Bach Cantatas 2008 - Goethe

Bach Cantatas 2008
St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street, Dublin
Sundays at 3.30pm
Sunday 20th January
Cantatas 17, 27, 78, 138
Goethe Institut Choir
Conductor: Christoph Wolff
Sunday 27th January
Cantatas 19, 130, 149
Resurgam
Conductor: Mark Duley
Sunday 3rd February
Cantatas 8, 99, 100
Canticum Novum
Conductor: Geoffrey Spratt
Sunday 10th February
Cantatas 96, 114, 148
The Palestrina Choir
Conductor: Blánaid Murphy
Sunday 17th February
Works for unaccompanied Violin
Sonata No. 3 in C, BWV 1005
Partita No. 3 in E, BWV 1006
Soloist: Elizabeth Cooney
Orchestra of St Cecilia
Lynda Lee - Soprano
Alison Browner - Contralto
Robin Tritschler - Tenor
Nigel Williams - Bass
Jeffrey Ledwidge - Bass
David Leigh - Organ Soloist
Further information from Lindsay Armstrong
9 Bass Place, Dublin 2
Tel/Fax: (01) 6621683 - Email: orchsc@eircom.net
Web Site: www.orchestrastcecilia.ie
Sunday 24th February
Cantatas 29, 161, 169
John Dexter Harmony
Conductor: John Dexter
Sunday 2nd March
Cantatas 25, 47, 95, 118
Dublin Bach Singers
Conductor: Blánaid Murphy
Tickets per concert €18—Concession €15
Season Ticket €105—Concession €85
from
Opus 2, South Great George’s St., Dublin 2
CC (01) 6778571 or at door Seats Unreserved
Goethe-Institut Choir
John Dexter Conductor
Young European Strings Chamber Orchestra
Ronald Masin Conductor
NCH, 3rd December 2007
Concert programme
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Committee and members of the Goethe-Institut Choir
would like to express sincere thanks to our Sponsors,
as well as Patrons and Friends of the Goethe-Institut
Dublin for their continuing support and encouragement.
Without them, we would simply be unable to continue to
perform to the high standards which have traditionally
been associated with our Choir.
PATRONS AND FRIENDS OF
THE GOETHE-INSTITUT DUBLIN
Camille Saint-Saëns
Christmas Oratorio, op. 12
SPONSORS
Advance Pitstop
Aer Rianta
Bayer Ltd.
Bizquip
CRH
Digicom Office Technology
O’Flaherty Holdings Ltd.
Oakprint
Oracle
Woodgreen Builders
The Goethe-Institut Choir
would like to acknowledge
the generous support of
Depfa Bank Ireland PLC
in sponsoring tonight’s
concert.
Interval
Aareal Bank AG, Filiale Dublin
Depfa Bank Europe plc
SAP SSC (Ireland) Ltd.
Duncan Grehan & Partners, Solicitors
Siemens Ltd
Lufthansa Technik
Volkswagen Bank GmbH, Branch Ireland
Mercedes-Benz Ireland
WestLB Covered Bond Bank and WestLB Ireland plc
1. Prélude
2. Récit et chœur
3. Air
4. Air et chœur
5. Duo
6. Chœur
7. Trio
8. Quatuor
9. Quintette et chœur
10. Chœur
Edward Elgar The Shower, op. 71, No. 1
Edward Elgar They are at Rest, Elegy, 1909
Programme Design MMW 087 4198849
Printed by Ruon Print 0404 67333
Anna Devin Soprano
Róisín O’Grady Soprano
Sharon Carty Alto
Dominic McGorian Tenor
Jeffrey Ledwidge Bass
Peter Barley Organ and Harpsichord
Young European Strings Chamber Orchestra
Ronald Masin Conductor
Antonio Vivaldi Concerto in F Major for
3 violins, strings and continuo, RV 551
1. Allegro
2. Andante
3. Allegro
Christmas music
O du Fröhliche, trad.
Sergei Rachmaninoff Ave Maria, from Vespers, op. 37
Ding dong merrily on high, trad., arr. J. Dexter
God rest you merry, Gentlemen, trad.
Franz Gruber Stille Nacht
J.S. Bach Weihnachtsoratorium BWV 248
Part I, 1. Coro Jauchzet, Frohlocket
Camille Saint-Saëns
Oratorio de Noël
Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (9 October 1835 – 16 December 1921) was a
French composer, organist, conductor, and pianist, known especially for
his orchestral works ‘The Carnival of the Animals’, ‘Danse Macabre’,
‘Samson et Dalila’, and ‘Symphony No. 3 (Organ Symphony)’. He
was a conservative composer who wrote in many different genres
including opera, symphonies, concertos, songs, piano, and
chamber music. Frequently, he employed and thereby helped to
revive some earlier and at the time largely forgotten dance forms,
like the bourée and gavotte. He was also a poet and playwright of
some distinction and developed also keen, lifelong interests in
geology and astronomy.
Saint-Saëns began taking piano lessons with his aunt at two-and-a-half and composed his first work
at three. At age seven he studied composition with Pierre Maledin. When he was ten, he gave a concert
that included Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto and Mozart’s B flat Concerto. In 1848, he entered
the Paris Conservatory where studied organ and composition, and by his early twenties, following the
composition of two symphonies, he had won the admiration and support of Berlioz, Liszt, Gounod, Rossini,
and other notable figures. From 1853 to 1876, he held church organist posts.
