19.November.2011, 7:00pm
REACH Gallery
32388 Veterans Way
Abbotsford, BC

20.November.2011, 3:30pm
St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Kitsilano
1805 Larch Street,
Vancouver, BC

Program

Arvo Pärt – Da Pacem Domine

Eric Whitacre – When David Heard

Eleanor Daley – Requiem

The Choir

The Vancouver Peace Choir, now in its fourth concert season, is an ensemble of 38 musicians who share a common interest in the topic of peace. The choir will mark the season of remembrance this year with concerts at the REACH gallery in Abbotsford, surrounded by a collection of stunning artwork exploring the cultural heritage of the regional Punjabi-Sikh communities; and at St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Kitsilano, surrounded by candlelight.

The Concert

Arvo Pärt is celebrated as one of the most widely recognized choral composers. The New York Times Magazine offers this recent description: “Most contemporary composers aim to ravish the ear or to tickle (or boggle) the mind. Pärt is playing for higher stakes. He wants to touch something that he would call the soul, and to a remarkable extent, he is succeeding.” Da Pacem Domine is a timeless image of peace and utter stillness through sound.

Eric Whitacre has set a new standard for choral music in the past decade and for good reasons. His music is fresh and innovative while also offering a depth of musical expression. Reviews of his music use phrases like “electric, chilling harmonies” or “works of unearthly beauty and imagination” (L. A. Times). A recent review in the Daily Telegraph (London), “Weightless tempo and mysterious harmonies instantly established the aura of mild euphoria which often radiates outwards from his music.” When David Heard combines the “euphoric” feeling that Whitacre has become famous for, with a depth of spirit that addresses the experience of deep loss – “When David heard that Absalom was slain, he went up into his chamber over the gate and wept, and thus he said, ‘O Absalom, my son.’”

Eleanor Daley is one of Canada’s choral gems. She is a prolific composer with a remarkable gift for melody. Her works are most notable for their sensitive interweaving of text and music. She has over one hundred and forty published choral compositions and is commissioned extensively throughout North America. Our concert is centred around the well-know text from her In Remembrance.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am the thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight-ripened grain,
I am the gentle morning rain.

And when you wake in the morning’s hush,
I am the sweet uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.

We eagerly look forward to performing the entire Requiem on Nov. 19th and 20th.