The Great O's - Director's Digest
The Great O's
7.30pm
Friday 15th December 2017
Upper Chapel
Norfolk Street
Sheffield
S1 2JD
Tickets on the door
VIVA VOCE promise a festive evening oriented around the Jesse tree,
with the Virgin Mary an ever-present leitmotiv
and the symbolism of the Advent wreath crown
and the Great O Antiphons -
all refracted through the prismatic visions of
inspired and gifted composers.
HOPE – JOY - PEACE – LOVE
OLD MASTERS - Tapestries of Renaissance polyphony from Robert Ramsey, William Byrd and the polychoral antiphony of Tomas Luis de Victoria
ORTHODOX ODYSSEY - Selected MAGNIFICAT ANTIPHONS of Arvo Pärt
OPALESCENT luminescence of Cecilia MacDowell’s O ORIENS
OTHERWORLDLY ONENESS - Hildegard von Bingen’s text beautifully set for women’s voices AVE GENEROSA by Ola Gjeilo.
OBSESSION – Edgy nervous excitement of Matthew Martin’s ECCE CONCIPIES Annunciation
OSTENTATION - Medieval Minstrel Banquet entertainment - THERE IS NO ROSE, VERBUM CARO FACTUM EST
OBLATION - Quintessential English Ralph Vaughan Williams - THE TRUTH SENT FROM ABOVE from Fantasia on Christmas Carols
OPTIMISM - ‘Period’ J. S. Bach from the piano, care of Chris Tyler. Evocations of London’s National Gallery wartime concerts with Myra Hess’ JESU, JOY OF MAN’S DESIRING
An improvisatory ‘free ramble’ through Percy Grainger’s ‘BLITHE BELLS’ -
Sheep may safely graze / Schafe können sicker weiden.
With atmospheric embellishment from Extreme 'cellists and the Viva Voce ‘company’
linking back to the Bach originals from
Cantata BWV 147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, and
‘Hunting’ Cantata BWV 208 Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd.
OMINOUS - Matthew Martin’s truly awesome ‘Homage to Anton Bruckner’ O REX GENTIUM
OMNIPOTENT – Passing shadows of Tallis, Bruckner and Joubert here, with added Eastern spice from the pen of James MacMillan with O RADIANT DAWN from his Strathclyde Motets
OBSERVANCE – Advent prose/poetry oratory
ALLELUIA!
Norwegian hygge from
Ola Gjeilo’s SPOTLESS ROSE
and pealing bells of
Rutter’s THERE IS A FLOWER
GAUDETE!
Celtic Thunder meets the Kings Singers meets Erasure in this timeless salutation.
NOEL!
Steven Sametz’s hearty American ‘riffing’, spotlighting men’s processional voices