The goals came from set pieces
Ben Oxley
Tales of Two Cities
Sydney Chamber Choir and Adelaide Chamber Singers present: 3pm | Sunday 16 June | Great Hall, University of Sydney
Conductors: Paul Stanhope and Carl Crossin
http://sydneychamberchoir.org/
Well, it's 3pm on a Sunday, and I had the feeling it was prior to kick-off for a top division champions match. You can insert your favourite code here. Sydney Chamber Choir played host to the much-admired and well-drilled Adelaide Chamber Singers. This was A-League choral singing. Top drawer stuff. Perhaps more, it was recognition of two "managers" or conductors who are at the top of their respective games.
The opening featured both "teams" in British composer Gabriel Jackson's Sanctum est Verum Lumen. Concert programs are built around 'bookends' and this was a proverbial doorstep of choral glory. Great Hall took the sound and we were transported to a holy place; this was like a soundtrack of a stunning IMAX clip.
The soprano "bench" shone in altissimus. Their very contrasted tones set the seal on a challenging repertoire, including Britten's Hymn to St Cecilia, which was preceded by the 'faux' set piece, Jackson's Cecilia Virgo. Like the great teams, their execution was superb, showing the genius of birthday boy Britten to write such a persuasive, mellow homage to the patron saint of musicians.
So we reached a heady pause in the proceedings, to find sunshine and sandstone to behold. Standing at the back on our return were part of the singers in a new formation. Like rugby, we suffer the All Blacks in music. Visually we have ebony tones, but lush autumnal colours abound in this sonorous soundscape.
Then the masterclass began: Adelaide gave us Job's discourse on creation and faith, culminating in the well-known phrase, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, reminding us that it was Sunday, and we should reflect on the mighty with the Almighty.
Joseph Twist's A Strange Land links to another centenary, in that it evokes Verdi's Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, in quoting Psalm 137. Again, the singers were adroit in detailed articulation, presaging the piece that set this ensemble apart from many others: Eric Whitacre's Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, accompanied with bells and percussion played by the choristers. Very impressive.
But the 'big goal' beckoned. Tallis conceived a choral monument, with the translated text rendering "I have never put my hope in any other but in You, O God of Israel." While the venue is not a place of worship, it surrendered to the rising phrases of this quintessential anthem of praise. High praise too for Carl Crossin, and Paul Stanhope who provide inspiration in music that place them and their singers in a league of their own.
Well, it's 3pm on a Sunday, and I had the feeling it was prior to kick-off for a top division champions match. You can insert your favourite code here. Sydney Chamber Choir played host to the much-admired and well-drilled Adelaide Chamber Singers. This was A-League choral singing. Top drawer stuff. Perhaps more, it was recognition of two "managers" or conductors who are at the top of their respective games.
The opening featured both "teams" in British composer Gabriel Jackson's Sanctum est Verum Lumen. Concert programs are built around 'bookends' and this was a proverbial doorstep of choral glory. Great Hall took the sound and we were transported to a holy place; this was like a soundtrack of a stunning IMAX clip.
The soprano "bench" shone in altissimus. Their very contrasted tones set the seal on a challenging repertoire, including Britten's Hymn to St Cecilia, which was preceded by the 'faux' set piece, Jackson's Cecilia Virgo. Like the great teams, their execution was superb, showing the genius of birthday boy Britten to write such a persuasive, mellow homage to the patron saint of musicians.
So we reached a heady pause in the proceedings, to find sunshine and sandstone to behold. Standing at the back on our return were part of the singers in a new formation. Like rugby, we suffer the All Blacks in music. Visually we have ebony tones, but lush autumnal colours abound in this sonorous soundscape.
Then the masterclass began: Adelaide gave us Job's discourse on creation and faith, culminating in the well-known phrase, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, reminding us that it was Sunday, and we should reflect on the mighty with the Almighty.
Joseph Twist's A Strange Land links to another centenary, in that it evokes Verdi's Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, in quoting Psalm 137. Again, the singers were adroit in detailed articulation, presaging the piece that set this ensemble apart from many others: Eric Whitacre's Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, accompanied with bells and percussion played by the choristers. Very impressive.
But the 'big goal' beckoned. Tallis conceived a choral monument, with the translated text rendering "I have never put my hope in any other but in You, O God of Israel." While the venue is not a place of worship, it surrendered to the rising phrases of this quintessential anthem of praise. High praise too for Carl Crossin, and Paul Stanhope who provide inspiration in music that place them and their singers in a league of their own.