Curiously, after 1890, Saint-Saëns’ music was regarded with some condescension in his homeland, while in
England and the United States he was hailed as France’s greatest living composer well into the twentieth century.
Saint-Saëns experienced an especially triumphant
concert tour when he visited the U.S. in 1915. In the
last two decades of his life, he remained attached
to his dogs and was largely a loner. He died in
Algeria on December 16, 1921.
Saint-Saëns’s Christmas Oratorio (or Oratorio
de Noël) was written in 1858 when he was
just 23. This piece was originally scored for
five Vocal Soloists, Chorus, Harp, Strings and
Organ. The Christmas Oratorio opens with a
Prelude subtitled ‘In the style of Sebastian
Bach’ referring back to Bach’s Christmas
Oratorio. This opening prelude sets the scene
for the Christmas story: pastoral tones create
images of the shepherds tending their flocks
in the fields. In the remaining movements, the
vocal soloists take turns representing different characters such as the narrator of
the story or as the angel who announces the birth of the baby Jesus while the chorus
represents a multitude of angels singing to the glory of the Lord. The final movement
of the piece, which follows the model of old French Christmas songs, is a virtual hymn of
praise of all creation in the presence of God.
Dr. Werner J. Blau MRIA
Camille Saint-Saëns Oratorio de Noël
Text and translation
1. Prélude
2. Récit et choeur
(Tenor) Et pastorent erant in regione eadem
vigilantes et custodientes vigilias noctis
super gregem suum.
2. Récit et choeur
(Tenor) There were shepherds at night in that same country, abiding
in the fields, and silently keeping their watch by night over the
sleeping flocks around them.
(Alto) Et ecce Angelus Domini stetit juxta illos, et claritas Dei
circumfulsit illos, et timuerunt timore magno. Et dixit illis
Angelus:
(Alto) And lo! an angel of the Lord appeared, standing there beside
them: And the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they
were sore afraid at his coming. And unto them the angel said:
(Soprano) Nolite timere! Ecce enim evangelizo vobis gaudium
magnum, quod erit omni populo: quia natus est vobis hodie
Christus Dominus in civitate David. Et hoc vobis signum:
Invenientes infantem pannis involutum, et positum in
praesepio.
(Soprano) Fear not, oh ye shepherds! For, behold I bring unto you
good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you
is born today a Saviour Christ, the Lord, in the city of David. And
this shall the sign be: ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes and lying in a manger low.
(Bass) Et subito facta est cum Angelo multitudo
militiae coelestis, laudantium Deum, et dicentium:
(Bass) And suddenly there was with the angel a great multitude of
the heav’nly hosts praising God and saying:
(Choir) Gloria in altissimis Deo, et in terra pax
hominibus bonae voluntatis!
(Choir) Glory be unto God in the highest!
And on earth peace and good will unto all men!
3. Air
3. Air
Expectans expectavi Dominum.
Et intendit mihi.
Patiently, patiently have I waited for
the Lord. And lo! he heard my cry.
4. Air et chœur
4. Air et chœur
Domine, ego credidi, quia tu es
Christus, Filius Dei vivi, qui in
hunc mundum venisti.
In my heart I believe, O Lord, that thou
indeed art Christ, Son of the living God.
He who was to come into this world.
5. Duo
5. Duo
Benedictus, qui venit in nomine Domini!
Deus Dominus, et illuxit no¬bis.
Deus meus es tu, et confitebor tibi.
Deus meus es tu et exaltabo te.
Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord. God the Lord
of Light, he hath shin’d upon us. Thou alone my God art: and all
my trust is in thee. Oh Lord! thou art my God. I will exalt thee, and
praise thy name.
6. Chœur
6. Chœur
Quare fremuerunt gentes et populi meditati sunt inania?
Gloria Patri, gloria Filio, gloria Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Wherefore do the heathen clamour? Why do the nations imagine
vain and foolish things? Glory unto the Father, and unto the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit! As it was in the beginning, is now and ever
shall be, world without end. Amen.
7. Trio
7. Trio
Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae in splendoribus
Sanctorum.
With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the
brightness of the saints.
8. Quatuor
8. Quatuor
Alleluia. Laudate coeli, et exulta terra, quia consulatus est
Dominus populum suum; et pauperum suorum miserebitur.
Alleluia, Ye heav’ns, sing praises. For the Lord hath comforted
his people and He to all that are afflicted will be merciful.
9. Quintette et choeur
9. Quintette et choeur
Consurge, filia Sion. Alleluia. Lauda in nocte, in principio
vigiliarum. Alleluia. Egrediatur ut splendor justus Sion,
et Salvator ejus ut lampas accendatur. Alleluia.
Arise now, Daughter of Zion! Alleluia. Praise God, praise God in the
night! Alleluia. That Zion’s true glory might be manifested, that her
Saviour might rise and shine before the nations.
10. Chœur
10. Chœur
Tollite hostias, et adorate Dominum in atrio sancto ejus.
Laetentur coeli, et exultet terra a facie Domini,
quoniam venit. Alleluia.
Praise the Lord of hosts, and adore God in His holy place.
Rejoice, heaven, and exult, all the earth before the Lord,
who comes. Alleluia.
ADVERTISEMENT
Edward Elgar
Youth
Orchestra
Auditions
Two Choral Pieces
Sir Edward William Elgar, (1857 – 1934) was an English Romantic composer. Several of his
first major orchestral works, including the Enigma Variations and the Pomp and Circumstance
Marches, were greeted with acclaim. He was appointed Master of the King’s Musick in 1924.
