Next concert:

Of Life and Love

A Valentine’s Day treat: Music that captures the emotions that come from living and loving.

Sunday, February 12, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Knox United Church

Tickets:
Adults: $15 in advance, $20 at door
Students: $5

This concert, Of Life and Love, takes its name from the title of a set of songs the choir will sing by American composer David Dickau. The four pieces in the suite are "Awake, My Heart" (text by Robert Bridges), "in time of daffodils" (text by e.e. cummings), "Echo" (text by Christina Rossetti), and "Come, O Come My Life’s Delight" (text by Thomas Campion). The four pieces are conceived as a suite, "with the progression of the texts and the music telling a story of awakening to love, opening oneself to love, loving through loss, and finally, anticipating the return of love." As you can see, the texts are suited to the sentiments of Valentine’s Day which is just around the corner from the date of the concert.

As well as the aforementioned suite, there is also a set of four songs by another American composer, James Mulholland. The texts of this suite are all written by that oft-quoted writer about love, Robert Burns. Appropriately enough the suite is called Four Robert Burns Ballads. The four selections are entitled "A Red, Red Rose", "O Green Grow the Rashes", "The Banks O’ Doon", and "Highland Mary". These four songs also deal with various aspects of love, some happy, some sad, and some tinged with melancholy and reflection.

This concert also features four songs by Matthew Harris, another American composer, who has chosen his texts from the words of William Shakespeare. "Take, O Take Those Lips Away" (Measure for Measure); "Tell Me Where is Fancy Bred" (The Merchant of Venice); "It Was a Lover and His Lass" (As You Like It); and "O Mistress Mine" (Twelfth Night). All these texts are actually written to be sung in their respective plays. Mr. Harris has written five books of Shakespeare Songs.

Three separate and independent pieces still based on the same theme will also be part of the programme. They are "Come to Me, My Love" by Norman Dello Joio, "Dirait-on" from Les Chansons des Roses by Morten Lauridsen, and "John Anderson, My Jo" (another Burns poem) set to music by Robert Schumann.

Also on this concert are special guests Sine Nomine, a male quartet consisting of Robert Dick (first tenor), Peter Hooge (second tenor), Duff Warkentin (baritone), and John Elias (bass). They will also sing songs that reflect the theme of this concert: "Liebe" (Franz Schubert)," Zum Rundetanz" (Franz Schubert), "A Shepherd in the Shade" (John Dowland), "Du, du liegst mir im Herzen" (a traditional German folksong arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw), "Vive L’Amour" (a traditional American folk song arranged by Alice Parker and Robert Shaw), and "If You Want to Be Happy" (a Trinidadian Calypso arranged by Leonard de Paar).

Please mark Sunday, February 12 on your calendar – we hope to see you at Of Life and Love.

James Hawn, Music Director