"400 Years of Choral Music"

 

Monteverdi:

Vespers (1610); see preview video

Karl Jenkins:

Lux Arumque

The Armed Man: a Mass for Peace (2000); see background info

Celebrate the 400^th anniversary of Monteverdi's "Vespers of 1610", the first large choral/orchestral work to enter the canon of continuously performed music. With its mixture of the splendid and the intimate, the sensual and the sublime, this music has gained widespread and enduring popularity. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) displays his skill in virtually all contemporary styles of composition. With seemingly inexhaustible imagination, he often weaves elaborate tapestries of virtuosic instrumental lines around the singers, who are arranged in groups ranging from 4 to 10 independent vocal parts.

The Sounds of Stow Chorus and Orchestra, now in its 32nd season, will explore this seminal work in preparation for the above concert with full orchestra. Rehearsals are Monday nights, starting August 30, 7:20-9:30 at the First Parish Church in Stow center. The chorus is open to all area singers, and offers the opportunity to learn exciting and challenging music in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Contact Barbara Jones (978-562-2620) or Martha Pfeiffer (978-562-0302) with questions, or just join us August 30 and/or subsequent Monday nights for this rare opportunity to experience the musical inspiration for so much subsequent music.