In Elgar’s own lifetime some of his part songs achieved great popularity. In 1914, Elgar had
moved to London, and despite enjoying the advantages of living in the capital, Elgar found
himself missing his native West Midlands. The Shower, the first of two Opus 71 songs, to words
by Henry Vaughan, is deceptive in its (relative) simplicity. At two distinctive points during the
piece, the altos and tenors have semiquavers against the tune’s quavers, suggesting the
‘train of drops’ of the title. The music of nature was always a potent force for Elgar: as a
boy he had been found lying by the River Severn, ‘trying to fix the sounds’ as he wrote
many years later. “The trees are singing my music”, Elgar wrote. “Or have I sung theirs?”
The Musical Times of 10th June 1910 aptly summarized the ‘Elegy for Unaccompanied
Choir’ They are at Rest: ‘This beautiful setting of deeply impressive words (by
Cardinal Newman) may be recommended to those who wish for a new
expression of the thoughts suggested at a time of bereavement.’
It was written in response to a commission from Sir Walter Parratt for an
“Elgar’s music is
anthem to be sung on the anniversary
wonderful in its
of Queen Victoria’s death, and was
heroic melancholy”
first performed at the Royal Mausoleum
William Butler Yeats
at Frogmore on 22 January 1910.
Dr. Werner J. Blau MRIA
The Dublin Youth Orchestras (DYO) are inviting young
musicians to join the largest group of youth orchestras
in Ireland. For over twenty-five years the DYO has been
providing players in the greater Dublin area with a
musical education and opportunities to perform.
The Shower
Cloud, if as thou dost melt, and with thy train
Of drops make soft the Earth, my eyes could weep
O’er my hard heart, that’s bound up and asleep;
Perhaps at last, Some such showers past,
My God would give a sunshine after rain.
Henry Vaughan
(1622-1695)
They are at rest
They are at rest;
We may not stir the heav’n of their repose
By rude invoking voice, or prayer addrest in waywardness to those
Who in the mountain grots of Eden lie,
And hear the fourfold river as it murmurs by.
And soothing sounds
Blend with the neighb’ring waters as they glide;
Posted along the haunted garden’s bounds,
Angelic forms abide,
Echoing, as words of watch, o’er lawn and grove
The verses of that hymn which Seraphs chant above.
They are at rest.
from a poem by Cardinal Newman
Founded in 1982 as a single orchestra, the DYO has
grown to comprise four orchestras, with close to four
hundred musicians between 9 and 25 years of age.
Players of all orchestral instruments, including strings,
wind, brass and percussion, are welcome in the DYO.
01 4912240
info@dyo.ie
www.dyo.ie
Auditions will take place on 2nd March 2008.
Audition forms can be downloaded
from the DYO website or can be sent
by post after 1st January 2008.
Closing date for applications
is 8th February 2008.
Antonio Vivaldi Concerto for 3 violins, strings & continuo in F major, RV 551
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741), nicknamed Il Prete Rosso
(“The Red Priest”), was a Venetian priest and baroque music
composer, as well as a famous virtuoso violinist; he was born
and raised in the Republic of Venice. His best known work is
‘The Four Seasons’, probably one of the most popular Baroque
music pieces world-wide.
On 1 December 1703, Vivaldi became maestro di violino at a
state-funded orphanage called the Pio Ospedale della Pietà
in Venice. This orphanage provided shelter and education
to children who were abandoned, orphaned, or whose
families could not support them. The boys learned a
trade and had to leave at the age of 15. Girls received
musical education and the most talented stayed and
became members of the Ospedale’s renowned orchestra
and choir. Shortly after Vivaldi’s appointment, the musical
talents of the orphans also began to gain appreciation
abroad. In fact Vivaldi wrote most of his concertos,
cantatas, and sacred music for the orphans. His
real breakthrough came with his first collection of
12 concerti for one, two, and four violins with
strings, L’estro Armonico (Opus 3), which was published in Amsterdam in 1711 by Estienne Roger.
This was a resounding success all over Europe,
and was followed in 1714 by La Stravaganza
(Opus 4), a collection of concerti for solo violin
and strings.
10
The Concerto for 3 violins, strings, and continuo in F major
is often counted among Antonio Vivaldi’s more striking
concerti; the profusion of his favourite solo instrument
apparently inspired him to find fresh ways for the violins to
interact and create exceptionally colourful textures using the
interactions. The appeal of Vivaldi’s invention is evident in
the very first episode of the ritornello-form first movement:
the three violins each solo in sequence, the first two with the
same exuberant line, the third with different material that
eventually draws the first two back into the fray for some
high-spirited harmonizing. The second movement drops
the orchestra altogether, as one violin plays a graceful,
sad melody above busy, quiet ostinato accompaniment
from the other two violins, one playing arpeggios and the
other plucking out a rhythm; the effect is luminous, especially
when a few bars of the bare accompaniment close the
movement. In the third movement, the first violin also
enjoys more prominence, but the three violins as a
unit are still a formidable force. During the last
episode, they unleash an avalanche of minor mode
notes to lead into the last major mode ritornello, an
imaginative ending to a highly imaginative concerto.
Dr. Werner J. Blau MRIA
Antonio Vivaldi’s unequivocal importance in the history of the concerto is
undisputed. Of the many concertos written by him, over 230 are for
violin and the Concerto for 3 violins, strings, and continuo in F major
(RV551) is often counted among his more striking creations.
