Artist

Admin

Conductor

Michael Kotelnikov

Singer

Soprano

Yulia Petrachuk

Instrumentalist

Organist

Marianna Vysotskaya

Organ

Svetlana Polianskaya

Mezzo-soprano

Alexandra Kovalevich

Alto

Olga Nadezhdina

Tenor

Iliia Khardikov

Bass

Grigory Soloviov

Orchestra

Muffled Voices

Others

Encarnacion

Lyrica Classic

Muffled Voices Orchestra

Pianist

Marianna Visotskaya

Executive producer

Ilya Hardikov

Iliia Hardikov

Delfina Gago

Christmas Oratorio

Moscow

Russia

St. Andrew's Anglican Church

Christmas Oratorio: Waft her, angels, through the skies Tamar (+2 More)

Public

Waft her, angels, through the skies

Canticum fratris solis

Approved

Christmas Oratorio 2023

On Monday, January 9th, 2023, at 7 pm, at St Andrew's Anglican Church in Moscow, Lyrica Classic presents Christmas concert with choral and symphonic music pr...

“CANTICUM FRATRIS SOLIS” by Eli Tamar

 

In this large-scale composition, Tamar weaves together elements of various styles: from Gregorian chant to medieval polyphonic textures, from Renaissance modal harmonies to impressionistic word painting and Italian verismo, all the while without resorting to stylization. The Canticle of the Creatures, written by St. Francis of Assisi, is also known as the the Canticle of the Sun. This hymn, was written during the transition period in the development of the Italian language from Latin, and is the earliest known vernacular literature written in the Umbrian dialect of Italian. There are three sections to the Canticle:

A praise to God for His creations such as “Brother Sun”, “Sister Moon”, “Brother Wind”, “Sister Water”
A praise for those who forgive for the love of God and who endure trials in peace
A praise for “Sister Bodily Death”, and to those “whom death will find in Your most holy will”
 

Eli Tamar’s “Hymn to Brother Sun” was originally written for mezzo-soprano, soprano, and organ and was first performed at the Catholic Cathedral in Moscow by Metropolitan Opera soloist Andrei Nemzer and soprano Svetlana Polyanskaya in 2013. 

In 2016 the work was released on the official Navona Records CD, performed by soprano Charlene Canti, countertenor Andrey Nemzer and organist Nicholas Will. 

A version of the Hymn for soloists and symphony orchestra was performed by the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra in Pittsburgh (USA) in 2019. 

On January 9th, 2023,  the Hymn will be performed for the first time in an arrangement for choir, organ, and two soloists.

ORATORIO DE NOЁL  by Camille Saint-Saëns

 

The oratorio is also known as his Christmas Oratorio, is a cantata-like work scored for soloists, chorus, organ, strings and harp in 10 movements. While an organist at La Madeleine, Saint-Saëns wrote the Christmas oratorio in less than a fortnight, completing it ten days before its premiere on Christmas 1858. The vocal score of this oratorio was prepared later by the composer and organist Eugene Gigout, a colleague of Saint-Saëns.

 

The work is scored for five soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone), SATB mixed chorus, organ, harp, and strings in the standard five sections. The organ plays a significant role in the work, often playing alone, while the harp is limited to three movements.

 

Saint-Saëns chose several verses from the Latin Vulgate Bible for the text of the work. “While these texts are not from a single source, it is clear that the traditional church liturgies surrounding Christmas influenced Saint-Saëns. About half of the texts he chose match different portions of two Christmas Offices: the First Mass at Midnight and the Second Mass at Dawn.”

 

The narrative portion of the text, taken from the second chapter of St. Luke, appears in the second movement and tells the part of the traditional Christmas story involving the shepherds. The remainder of the texts, taken from John, Isaiah, Lamentations, and the Psalms, reflect upon the meaning and significance of the event.

English

Christmas Oratorio by Tamar, Saint-Saëns, From (2023/2023), Conductor Michael Kotelnikov, St. Andrew's Anglican Church, Moscow, Russia

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Instrumentation

Crew

Ensemble

Co-Producer

Program, About & Synopsis

Videos

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues