Categories: other-churches, music
Date: 17 June 2007 06:01:20
The third of these annual concerts was held last night at St James' King Street and featuring their choir together with the choirs of Christ Church St Laurence, St Francis', Paddington and the Emanuel Ensemble and the Australian Byzantine Choir. Proceeds raised from the evening went to support a number of community services provided by St John's, Darlinghurst, including legal counselling and a drop-in centre for the homeless and marginalised. The previous two concerts have had money raised going to Aboriginal support programmes.
It was wonderful to catch up with some friends from St Francis before-hand and, of course, it was wonderful to hear such beautiful music: and all in aid of a very good cause. Of them all, I was particularly taken by the Emanuel Ensemble: perhaps as I hadn't heard music used in Jewish services before. And it was interesting that, for four of the groups at least one Australian composition was used (the Orthodox being the exception). The Orthodox were also, sadly in my view, the exception when it came to explaining the music: where it came from, where it used in their services, even the personality of some of the composers (and apparently E Bairstow had a temper!). Here was a golden opportunity to explain a bit about Orthodoxy [I learnt something about Jewish services, and also learnt that the Gloria was once, a very, very long time ago, only sung at Christmas: but it is so glorious, it was moved to be part of every Mass] and, for some reason [I thought language but I had a quick chat and gave thanks to them afterwards and they seemed to speak English well], they did not. Oh well, a minor quibble on what was a glorious night.
Here is the programme:
The Choir of St Francis of Assisi, Paddington
Director of Music: Noel de Bien
Organist: Bernard Kirkpatrick [once Director of Music at St Francis; now Director of Music at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Parramatta]
- We wait for Thy lovingkindness, O God (W McKie)
- Ubi Caritas (Gregorian chant; music: M Duruflé)
- Psalm 23 (Howard Goodall)
- Excerpts from Missa Pax et Bonum (Richard Connolly)
The Choir of Christ Church St Laurence
Director of Music: Neil McEwan
Organist: Peter Jewkes
- Videntes Stellam (Huw Belling)
- Sing ye to the Lord (E. Bairstow)
- Kyrie and Gloria from Missae Cantus (J Rheinberger)
Australian Byzantine Choir
Director of Music: George Combis
Chants and Hymnology from the Byzantine Rite:
- Dismissal Hymn of St John the Theologian
- Lity of St John the Theologian
- Brethren, let us love the Bridegroom
- You revealed yourself to your Disciples
- I will love you, Lord
- It is the day of Resurrection
The Emanuel Ensemble
Director of Music: Joseph Toltz
- Psalm 121 (Elena Kats-Chernin)
- Hashkivenu (L Lewandowski, arr. J D Toltz)
- Sim Shalom (J Edelstein & J Gluck)
- Shalom Rav (Ben Steinberg)
The Choir of St James
Director of Music: David Drury
Organist: Andrej Kouznetsov
- The wild mountain thyme (trad, arr. John Ross)
- O for the wings (Brooke Shelley)
- Creator of the earth and skies (David Drury)
- In Paradisum (M Duruflé)