Horsham Chamber Choir’s autumn concert provides a feast of spiritual and meditative compositions combining contrasting musical styles as well as an exercise in modulation by the choir.
At the heart of the programme are Missa Brevis by Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodaly and Berliner Messe by Estonian contemporary composer Arvo Pärt. The former was written while the Soviet Union was bombing Budapest and written initially for solo voices, chorus and orchestra. Kodaly saw out the Battle of Budapest in the shelter of the city’s opera house, and Missa Brevis received its first performance in a cloakroom there. The backdrop for the Berliner Messe by Pärt was the emancipation of the city following the break up of the Soviet Union.
Counterpoints to these historic, emotional and spiritual pieces are “and the Swallow” by Caroline Shaw, set to the text of Psalm 84, and Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare, arranged by Horsham Chamber Choir’s very own Music Director Timothy Peters. Both pieces help to provide a seasonal vibe for the concert.
“The composition by Kodaly is particularly dramatic, while the Part is more meditative. That is understandable - considering the circumstances in which they were written” says Timothy Peters. “Kodaly is well known internationally for his unique method of music education, while Arvo Pärt uses his tintinnabuli technique, partly inspired by Gregorian chant, throughout the Messe.” The choir will also perform a musical exercise determined by the audience to demonstrate the full and resonating sound of Pärt’s technique.
The concert will be performed at St Mary’s Church in the Causeway in Horsham at 4.30pm on Saturday 9th November. Tickets are available at the Horsham Chamber choir website at www.horsham-chamberchoir.org.uk or at the door.
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