About hlyth2013

I run websites for The Choral Grapevine (a regional newsletter for choirs in Western Victoria and South-Eastern South Australia) and Cycling Geelong (a recreational cycling group). I am an artist and photographer, musician and recreational cyclist.

The Saddest Sound The Sweetest Sound – Vox Angelica: Sunday April 28

Posted on January 21, 2024 by hlyth2013

Bookings Trybooking

A BAROQUE CHRISTMAS – Australian Chamber Choir – December 3rd, 2023

Posted on December 6, 2023 by hlyth2013

Basilica of Mary of the Angels, Geelong

This concert was presented by ACC8, an octet from the choir, and conducted by Douglas Lawrence.

While the title suggests the program was baroque, several traditional carols, in new and older settings, were included. A highlight was also the contemporary Australian work Two Carols of Australian Birds, with texts by Mark Tredinnick, and music by Alan Holley.

The concert began with two harmonisations of the tune In Dulci Jubilo. JS Bach’s harmonisation of verses 1 and 4 was complemented by Johann Walter’s earlier setting of verses 2 and 3. Four more works from the German repertoire followed. In Michael Praetorius’s Ein kind geborn zu Bethlehem (A child is born in Bethlehem) alternated both Praetorius’s arrangement for mixed voices with Bartholomaus Gesius’s harmonisation for upper and lower voice quartets of singers. Singt and klingt (Sing and ring) includes a bell-like opening, and once again contrasts the male and female voices singing antiphonally. Two motets by Heinrich Schutz, Das wort ward Fleisch and O susser Jesu Christ.

Three French Noëls were next. Ding Dong Merrily on High (in the well-known Charles Wood arrangement) followed by two arrangements by the Australian Chamber Choir’s Elizabeth Anderson. Quand Dieu naquit a Noël: Noël No 10 composed for organ by Louis Claude Daquin was arranged for choir and Angels we have heard on high, to which Anderson has added a soaring descant. This is clearly a favourite arrangement of the ensemble and was repeated as an encore with audience participation at the end of the concert.

Travelling across the English Channel, ACC8 then sang the Magnificat from the Second Service by Thomas Tomkins, set in English. Tomkins was organist at Worcester Cathedral from 1596, and remained in that position until the cathedral was locked up and the choir disbanded during the Civil War by the Parliamentary Army in 1642.

Two harmonisations of the tune Josef Leiber (Resonet in Laudibus)/(Josef Lieber Josef mein) were set by Johannes Eccard (1553-1611) and Leonhard Schroeter (1533-1601).

Two traditional English carols were next, the hauntingly tragic Coventry Carol and There is no Rose in a setting featuring various quartets of voices from the ensemble.

Time-travelling to 21^st Century Australia, the audience was treated to two carols by Mark Tredinnick (poet) and Alan Holley (composer). The Carol of the Two Crows was premiered presented in 2022 I think. This is a humorous tale of two crows, playing a game of clattering a purloined bone down the tin roof of an amused (and astonished) resident. The Carol of the Butcherbird has a deeper story – contrasting the pure birdsong of the butcherbird, its merciless method of killing its prey, with the enigma of the purity of man’s music juxtaposed with man’s cruelty. This second work was an Australian Premiere for this concert. Both carols were commissioned by the Australian Chamber Choir.

Two settings of the text A Spotless Rose formed the penultimate bracket – A spotless rose by Herbert Howells, and the traditional Es ist ein Ros esprungen by Michael Praetorius. The concert concluded with JS Bach’s motet Lobet den Herrn and enthusiastic applause.

It was an excellent opportunity to listen to this small ensemble from one of Australia’s foremost chamber choirs, here in Geelong.

The Australian Chamber Choir will present two of their 2024 season concerts in Geelong. For more details of this season go to the ACC website.

If you missed BAROQUE CHRISTMAS, it will be presented again on Saturday 9^th December in Terang and Sunday 10^th December in Middle Park (this performance will be live-streamed and available On Demand). Tickets and details here.

Christmas with Geelong Harmony

Posted on December 3, 2023 by hlyth2013

Is is possible to have too much Christmas music? Here’s the answer from Geelong Harmony. They must be one of the busiest singing groups around! If you’re nearby, come along to hear these amazing ladies singing together in four-part harmony with pizzazz.

The Choral Grapevine for December 2023

Posted on December 1, 2023 by hlyth2013

With the end of 2023 fast approaching, we present the final edition of our newsletter for the year. You can download the latest edition here.

There is a plethora of Christmas music coming your way in our region. Please take the time to check out the calendar for events in your area. If your event is missing from the choral calendar, please let me know the details so it can be added. Helen, editor.

TIDES OF WELCOME – 20 YEARS OF SINGING TOGETHER

Posted on November 30, 2023 by hlyth2013

QMF celebrated their 25th year as a festival while we celebrated 20 years as a community choir. Our intention was to have all four previous choir directors, Sarah Carroll, Rose Bygrave, Tiffany Eckhardt and Andrea Robertson, along with current choir director, Wayne Jury, all on the one stage with us for our performance on Sunday 26th Nov on the Glanuse Stage. We nearly pulled it off with the exception of Tiff who couldn’t make it due to illness. However, we did sing two of her songs which we had performed in readiness for the occasion.
The sound on the day was great as was the attendance of the rather large crowd for a Sunday morning.How good was it to see so many previous choir members in the audience!
Wayne started us off with a few of our songs we had performed earlier in the year and then we launched into Tiff’s songs, “Beautiful World” and “Sea around the Shore”. We then followed up with two of Andrea’s songs, “A Time for all these Things” and “Lighthouse” followed by Rose with “You Send Me” and “Eraerama”. Sarah then took to the stage and we sang “Water Bearer” and “Sea of Love”.
All were crowd pleasers and Wayne added to this special event by directing “Love Me like a Rock” to complete the set. Yes, we even had people dancing!!
What a morning it was and a special thanks to all choir directors and the love we felt from the community and QMF!

Gloria – The Geelong Chorale: Saturday, December 5th 2023

Posted on November 30, 2023 by hlyth2013

231209-geelong-chorale-gloria-a4 Download

Our Christmas concert this year features music from the Baroque period. The Magnificat by Pergolesi has been wrongly attributed to him for the past century, having in fact been composed by Francesco Durante (1684-1755), an Italian composer of mainly church music who was Pergolesi’s composition teacher. We will also sing a stunningly beautiful chorus from The Christmas Story by Heinrich Schütz. Schütz is considered to be the finest German composer prior to J. S. Bach, and his prolific output had an enormous influence on music in Germany. To finish the programme: Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria. Along with Bach and Handel, Vivaldi (1678-1741) ranks as one of the greatest baroque composers, with a prolific output of more than 500 concertos, 50 operas and many choral works, of which his Gloria RV 589, is probably the best known and loved. For this performance we are joined by soloists and a chamber ensemble led by Patrycja Radzi-Stewart.

Allister Cox OAM Musical Director