PROGRAM

CONDUCTOR: ANNA UNGUREANU

 

1. A Romanian Celebration

Cornelia Tăutu – „Jocuri”; soloist – Denis Maxim;

An energetic piece with various elements of folk play, written in a stylised manner. The atmosphere is ornamented with foot tapping and shouting, to create the desired soundscape. In the slower, middle section, the female voices display a particular cantilena, supported by the male hymn. Finally, elements of "Ciuleandra" appear in an alert movement.

 

Arr. Dan Mihai Goia – „Mociriță și joc”;

Dan Mihai Goia is a Romanian musician, composer, conductor and choir teacher, member of the Romanian Composers and Musicologists Union, awarded with Romanian and international diplomas and medals. The piece describes a love story that unfolds in a setting where communion with nature is paramount, while also contributing to the completion of the story. 

 

Iosif Ivanovici, arr. Sabin Păutza – „Waves of the Danube”; piano: Abel Corban

Clarinetist, conductor and Romanian composer of military music and light music, Iosif Ivanovici was particularly noted for his collection of dances and marches, the best known being his composition entitled "Danube Waves". A close friend of the Madrigal Choir, composer Sabin Păutza has dedicated an arrangement of the original composition to the choir, fully adapted to the possibilities and colours of the Madrigal Choir, with the addition of a soloist and piano accompaniment. The virtuosic elements are interpreted in a unique way, making the whole ensemble vibrate in unison as one instrument.

 

Alexandru Pașcanu – „Sârba pe scaun”;

Predisposed to treat music from a harmonic perspective, Pașcanu has reached an original combination of impressionistic sounds, chromatic elements and modal melody, inspired by traditional Romanian folk music. "Sârba pe scaun" is a lively work that promotes the idea of play.

 

2. Traditionals

Ion Costescu, Alexandru Podoleanu – „Bună dimineața la Moș Ajun” și Costică Andrei – „Florile dalbe”

Prominent representatives of Romanian choral music, Ion Costescu, Alexandru Podoleanu and Costică Andrei reveal in the above triptych idyllic images of the Romanian village where the Nativity of the Christ Child is the main theme of the oldest form of caroling of children and young people; they walk from one house to another with good wishes for all the people present.

 

Dumitru Georgescu Kiriac – „O, ce veste minunată”

Romanian composer, teacher, choir conductor and folklorist, Dumitru Georgescu Kiriac (1866 - 1928) was one of the most important promoters of the roots of Romanian folklore. The carolers resemble the angels who announced the shepherds about the birth of the Saviour;  the shepherds went on to the stable to worship the Lord. 

 

Nicolae Ursu – „Vine Crăciunu` pe sară”

Composer, ethnomusicologist and teacher, Nicolae Ursu was a leading representative of Romanian choral music in the 20th century. His work is rich and varied, ranging from symphonic music to chamber, choral and vocal music. The folk-inspired carol "Vine Crăciunu` pe sară" (Christmas is coming tonight) reveals the preparations of the village people in anticipation of Christmas. Basil, a plant of spiritual importance in the Romanian folk tradition, is mentioned here, as something bringing happiness, health and good luck.

 

3. Natalis Domini

Șerban Nichifor – „Natalis Domini”; soloists: Bogdan Andronache, Roxana Ilie, Simona Haideu, Luciana Ioan, Anna Mirescu; percussion: Emanuel Pecingină, Bogdan Andronache și Georgian Ilie

Romanian composer and cellist Șerban Nichifor is one of the representatives of the neo-consonant movement in music. Together with his wife, pianist and composer Liana Alexandra, he founded in 1990 Liana Alexandra Nuova Musica Consonante-Living Music Foundation (USA) as well as Duo Intermedia (cello and piano), an instrumental group with which he has given numerous concerts in Romania and abroad. "Natalis Domini" has as its theme the Nativity of the Lord and is a collage of 18 moments from well-known international carols, the finale being an exclusively Romanian moment that originates in local carols ("We came here once/ Happy New Year/ May the Holy Lord help us/ With pretzels and lots of nuts").

 

4. Madrigal`s Winter Magic

Traditional english folk song; arr. Cezar Verlan – „Greensleeves”

"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song that seems to have originated in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The arrangement by Cezar Verlan, assistant conductor of the Madrigal Choir, brings out the expressive qualities of the soprano's melodic line, the harmonic support of the other voices being essential in creating a wonderful sound setting.

 

Mykola Leontovych – „Shchedryk”

Mykola Leontovych (1877 - 1921) was a Ukrainian composer, teacher, conductor and ethnomusicologist. His works reveal the Ukrainian national spirit, Leontovych being outstanding in the field of "a cappella" choral music, a direction revealed both in his religious works and in folk choral arrangements. A carol with Ukrainian folkloric resonances, "Shchedryk" was associated with the time of the New Year celebrations, which in pre-Christian Ukraine coincided with the coming of spring in April. Today, with the adoption of the Julian calendar, the New Year is celebrated in January and the carol is sung today on New Year's Eve. The Ukrainian text thus tells of a swallow flying into a household to sing about the rich year the family will have with the new year and the birth of lambs.

