'In Ecclesiis: Music for Choir and Brass' on Northwest Choral's Dec. 5 program
The yearlong celebration of the Northwest Choral Society's 50th anniversary will begin with its first concert of the season, "In Ecclesiis: Music for Choir and Brass," at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at Faith Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights.
The concert will feature Giovanni Gabrieli's "In Ecclesiis," along with Z. Randall Stroope's "Hodie!" (This Day) and Conrad Susa's "A Christmas Garland." The chorus also will welcome in the holiday season with a number of traditional Christmas carols.
The society is under the direction of artistic director Alan Wellman. Five members from the Chicago Gargoyle Brass Ensemble will accompany the chorus. The chamber group, comprised of faculty and former students at the University of Chicago, has performed recitals, major liturgical works, and organ and brass concerts in major churches in the Chicago area.
"In Ecclesiis" is Giovanni Gabrieli's most famous single work and a masterpiece of polychoral techniques. Written while Gabrieli was the organist at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, the music was designed to be performed in this unique building, with its dual choir lofts facing each other. The individual groups of musicians and singers would have been spatially separated around the grand architecture, creating a polychoral texture.
The text of this motet, a pre-eminent polyphonic form of Renaissance music, emphasizes redemption and healing through penance, and probably was first performed at a Mass of thanksgiving for the passing of the plague of 1575-77. It calls for four distinct choirs. Choir I is comprised of four soloists, Choir II is the full choir, Choir III is a brass choir and Choir IV is an organ, which plays throughout the piece. The result is a dazzling and expressive display of rich harmonic modulations of singing and playing.
Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer, conductor, and lecturer. He has published more than 140 works, including his most famous compositions "Hodie!" (This Day), "Lamentaciones de Jeremias" and "Amor de mi alma." "Hodie!" was composed in 1991 in recognition of several individuals and a choral society in Lincoln, Nebraska, and was premiered at the Omaha Festival of Christmas Brass that same year.
In "A Christmas Garland," composer Conrad Susa weaves a number of traditional Christmas carols into a piece dedicated to the Catari Singers of Columbus, Ohio. From 1959 to 1994, he was the composer in residence at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, where he wrote music for over 200 productions.
A complimentary preconcert lecture and discussion of the concert music will be hosted by society member Kelsey Green 45 minutes prior to the concert.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors and may be obtained at www.nwchoralsociety.org, by calling (224) 585-9127, or an hour prior to the concert at the church, 431 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights.
For the golden anniversary, the chorus cut its first commercial CD, which will be fore sale at the concert. A Golden Jubilee Dinner will be held April 29.
The season includes two more concert performances: "Something Old, Something New" on April 9 at the First Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights and "The Golden Jubilee Celebration" on June 4 at the Southminster Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights. Alumni of the chorus who wish to participate in the June 4 celebration should contact chorus President Penny Perles at nwchoralsociety@gmail.com for information.
Founded in 1965, the Northwest Choral Society promotes and encourages the appreciation, understanding and performance of a wide variety of outstanding choral literature. Its adult membership resides in the greater Chicago area.
The society invites experienced singers to audition. Information is at www.nwchoralsociety.org.