RELIVE PAST PERFORMANCES WITH CONCORA!
Beginning this week, we will post a few recordings from different concerts that have taken place over the last five years. We hope you'll enjoy the trip down memory lane-- or perhaps you weren't able to make the concert the first time around, so now you get a second chance!
This week's recordings come from our performance of the Brahms Requiem in the 4-hand piano version, in which we were joined by the wonderful pianists Eric Trudel and Cihan Yücel. We feature three movements here-- the famous 4th movement, "Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnugen", as well as the 5th and 6th movements, feature soprano Louise Fauteux and bass-baritone Chai-lun Yueh. This version, for a 24-voice chamber choir with the pianists, is much more intimate than the original version for large choir and orchestra. But there is still plenty of power!
We opened the concert with a lesser-known Brahms choral work, Nänie. Instead of the original orchestral version, Eric Trudel was joined by CONCORA's "resident oboist" Libby Van Cleve. Again, the chamber version has an intimacy that is a wonderful contrast to the larger-scale original.
This week's recordings come from our performance of the Brahms Requiem in the 4-hand piano version, in which we were joined by the wonderful pianists Eric Trudel and Cihan Yücel. We feature three movements here-- the famous 4th movement, "Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnugen", as well as the 5th and 6th movements, feature soprano Louise Fauteux and bass-baritone Chai-lun Yueh. This version, for a 24-voice chamber choir with the pianists, is much more intimate than the original version for large choir and orchestra. But there is still plenty of power!
We opened the concert with a lesser-known Brahms choral work, Nänie. Instead of the original orchestral version, Eric Trudel was joined by CONCORA's "resident oboist" Libby Van Cleve. Again, the chamber version has an intimacy that is a wonderful contrast to the larger-scale original.
Miss a week?
See more from CONCORA on Vimeo
Behind the curtain - watch CONCORA rehearse Bach!
While we had to postpone our B Minor Mass performance, CONCORA was well into rehearsals before the shelter-in-place order. If you've ever wondered what happens in our rehearsals, you'll love this video in which Chris Shepard works with the choir on Bach's mighty Sanctus from the Mass. Don't worry – you'll still get to hear it live in performance! Like so many other arts organizations, we are waiting to see how best to proceed in the coming months. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this beautiful movement as much as we do.
Give to CONCORA
Dear CONCORA Supporters,
Although spring is the normal time of year for our annual fundraising appeal, this spring is anything but normal. Like all of you, the CONCORA singers and staff have been sheltering at home, watching our carefully laid “plans of mice and men” fall by the wayside one after another—the glorious Mass in B Minor in March, an exciting concert of music for choir, pianos and percussion in April, the return of the Dueling Pianos fundraising event in May, and the inauguration of what would have been a new residential-style Summer Festival. But we are buoyed by the memories of what had been a wonderful season up to this point: the operatic splendor of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle, a high-energy evening of Broadway duets in the fall, followed by our annual holiday performance of Handel’s Messiah to a packed house, and the return of our founder, Richard Coffey, for a spectacular performance of the Duruflé Requiem with Larry Allen at the organ.
We continue to do our part to support the extended CONCORA family as you stay at home. Martin Sedek’s Reach, written for us at the very start of the pandemic, and recorded by CONCORA as a “virtual choir,” has been viewed more than 10,000 times, offering a message of hope and peace far beyond central Connecticut. Artistic Director Chris Shepard has continued his project to create a series of podcasts about the B Minor Mass posted on our website, in addition to the rehearsal video above, recorded just before the pandemic struck. Fear not—we will present the Mass in B Minor next season! That is for looking forward; but we will also look back at a number of performances over the past few years, posting excerpts from concerts that you may have attended yourself.
Like so many other organizations and businesses, the pandemic has dealt us a crippling financial blow, forcing us to cancel concerts and fundraising events, even as the bulk of our recurring expenses continue. And like everyone around the world, we are simply unable to plan with any certainty for the coming months. Yes, we are confident that there will be performances in the 2020-21 concert season, but it is simply too soon to predict when we might resume our musical activities in live performance.