"A swallow flew into the household and started calling to its master:

"Come out, come out, master, look at the sheep pen,

"There the sheep are brought out and the lambs are born.

Your goods are great,

You'll have lots of money.

If not money, then hunted wheat

And a pretty wife with dark eyebrows."

A little swallow flew."

John Rutter – „Candlelight Carol”; piano: Abel Corban

Written in 1984, "Candlelight Carol" was conceived entirely by John Rutter, both musically and lyrically, and the song was first recorded by the composer with his choir, the Cambrige Singers. The theme of the piece starts from a mother's love for her newborn son, sensitively describing the birth of the Saviour.

 

Georg Friedrich Händel – „Joy to the World” 

Georg Friedrich Händel was born in Germanym but spent most of his life in England. His best-known works are his operas, oratorios and concerti grossi, including the oratorios "Messiah", "Judas Maccabeus", "Deborah", "Saul", the operas "Almira", "Orlando", "Xerxes", "Rinaldo" and others. Contrary to all the hymns that glorify Jesus' birth, "Joy to the World" speaks of Christ's triumphant return, a moment when not only professional singers and choirs should sing but all people everywhere, together with nature and angels.

 

John Rutter – „All Bells in Paradise”; piano: Abel Corban

Like “Candlelight Carol”, both the text and music of this work are by John Rutter. Inspired by the text of a 15th-century carol, Rutter has approached the theme of the Nativity of the Saviour in a descriptive manner and his compositional talent is evident in the construction of the melody that evolves into uplifting, glorious moments that penetrate directly into the soul of the listener.

 

6. Home for Christmas

Mihail Bîrcă – „Noi umblăm și colindăm” 

Composer, conductor and teacher from Bessarabia, Mihail Bîrcă (1888 - 1973) was director of the Municipal Conservatory in Chişinău, conductor of the Madona-Dudu choir, conductor of the "Nicolae Bălcescu" Artistic Ensemble and of the Metropolitan Cathedral Choir in Craiova, member of the Romanian Composers Society (1929). His works include vocal music, choral music and theatre music. The festive atmosphere settles in and carolers proclaim the birth of the Saviour.

Nicolae Lungu - „Mărire-ntru cele-nalte” 

Known as "The Musician Priest", Nicolae Lungu dedicated his life to both music and the Church, having studied both fields, studies that left their unique mark on the composer's artistic vision. It is said that on Christmas night the sky opens and man has the opportunity to become better through enlightenment and spiritualization. 

John Rutter – „Deck the Hall”

A contemporary English composer and conductor, John Rutter has been particularly active in the field of choral music, and is a particularly active international figure in this field. His best-known works include "Gloria", "Requiem", "Magnificat", "Mass of the Children", "For the Beauty of the Earth". At the same time, his work also includes many carols, both original creations and arrangements of existing songs. One such carol is "Deck the Hall", a traditional Christmas carol whose melody dates back to the 16th century. 

Sabin Păutza – „Noi venim să colindăm”

Born in 1943 in Câlnic, near Reșița, Sabin Păutza graduated from the "Ciprian Porumbescu" Conservatory in Bucharest, where he specialized in conducting and composition, and perfected his studies at the "Accademia Musicale Chigiana" in Siena (Italy). His works range from chamber music to symphonic music, from choral pieces to jazz compositions, with a contemporary compositional language influenced by jazz, negro spirituals and Romanian folklore. The opening of the carol "Noi venim să colindăm" imitates the bells sometimes used by carolers when they go caroling in the village. As the New Year approaches, the wishes made are for abundance, health, joy and good luck in all aspects of life. 

James Pierpont, arr. Bernhard Hofmann - „Jingle Bells” 

"Jingle Bells" was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822-1893) and published as "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the fall of 1857. Although the song is not necessarily connected to the carol and Christmas theme, "Jingle Bells" began to be associated with the latter during the 1860s and 1870s.  At the same time, "Jingle Bells" has historically referred to a certain type of bell used in the days before the automobile to prevent accidents between horses at unmarked intersections. As the song has evolved over the years, "Jingle Bells" has become one of the most popular winter holiday songs not only in the United States but also around the world.

7. Spiritual`s Medley

Sabin Păutza – „A Spiritual Medley”; piano: Abel Corban

The cycle is a three-piece medley in the Negro spiritual genre. The texts are excerpts taken from the Bible and emphasize hope for salvation. 

8. A Christmas Blessing

Lloyd Larsson - „A Christmas Blessing”; piano - Abel Corban; percussion: Florentina Pușcoi

Since 1982, Lloyd Larsson has made a name for himself as a composer of music for church choirs and school bands. His published works include more than 1,000 religious hymns, Christmas and Easter songs as well as individual works. "A Christmas Blessing" is a blessing to all listeners, a song of glory worshipped to God with gratitude.