PROGRAM

CONDUCTOR: CEZAR VERLAN

 

1. European Motets

John Leavitt – „Festival Sanctus”; piano: Abel Corban

Composer, conductor and teacher, John Leavitt's music continues to captivate listeners and musicians of all ages. "Festival Sanctus" is a hymn of praise to God. The major key in which it is written as well as the organic symbiosis of choir and piano accompaniment all contribute to a bright and joyful soundscape. The piece has been performed over the years in countless concerts by the National Chamber Choir "Madrigal - Marin Constantin", together with bands and children's choirs enrolled in the National Cantus Mundi Program.

 

Tomas Luis de Victoria – „Ave Maria”

Tomas Luis de Victoria's music has a special depth that contains a mystical fervor that is hard to describe in words. Based on the notions of counterpoint technique learned from his masters, the composer has succeeded in inducing a unique dramatic feeling pigmented with Spanish nuances specific to his native region. The tactfully created sound images are highly expressive, managing to emphasize the beauty of prayer in a transparent and harmonious way.

 

Claudio Monteverdi – „Cantate Domino”

Italian composer, choral conductor and instrumentalist, Claudio Monteverdi distinguished himself mainly in the compositional direction of the madrigal and the motet, being at the same time a forerunner in the emergence and development of opera, as well as an important figure in the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque musical period. His motet, "Cantate Domino", is an exuberant work characterized by a harmonious balance between its moments. The dynamic variety adds a vitality to the work that easily reaches the listener's soul. 

 

2. English Madrigals

Thomas Morley – „Now is the Month of Maying”

Renaissance composer, theorist, singer and organist, Thomas Morley is one of the best known representatives of the English School of the period. "Now is the Month of Maying" reveals the joy and exuberance that floods all beings at the coming of spring, the exuberance, joy and passion that metaphorically invites us to live love in the present and enjoy youth.

 

Thomas Weelkes – „On the Plains”; 

Weelkes is portrayed as a skilled composer whose genius shone on the English Renaissance music scene for more than a decade. The piece reveals an idyllic landscape of nymphs and satyrs dancing and loving in the green fields.

 

Francis Pilkington – „Rest Sweet Nymphs”;

"Rest Sweet Nymphs" is a sensitive work whose subject matter is rooted in the bucolic tradition. This nocturnal setting that emerges from the harmonious collaboration of music and poetry describes the story of a shepherd boy who wishes to steal an innocent kiss from a nymph resting in the forest. The melody's contours are smooth, like a lullaby in which sweet sleep comes gently on lute strings.

Thomas Morley – „Fire, fire”

Often referred to as "the father of the English madrigal", Thomas Morley distinguished himself by rapidly assimilating the style and forms of the Italian madrigal, which he planted on the solid foundation of the English tradition, resulting in new forms structurally influenced by the two cultures. The madrigal "Fire, fire" reveals the feelings of a man in love, the anguish that his heart feels at the thought of the person he loves, but also the torment he goes through when the flames of love have engulfed his soul.

 

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. Romanian Christmas Carols

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.

 

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. 

 

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. 

 

5. 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. 

 

6. Madrigal`s Winter Magic

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. 

 

Henry Martinet, arr. Ion Marin – „Petit Papa Noël” 

A French composer and conductor who lived from 1909 to 1985, Henry Martinet is best known for his creation of "Petit Papa Noël", to the lyrics of Raymond Vincy. Over the years, "Petit Papa Noël" has been performed by established artists such as Celine Dion, Boney M, Dalida, etc. The version for mixed choir is performed by the famous Romanian-born conductor Ion Marin, founder of the national programme "Cantus Mundi". 

"It's a beautiful Christmas evening/ The snow has spread its white mantle/ With eyes raised to the sky,/ On their knees, children make a last prayer/ Before closing their eyelids./ Little Santa Claus,/ When you come down from Heaven/ With toys for thousands of children/ Don't forget my little shoe./ But before you go,/ You'd better cover yourself up./ You'll be very cold outside/ And that's a bit my fault."

 

Michael John Trotta – „Veni, Veni Emmanuel; soloists: Anna Mirescu, Roxana Ilie; percussion: Simona Haideu, Florentina Pușcoi, Emanuel Pecingină

A contemporary composer and conductor, Michael John Trotta received his Doctor of Conducting Arts degree from Louisiana State University. Since 2015, he has been based in New York City, performing composition for choral and orchestral ensembles. "Veni,Veni Emmanuel" is a Christian hymn of Advent (lat. adventus), the season that refers to the last four weeks before the Nativity of the Savior. Research shows that the origin of the hymn can be traced back to the 8th-9th centuries in the monasteries of the time.

 

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.

 

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."

 

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.

 

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.