In the first movement the three violins share exuberant
lines and high-spirited harmonies; unexpected entries and
exits create ear-catching textures which are spiced by
Vivaldian virtuoso runs and arpeggios.
The second movement drops the
orchestra altogether, as one violin
plays a graceful, melancholic melody above busy,
quiet ostinato accompaniment from the other two
violins, one playing silky arpeggios, the other a
sprinkle of delicate and rhythmic pizzicatos. The effect is
luminous, particularly at the end, when the few remaining
bars of the bare accompaniment close the movement.
In the third movement, the three soloists can engage, once more, in
a formidable musical interaction, all leading to the last episode, in
which they unleash an avalanche of notes in minor key. The composer’s
imagination, however, does not stop there, and with a bold gesture
Vivaldi gives the major mode just enough strength to triumph.
Paolo G. Cordone
11
Christmas carols
O du fröhliche
O du fröhliche, O du selige,
Gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit.
Welt ging verloren,
Christ ist geboren,
Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit!
O du fröhliche, O du selige,
Gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit.
Christ ist erschienen,
Uns zu versühnen,
Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit!
O du fröhliche, O du selige,
Gnadenbringende Weihnachtszeit.
Himmlische Heere
Jauchzen Dir Ehre,
Freue, freue dich, o Christenheit!
Ave Maria
(see page 14)
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
Verse 1: All sing
Ding dong merrily on high
Ding dong merrily on high,
In heav’n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv’n with angel singing.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
E’en so here below, below,
Let steeple bells be swungen,
And “I-o, i-o, i-o!”
By priest and people sungen.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
Pray you, dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers;
May you beautifully rhyme
Your evetime song, ye singers.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!
12
God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Saviour
Was born upon this day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray:
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Verse 2: All sing
From God our heav’nly Father
A blessed angel came,
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same,
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name:
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Verse 3: Men sing
Verse 5: All sing
The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoicèd much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding,
In tempest, storm, and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straightway
This blessed Babe to find:
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Now to the Lord sing praises
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface:
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Verse 4: Women & children sing
And when to Bethlehem they came,
Whereat this infant lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His mother Mary kneeling,
Unto the Lord did pray:
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Stille Nacht
Silent night, holy night
All is dark, save the light
Shining where the mother mild
Watches over the holy child
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Oíche chiúin, oíche Mhic Dé
Cách ’na suan dís araon
Dís is dílse ’faire le spéis
Naíon beag, naoigheal ceannann tais caomh
Críost, ’na chodladh go séimh
Críost, ’na chodladh go séimh
Verse 3: Audience and choir sing
13
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh
Sergei Rachmaninoff Ave Maria
Johann Sebastian Bach Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248)
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (1 April 1873 – 28 March 1943) was
a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, one of the last great
champions of the Romantic style of European classical music.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) is generally ranked among history’s greatest and most influential composers.
Revered for intellectual depth and technical and artistic beauty, Bach wrote much of his music for the Lutheran Church;
in particular, his many cantatas were composed for normal Sunday services.
Tonight’s Ave Maria is a translation of on of the 6th piece
Богородице Дево, радуйся (Rejoice, O Virgin) of his All-Night
Vigil, Opus 37. This work is an a cappella choral composition,
written and premiered in 1915. It consists of settings of texts
taken from the Russian Orthodox All-night vigil ceremony. It has
been praised as Rachmaninoff’s finest achievement and “the
greatest musical achievement of the Russian Orthodox Church”.
It was one of Rachmaninoff’s two favourite compositions and the
composer requested that they be sung at his funeral.
Dr. Werner J. Blau MRIA
The first cantata of the Christmas Oratorio focuses on Mary in the period around the birth of Jesus. The opening chorus,
‘Jauchzet, frohlocket! Auf, preiset die Tage’ begins with a timpani solo, unique among Bach’s sacred works, which is
followed immediately by a flourish in the flutes. In these first three measures, Bach introduces the two main themes
that run throughout the movement. The timpani’s line anticipates the chorus’ unison entry with the words “Jauchzet,
frohlocket!”; likewise, the flute’s upward flourish is later taken up by the choir to the words “Lasset das Zagen”.
A quieter, polyphonic texture opens the second section on the line “Dienet dem Höchsten” in B minor, the relative minor
to the key of D major used up to this point. Here, one experiences a quieter joy at Jesus’ arrival, as “the words turn from
exultation to service”. The quietness of this section make the sudden da capo recapitulation of the entire first section all
the more striking, jolting the listener back into D major. “Bright and imperious, this music chases away vague dreams.
It constrains and carries the listener along; there is no defence to this hurricane of joy.”
(from André Pirro’s book on J.S. Bach, 1957)
Ave Maria
Gratia plena
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Et benedictus fructus ventris Tui, Jesu
Sancta Maria
Mater Dei
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae
Amen.
Богородице,
Дево радуйся,
Благодатная Мария,
Господь с тобой;
Благословенна ты в женах,
И благословен плод чрева твоего,
Яко Спаса родила еси душ наших.
14
Hail Mary,
full of grace,
the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Jauchzet, frohlocket! auf, preiset die Tage,
Rühmet, was heute der Höchste getan!
Lasset das Zagen, verbannet die Klage,
Stimmet voll Jauchzen und Fröhlichkeit an!
Shout ye exultant this Day of Salvation.
