Swinn, Ross Telfer, Elsie Valmorbida, Alison Waller, Mel Waters, Carolyn Williams, Harry Williams, Glen Witham, Robert Wright, Jenny and Wallace Young and anonymous donors.

Australian Chamber Choir Inc. No.A00499