Why do you sing?
Programme
Orlando Gough (U.K., b. 1953)—Why do you sing
Frank Martin (Switzerland, 1890-1974)—Five Songs of Ariel
Caroline Shaw (U.S.A., b. 1982)—And the Swallow
Jonathan Harvey (U.K., 1939-2012)—How could the soul not take flight
Johannes Brahms (Germany, 1833-1897)—Selections from Vierzehn Deutsche Volkslieder
Jonathan Dove (U.K., b. 1959)—The Sun has burst the Sky
Performers
Chamber Choir Ireland
Benjamin Goodson—Guest Director
Benjamin Goodson, Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir, joins Chamber Choir Ireland for a celebration of music and the voice.
Orlando Gough’s Why Do You Sing explores the possibilities created when sixteen individuals sing together, giving them opportunities to shine as individuals in solos and moments of improvisation, and as a powerful unified voice.
Frank Martin's 5 Songs of Ariel use texts from Shakespeare's The Tempest. They are written in the composer's mature style, extending the scope of conventional tonality with the influence of Schoenberg's serialism.
Caroline Shaw's And the swallow is a setting of Psalm 84, inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis. The piece conjures the image of a bird building a nest for her young, moving seamlessly between sections of comfort and those of yearning for home, and ending with extended techniques evoking the sound of autumn rains.
Brahms' Deutsche Volkslieder were inspired by folksong, which Brahms viewed as a gift to composers from their own people, and as a source of national pride and unity.
Jonathan Harvey's How could the soul not take flight is an homage to the great mystic poet, Rumi, and a setting of his words as translated by Andrew Harvey.
Jonathan Dove's choral cantata The Sun has Burst the Sky is a celebration of life and singing, composed for Bath Camerata in memory of their fellow singer, Hannah Shaw.
Orlando Gough’s Why Do You Sing explores the possibilities created when sixteen individuals sing together, giving them opportunities to shine as individuals in solos and moments of improvisation, and as a powerful unified voice.
Frank Martin's 5 Songs of Ariel use texts from Shakespeare's The Tempest. They are written in the composer's mature style, extending the scope of conventional tonality with the influence of Schoenberg's serialism.
Caroline Shaw's And the swallow is a setting of Psalm 84, inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis. The piece conjures the image of a bird building a nest for her young, moving seamlessly between sections of comfort and those of yearning for home, and ending with extended techniques evoking the sound of autumn rains.
Brahms' Deutsche Volkslieder were inspired by folksong, which Brahms viewed as a gift to composers from their own people, and as a source of national pride and unity.
Jonathan Harvey's How could the soul not take flight is an homage to the great mystic poet, Rumi, and a setting of his words as translated by Andrew Harvey.
Jonathan Dove's choral cantata The Sun has Burst the Sky is a celebration of life and singing, composed for Bath Camerata in memory of their fellow singer, Hannah Shaw.