Ceremony

Brisbane Concert Choir at St Andrew's

Debra Shearer-Diri?, Musical Director

with the

Sinfonia of St Andrew's

Ceremony of Carols

Sunday, 2 December 2012 St Andrew's Uniting Church

Ceremony of Carols

EMERGENCY EVACUATION In the event of fire or other emergency, walk promptly to the rear of the building and exit through the glass doors. Do not congregate in the caf? area, but continue walking up the footpath to ensure that the exits are not blocked. Assemble across the road outside the Suncorp building until advised by a responsible person that it is safe to re-enter the building. Only if access to the main glass-door exit is blocked should you attempt to leave via the door to the right of the stage.

WELCOME FROM THE CHOIR

Welcome to our Christmas concert which rounds off another busy year for the Brisbane Concert Choir at St Andrew's. We would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of the Church in providing rehearsal and concert space and particular thanks to Jenny Ponting in the Church Office for her assistance. We would also like to thank everyone who has come to the choir's events in 2012.

As one year comes to a close, we are already looking forward to an exciting 2013 which we anticipate will include: Handel's Messiah for Easter for our first concert of the year; an a cappella concert in August; and Berlioz's L'Enfance du Christ next December. In between these key performances, we have plans for a "From Scratch" incorporating Grand Opera Choruses to celebrate Verdi's 200th "birthday" and another of the popular "cafe" style musical events in June.

The Choir is also looking to perform outside of Brisbane, performing the Messiah on the Gold Coast; taking a long weekend for performances in southern Queensland or northern New South Wales in the second half of the year, and a tour to the Baltic region in the first half of 2014.

You can keep up with "What's On" through our website, or by joining our mailing list for notification of events by contacting us at choir@ or calling 3300 1932.

We hope you enjoy today's offering -- and look out for us carolling at The Barracks in Paddington and Toowong Shopping Village in the coming weeks. If you are looking for a CD of Christmas music for a present or for your own enjoyment, our CD Rejoice is available today for purchase.

We wish you and yours a safe and enjoyable festive season and look forward to seeing you again in 2013.

JANET McKEON Chairperson

Ceremony of Carols

Ceremony of Carols

Christmas time again? How does it

invitation to all with vibrant chords.

come around so fast?

The combination of the plucked harp

chords and the simple chordal setting

We are delighted to have Lucy Reeves,

of the voices provides a cleansing of the

harpist, join us this evening. The first

ears that leads us to the warmth and

piece Lucy will feature in is Benjamin

peacefulness of the next movement.

Britten's Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28.

There is no rose of such virtu as is the

Originally written for treble voices and

rose that bare Jesu. It is the female

harp, the piece was

voices that allow the

composed in 1942

melody to gently rise

while Britten was at sea. The work opens and ends

The voices sing plaintively as the music

and fall as a question which is answered in unison voice with the

with the choir

shivers with the

words Alleluia, res

processing to the plainsong chant

building intensity...

miranda (miraculous thing), pares forma

Hodie Christus natus

(equal in kind). The text

est. The entire

brings Jesus into the world in a

work is framed by this chant and at the

miraculous way.

completion of the Medieval texts,

which Britten took great delight in

After the cool beauty of There is no rose

setting, the same chant is sung as the

we hear a single line soprano melody in

singers recess.

That yong? child when it gan weep - with

The first song is Wolkum Yole ? "Welcome be thou, heavenly king born in one morning - for whom we sing." The voices sing a bright welcome

song she lulled him asleep. This is a gentle lullaby which leads us into Balulalow, Mary's love song to the infant Jesus.

The joy cannot be contained and bursts out in As dew in Aprille with the words "I sing of a maiden that is mak?les: King of all kings to her son she ches." The middle section of this movement is magically set with the melody passed gently from one voice part to the next, as if the mother might be gently playing with the baby, before we rejoice once again at the end of this movement.

This little Babe stands as a turning point in this work as Britten moves from mostly major sounding movements to those in a minor key. Perhaps the joy of Jesus' birth has now been taken over by the reality of his life and what will unfold. This movement begins quite simply in unison but as it progresses, becomes more complex with the overlay of voices.

There follows an interlude for solo harp leading into a second half which has undergone a distinct change of mood concern rather than celebration: "Behold a silly tender babe, in freezing

winter night, in homely manger trembling lies, alas a piteous sight." The voices sing plaintively as the music shivers with the building intensity of this movement.

Things warm up again for the Spring Carol. No longer are we downcast but joyful and ready to thank God in the

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