Tell ye what God in the highest has done!
Fear ye no longer, forsake lamentation,
Sing with glad voices the birth of His Son.
Dienet dem Höchsten mit herrlichen Chören,
Laßt uns den Namen des Herrschers verehren!
Reverence the Highest with glorious singing.
Honour the Name of the Lord, praises bringing.
15
The Goethe-Institut Choir
Founded in 1965 at the request of the then Director of the
Goethe-Institut, the choir was privileged to have Cáit Cooper
as its musical director until her death in June 1998.
A wide range of composers has been a feature of the choir’s
programmes, including Vittoria, Schütz, Monteverdi,
Bach, Händel, Schubert, Mozart, Beethoven and Britten.
A significant feature of performances has been the inclusion
of the works of Irish composers, including Brian Boydell,
Seoirse Bodley, Frank Corcoran, Bernard Geary and Mary
McAuliffe. Concerts have been given in many centres
throughout Ireland over the years including Belgium,
Italy, Germany and Austria.
Since 1998, the choir has been delighted to have John Dexter
as musical director. Works prepared by the choir under his
direction have included Bach’s Magnificat and Christmas
Oratorio, St. John Passion, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Britten’s
Rejoice in the Lamb, Mozart’s Requiem and Monteverdi’s
Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610).
16
Recently, engagements included a performance of
Bach’s St. John Passion in St Patrick’s Cathedral on Good
Friday 2005 in aid of the Carmichael Centre and a concert
of sacred and secular pieces in Montecatini, Italy.
The choir also celebrated its 40th anniversary that year
with a concert of Tchaikovsky, Charpentier and Händel in
the National Concert Hall in December. This concert also
included the world première of the work Hilariter by John
Dexter, specially commissioned by the choir for this
occasion.
Last year, the choir returned to the NCH and performed
parts 5 and 6 of Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium along with
traditional German and English Christmas Carols to a full
house. In April 2007 the choir received a standing ovation
for its performance of Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers at the
Pro-Cathedral, Dublin. The choir is looking forward to
taking part in the 2008 Bach Cantatas series at St. Ann’s
Church, Dawson Street (see back cover for details). The
choir is also honoured to have been asked to perform
Mozart’s Requiem for the Carmichael Good Friday concert
in St Patrick’s Cathedral on March 21st 2008.
The Goethe-Institut Choir always
welcomes new members. We rehearse
every Tuesday evening at 7.30 pm
in 37 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Contact goethechoir@hotmail.com
for more information.
Sopranos
Isolde Blau
Teresa Bolger
Cliona Brophy
Katharina Brosien-Guevara
Katherine Campbell
Nuala Cuffe
Corinna Diestelkamp
Claudia Dietschi
Romina DiNardo
Maire Donovan
Rachel Flynn
Kate Geraghty
Geraldine Hynes
Rosemary Judge
Judith Kau
Gillian Kelly
Jennifer Kelly
Josefa Kelly
June Kelly
Mary Kelly
Una Kinirons
Margo McKay
Lizzy Morrissey
Joan Murphy
Emer O’Connor
Cecily O’Flynn
Marian Petersen
Jane Reddy
Beatrix Saul
Katy Smith
Saara Sopanen
Doris Stroemich
Esther West
Altos
Noreen Butler
Imelda Byrne
Nuala Carney
Anna Casey
Patricia Casey
Orla Condon
Traudi Ferguson
Karin Lachenmayer
Jeanny Liao
Christine Luedeking
Elke Luetke-Entrup
Claudia Murray
Maire Owens
Siobhan Parkinson
April Pounch
Mary Prendergast
Katherina Psimopoulos
Crea Ryder
Claire Shoesmith
Laetitia West
Mary Worrall
www.goetheinstitutchoir.ie
Tenors
Ray Bates
Paolo Carner
Joachim Diestelkamp
Michael Gruenert
Mairead McNamara
Martine Maguire-Weltecke
John McEntegart
Liam Shorten
Basses
Werner Blau
David Denby
Henning Droge
Elmar Eggerer
Eoin Garrett
Christian Gnad
Michael Geaney
Joe Grant
Tibi Matei
Ciaran Mulloy
Eanna Mulloy
Liam Quigley
David Skinner
Geraint Waters
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John Dexter
Conductor
John Dexter is
currently Conductor
of the GoetheInstitut Choir,
Music Teacher in
St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School,
Chorus Master of Dublin County Choir and
the Founder and Conductor of John Dexter
Harmony. From 1977 to 2001 he was Organist
and Master of the Choristers in St Patrick’s
Cathedral. Previously he had been Organ
Scholar in Oxford University (Jesus College)
and St Paul’s Cathedral London, studying
orchestral conducting with the late Norman
Del Mar in the Royal College of Music. Next
year John conducts Bach’s Cantatas 161, 169
and 29 with the Orchestra of St Cecilia and
John Dexter Harmony in St Ann’s Dawson St
on February 24th 2008 (see back cover for
details) and Mozart’s Requiem with
the Goethe-Institut Choir in St
Patrick’s Cathedral on Good Friday,
March 21st 2008.
Young European Strings Chamber Orchestra
The origins of this fluid group of young musicians date back to School founder Maria
Kelemen’s desire to assist the countless orphans and displaced children of ex-Yugoslavia
in the early 1990s. She asked a core group of her more advanced students (who at the time
ranged from 4-7 years of age) to busk on O’Connell Street in an effort which she called: “Children for Children.” Raising a
significant amount of money which was then donated to the International Red Cross (and getting front page coverage in
The Irish Times) was the ensemble’s first success.