Because of all these factors, your contribution to this year’s fundraising appeal is more important than at any time in CONCORA’s history. Please help us keep this wonderful professional choir alive and viable at this precarious moment. The cruelty of this virus is that the performing arts, which have the greatest power to bring consolation and encouragement at a difficult time, will be sidelined even after most businesses resume operation. Your donation will sustain us through the coming months, so that when it is safe for our singers to sing together—and safe for you to gather as an audience—we will once again be there for you, just as you can be there for us now. In the meantime, be well, and stay safe. We can’t wait to see you again.
Although spring is the normal time of year for our annual fundraising appeal, this spring is anything but normal. Like all of you, the CONCORA singers and staff have been sheltering at home, watching our carefully laid “plans of mice and men” fall by the wayside one after another—the glorious Mass in B Minor in March, an exciting concert of music for choir, pianos and percussion in April, the return of the Dueling Pianos fundraising event in May, and the inauguration of what would have been a new residential-style Summer Festival. But we are buoyed by the memories of what had been a wonderful season up to this point: the operatic splendor of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle, a high-energy evening of Broadway duets in the fall, followed by our annual holiday performance of Handel’s Messiah to a packed house, and the return of our founder, Richard Coffey, for a spectacular performance of the Duruflé Requiem with Larry Allen at the organ.
We continue to do our part to support the extended CONCORA family as you stay at home. Martin Sedek’s Reach, written for us at the very start of the pandemic, and recorded by CONCORA as a “virtual choir,” has been viewed more than 10,000 times, offering a message of hope and peace far beyond central Connecticut. Artistic Director Chris Shepard has continued his project to create a series of podcasts about the B Minor Mass posted on our website, in addition to the rehearsal video above, recorded just before the pandemic struck. Fear not—we will present the Mass in B Minor next season! That is for looking forward; but we will also look back at a number of performances over the past few years, posting excerpts from concerts that you may have attended yourself.
Like so many other organizations and businesses, the pandemic has dealt us a crippling financial blow, forcing us to cancel concerts and fundraising events, even as the bulk of our recurring expenses continue. And like everyone around the world, we are simply unable to plan with any certainty for the coming months. Yes, we are confident that there will be performances in the 2020-21 concert season, but it is simply too soon to predict when we might resume our musical activities in live performance.
Because of all these factors, your contribution to this year’s fundraising appeal is more important than at any time in CONCORA’s history. Please help us keep this wonderful professional choir alive and viable at this precarious moment. The cruelty of this virus is that the performing arts, which have the greatest power to bring consolation and encouragement at a difficult time, will be sidelined even after most businesses resume operation. Your donation will sustain us through the coming months, so that when it is safe for our singers to sing together—and safe for you to gather as an audience—we will once again be there for you, just as you can be there for us now. In the meantime, be well, and stay safe. We can’t wait to see you again.
REACH
The REACH project is a commission by CONCORA, Chris Shepard, Artistic Director
Featuring the poem "Pandemic" by Lynn Ungar
Music by Martin Sedek
Featuring the poem "Pandemic" by Lynn Ungar
Music by Martin Sedek
Mass in B Minor Insights
with Artistic Director Chris Shepard
What's my "desert island" piece? Definitely the B Minor Mass! It is a work that can be explored endlessly, revealing staggering details of Bach's musical, theological, philosophical—and above all, humane genius. So rather than do a pre-concert lecture, I thought I'd do a series of audio-only podcasts about the different sections of the Mass. These are between 10 and 20 minutes in length, perfect for a walk or a drive. There will probably be about a dozen episodes in all. I keep the talk of music theory to a minimum, but delve a bit into the ways that Bach encodes important Lutheran theological concepts in the music. Think of it as The DaVinci Code for Bach lovers! Enjoy!
Join the Friends of Bach
The mission of CONCORA's Friends of Bach is to support CONCORA’s performances of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and to enhance and inform the audience’s understanding of Bach and his music. Find out more about joining the Friends of Bach.