Although the founding members of the YES Chamber Orchestra have now moved on to third level studies, the Orchestra
continues its high level of achievement and has become a uniquely distinctive ensemble. Orchestra members are not
only excellent musicians in their own right (each YES Chamber Orchestra member is at Grade 6 level or higher in his or
her musical studies), but having spent a vast part of their childhood and early teens making music together, they have
developed a distinctive sound of their own, a repertoire of chamber music for string orchestra which they play
by memory, and a style and presence on stage which belies both their age and the fact that they are still students.
Currently the age of Orchestra members ranges from 10 to 17.
Under the baton of Ronald Masin, the YES Chamber Orchestra has won prizes at
the Dublin Feis Ceoil, was presented with the 2006 Achievement Award by the Irish
Association of Youth Orchestras and has toured in Finland, Barcelona, Budapest and
Venice to high acclaim. The group has produced two CDs, the first was launched
in 2003 and the second, “Waltzing with Angels”, was recorded in collaboration with
John Sheehan of The Dubliners this year.
Ronald Masin Conductor
YES Chamber Orchestra
Violin
Viola
Stephen O’Doherty (leader)
Claire Austen
Davina Baker
Alicia Foley
Isobel Howard Cordone
Johnny Kehoe Roche
Karl Mackle
Colma Ni Bhriain
William Ormiston Doyle
Devin O’Shea-Farren
David Tobin
Carla White
Phoebe White
Deabhla Doherty
Martin Moriarty
Owen Ronayne
Violoncello
Rory White
Martin Johnson (guest)
Born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, of Czech-Dutch
parentage, Ronald was leader of the Netherlands
Philharmonic Orchestra from 1964–1984.
He performed worldwide with his chamber group the
“Amsterdam Kern Ensemble” which also recorded
for EMI. He has given countless solo recitals and
solo performances with orchestras and his repertoire
includes a great number
of contemporary
compositions
written for him.
Ronald is founder and
artistic director of the
Music Instrument Fund
of Ireland.
Double Bass
Dearbhle Collins
Besides their regular engagements within the framework of the YES School of Music
concert series, the YES Chamber Orchestra is often invited to perform at other
platforms for young musicians and official events.
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www.youngeuropeanstrings.com
01 4905263
yes@iol.ie
Claire Austen
Isobel Howard Cordone
Claire Austen, age 10, started her violin studies five
years ago at the Young European Strings School of
Music with Maria Kelemen. She now studies with
Ronald Masin at the School. Claire was awarded
Second Prize in the Under 11 Violin Solo category
of the 2007 Dublin Feis Ceoil and in
2006 she was asked to play at the
ABRSM High Scorers Concert in the
National Concert Hall. Claire also
plays the piano and is a keen
swimmer and tennis player.
Isobel Howard Cordone, born in Dublin in 1997 of Irish and
Italian parents, started her violin studies at the age of three and
a half in the Young European Strings School of Music under the
guidance of Maria Kelemen. At the age of six she performed
her first baroque concerto by Vivaldi during a concert tour in
Barcelona, and started her chamber music performance both
by playing violin duos with her friends and rehearsing weekly
in the string orchestra of the YES School of Music.
Isobel completed her Grade V Associated Board practical
and theory exams with distinction last summer, took part in
the recording of the YES School of Music’s recently released
CD the “Marino Suite” and graduated into the Chamber
Orchestra of the YES School of Music. She is currently
continuing her violin studies with Ronald Masin.
Phoebe White
Phoebe White started her violin studies with Young
European Strings under the tutelage of Maria Kelemen
aged three, and she continues her studies with YES
under Ronald Masin. Phoebe was amongst fifteen
musicians chosen to participate in the Noor Muusik
International Competition held in Tallin, Estonia in
March 2007, where she achieved overall Third Prize
(Category A aged 10 years), and a special prize for the
best interpretation of a Concerto for violin by J.S. Bach.
Phoebe also won 1st Prize at the Siemens Feis Ceoil
competition 2007 Junior Violin under 11.
Anna Devin Soprano
Anna Devin recently received first class honours for her B.A. in Music performance at the Royal
Irish Academy of Music, under Colette Mc Gahon-Tosh and is now on the Opera course at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London under Janice Chapman. She is a highly soughtafter artist in Ireland and the UK. Some highlights of the last year include Handel’s Israel
in Egypt at the Brighton Early Music Festival, guest soloist on the BBC3 Early Music Show,
Handel’s Gloria with RIAM Chamber Orchestra the National Concert Hall, and singing solo
for the New Year Viennese Opera Gala concerts with the Ulster Orchestra at the Waterfront,
Belfast. She has been described in Opera Now as being “vocally expressive and flexible with
a deliciously burnished coloratura”
Anna has had recent success in the London Handel Singing Competition winning the Audience
Prize. Last year she also won the Thelma King Award for Young Singers in Bath, UK, the Acton
Travel Bursary at the RIAM and received third prize at the Great Elm Awards in Wigmore Hall.
She is also a multiple prizewinner at the Irish Feiseanna. Since October 2004 Anna has been a Young Associate Artist
with Opera Theatre Company and in July 2006 she made her UK stage debut as Virtue and Damigella in Monteverdi’s
The Coronation of Poppea with OTC at Buxton Opera Festival and Aldeburgh Proms. Some of her solo work includes
Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate and Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Pergolesi’s Stabat
Mater, Rossini’s Petite Messe Sollonelle, Handel’s Messiah, as well as Belinda in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.
Future engagements include Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Schubert’s Mass in G with the East
Sussex Bach Choir, Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion at the London Handel Festival, a lunchtime
recital at John Field Room, evening recitals at “Concerts in the West”, Devon and Handel’s
L’Allegro at the Göttingen Handel Festival, Germany. Anna is continuing her studies with
the generous support of the Merchant Taylor’s Company Scholarship, AHRC, Bank of Ireland
Millennium Scholarship, the Arts Council of Ireland and the RDS Music Bursary 2007.
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Sharon Carty Mezzo Soprano
After studying Physical Education and English in the University of Limerick, Sharon Carty began
her vocal studies in 2002 with Philip O’Reilly at the R.I.A.M, completing her diploma in vocal
teaching and performance with first class honours. She then took up a music teaching post
in Mount Sackville Secondary School, while continuing her studies at the R.I.A.M with Philip
O’Reilly and subsequently Sheila McCarthy in Dublin and Sona Ghazarian in Vienna. She is now
continuing her singing studies full-time in the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna,
with Professor Leopold Spitzer.
Opera roles to date include “Nora” in Vaughn Williams’ “Riders to the Sea” (Anna Livia
international Opera Fringe Festival in July 2006) “Dorabella” in the “With Mozart, everything
is opera” project (Reichenau, Austria, August 2006) and “Cherubino” in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di
Figaro” (R.I.A.M January 2007), “Angiolina” in Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” (Montalto, Ligure, Italy
July 2007). Upcoming roles in 2008 include “Ruggiero” (Alcina) and “Mazet” (La Colombe).
As a concert and oratorio soloist, Sharon has performed with the UCD Choral Scholars, the Lassus Scholars, the County
Kildare Orchestra and the Goethe Institut choir. Her recently performed oratorio repertoire includes “Die sieben Worte”
(Schütz), “Stabat Mater” (Pergolesi) “Gloria” (Vivaldi), “Messiah” (Handel) “Weihnachtsoratorium” (Bach) Coronation
Mass, Spatzenmesse, Missa Brevis in D (Mozart) and “Ceremony of Carols (Britten). As a choral singer she deputises with
the National Chamber Choir of Ireland and has performed and recorded with the group, and sings regularly with John
Dexter Harmony, a unique group of boy trebles with professional adult harmony singers. Sharon has a particular affinity
for Baroque music and won the German Government Cup in this year’s Feis Ceoil.
Sharon has participated in master classes in Ireland and in Austria with internationally renowned artists such as Thomas
Hampson, Ann Murray, Thomas Allen, Bonaventura Bottone, Ugo Benelli, Jorge Chamine, Kerstin Meyer, Sona Ghazarian
and Bernadette Greevy as well as Summer Academies of the Mozarteum, Salzburg and the University of Music and
Performing Arts, Vienna.
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Róisín O’Grady Soprano
Róisín O’Grady completed her B.A. Hons. Degree in Music and Italian at University College,
Cork in 2000 and in 2001 completed her B.Mus. Hons. Degree. In 2004, she completed the
one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Concert Singing at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and
Drama, Glasgow, under the vocal guidance of soprano Margaret Marshall O.B.E. She took part
in masterclasses with soprano Lynn Dawson and mezzo-soprano Ann Murray. She was also a
chorus member of The RSAMD’s operatic production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Handel’s
Acis and Galatea. She is currently doing a Masters in Performance at The Cork School of Music.
She has been a member of and a soloist with The National Chamber Choir of Ireland for over
two years. The choir perform both in Ireland and throughout Europe. They sing frequently with
The National Symphony Orchestra, The RTE Concert Orchestra and the BBC Ulster Orchestra.
Róisín is also a regular performer with Live Music Now Ireland whereby she gives communitybased concerts and music workshops throughout the country. She is musical director of The
Enniscorthy School of Singing.
Róisín’s solo performances include Mess de Minuit by Charpantier and a selection of Purcell and Dowland songs with
harpsichordist Malcolm Proud. Schubert’s Mass in G and Schumann’s Requiem. In The Cork School of Music summer
concert Róisín performed the role of Cleopatra in the final scene of Julius Caesar. She also performed Handel’s Dixit
Dominus, Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G Minor and Allegri’ Miserere under James Hunter and Sinfonia Alba and Handel’s
Messiah with The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. She also sang the first movements of Bach’s Jauchzet Gott and
Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate at the Falkirk Christmas concert in 2005. For her final year recital at The RSAMD, she performed
Bach’s Wedding Cantata. She was solo soprano in Handel’s Messiah in Buxton, Manchester and in Durufle’s Requiem
in Fishguard. She performed Haydn’s Little Organ Mass and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in Dublin in 2005. Forthcoming
concerts include a series of early music recitals with Baroque guitarist Eamon Sweeney. Operatic roles include Cleopatra
in The Cork School of Music’s operatic production of Handel’s Julius Caesar in 2008.
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Jeffrey Ledwidge Bass
Dominic McGorian Tenor
Dominic McGorian was born in Dublin in 1978. His first public performance was in the
Mansion House, Dublin at the age of 7.
At the age of 20 Dominic began his vocal studies with the acclaimed Conor Farren at
the Abbey School of Music & Drama, Dublin, where he has studied for the past eight
years. He was then accepted as a young Associate Artist with OTC (Opera Theatre
Company). He was privileged to take part in Vocal Masterclasses with the renowned
Patricia Bardon and Marie Mc Loughlin at the Royal Irish Academy.
In 2006 Dominic played the role of Lensky for the ‘Opera in the Open’ one hour
special summer production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” as well as the role of
Asis from “Asis and Galatea” presented in collaboration with Dublin City Council.
Jeffrey Ledwidge began his career as a treble with the Palestrina Choir under the direction of
Ite O’Donovan and was head chorister for two years running, a first for the Palestrina Choir.
Jeffrey returned to singing as a bass and began training with Dr Veronica Dunne at nineteen
years of age and won the Bass Solo Competition at the Feis Ceoil the same year. The following
year he joined the National Chamber Choir of Ireland and began his studies with bass
baritone Philip O’Reilly.
Jeffrey is renowned for his oratorio performances, which include J.S. Bach’s JohannesPassion along with many Bach Cantatas, Handel’s Messiah, Saul and Dixit Dominus. Mozart’s
Requiem, Vesperae Solennes and many of his Masses. Jeffrey has also performed Saint-Saëns
Oratorio de Noël and Charpentier’s Te Deum and has sung with all the major choral groups of
Ireland, the RTE Concert Orchestra, Galway Baroque Players, the Orchestra of St. Cecilia and
the Orlando Chamber Orchestra.
Dominic has performed in the Opera Aida and Atilla with Lyric Opera at the National
Concert Hall in Dublin. He also took part in”Fidelio”, for the Opera Theatre Company’s
performance in Kilmainham Gaol. Dominic was later honoured with the prestigious
John Mc Cormack Tenor award from the John Mc Cormack Society of Ireland.
On the operatic stage, Jeffrey has performed as soloist and chorus member with Opera Ireland, Opera Theatre
Company and Premier Crew in operas such as Boris Godunov, La Traviata, The Silver Tassie, The Rake’s Progress, La
Boheme, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. As a soloist and member of the National Chamber Choir of Ireland, Jeffrey has toured
Brazil, China, Poland, The Czech Republic and Lebanon. He has also worked with many world-renowned conductors such
as Stephen Layton, Bo Holton, Paul Hillier, Marcus Creed, Stephen Cleobury and Daniel Reuss.
He won Best Male Vocal Repertoire and bursary at the Ballymena Music Festival
and was also a finalist in RTE/LYRIC FM’S Broadcast competition “Divas and Divos”.
Recently he played the part of Camile from the Operetta “The Merry Widow”, in
Draíocht Theatre, Dublin.
Most recently, Jeffrey has appeared in performances of Mozart’s Dixit Dominus and Mass in C Minor with The Lassus
Scholars, Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium and Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers with the Goethe-Institut Choir, Dvorak’s Mass in D
Major with Tallaght Choral Society, Bach’s Johannes-Passion with Enchiriadis Tres and Mozart’s Requiem with Our Lady’s
Choral Society. Future engagements include a performance of Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with Our Lady’s Choral Society in 2008.
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25
Peter Barley
GERMAN COURSES
Organ and Harpsichord
Goethe-Institut Choir
Mozart’s
Requiem
KV 626
8 pm, Good Friday, 21st March 2008
St. Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin
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Peter Barley took up the position of Organist and Master
of the Choristers at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin in
January 2002. Prior to this he spent eleven years as
Director of Music at St Marylebone, London, where he
recorded three CDs with the church’s professional choir.
In 2005 the choir of St Patrick’s Cathedral released their
first recording with Peter as conductor. Amongst recent
developments at St Patrick’s under his direction have
been an expansion of the successful choral scholarship
scheme and an enhancement of the educational
opportunities for the choristers through a unique
collaboration with the Dublin Conservatory of Music
and Drama.
Last year, Peter gave recitals
at Westminster and St Paul’s
Cathedrals, London, and
in Dublin at St Michael’s
Church, Dun Laoghaire.
He has given a number of
recitals in Ireland since his
arrival here, including at
the National Concert Hall,
Christ Church and St Mary’s
Pro Cathedral, Dublin, and engagements in Belfast
and Tullamore. Forthcoming recital venues include the
Temple Church, Galway Cathedral and several in Oxford.
Concurrently with his posts in Dublin and London,
Peter was also Director of the Edington Festival of Music
within the Liturgy from 1998 to 2003.
In addition to his post at St Patrick’s and his activities
as a solo organist, Peter is active in promoting organ
and choral music in Dublin and beyond, most notably as
the Chair of RSCM Ireland. He is on the Dublin Diocesan
Church Music Committee and Pipeworks, the Dublin
International Organ and Choral Festival. He has also
recently instigated ‘The Irish Countertenor’, a national
master class for student male altos, based at St Patrick’s
Cathedral.
As an organist, Peter has appeared at many major
venues, including the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester
and Westminster Abbey. He received his training as an
organist at King’s College Cambridge, where he was
organ scholar, and at the Royal Academy of Music,
London. He studied with Nicolas Kynaston, Peter
Hurford and Nicholas Danby.
Beginners courses
Standard courses at all levels
Special courses
New: Blended Learning
Spring Term 2008
4th February — 7th June 2008
Enrolment: 28th — 31st January 2008
62 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2
Tel. 01 6801110
german@dublin.goethe.org
www.goethe.de/dublin
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