Ranges of uprisings

Oriana Chorale's latest concert was called Uprisings with a theme of revolutions and the texts read of uprisings but not so sure of the music.  And the revolutions were just sometimes Soviet or the like and often enough the modern takes on the personal as political.  Shostakovich appeared in four of 10 poems on texts by revolutionary poets but the others, the more moderns, were gay marriage and anti-racism and women's voices on their rebel blood and harmony in diversity by Sebastian Allen, composer-in-residence, a world premiere.  But there was also the past, with Thomas Tallis writing form within the English Reformation, a chorale of a German composer who took his life from conflict of his religion and serving the Nazi regime.  And an intriguing wok on Indigenous recognition and reconciliation with words of Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Psalm 137:4 ("How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?").  So a fascinating program worthy of followed lyrics.  The modern tunes were rich in complexities of harmony, especially.  How to find those sharpened intervals with just dots on pages and a voice?  These chords could be doozies, but thus is much modern music-making.  Tallis was like a relief for a time, rich and full and relatively predictable.  Shara Nova was rich in such harmonies.  There were also a tune for the males and a tune for the females, the latter led within by Olivia Swift although with musical composition by otherwise MD Dan Walker.  Shostakovich appeared quite consonant and tame against some of the living composers.  And to end, the Perfect chord, the title of the world premiere composed by Sebastian Allen, one of a few with solo passages, here a glorious melody from soprano Jade McFaul.  So a varied and quite magnificent program from an adventurous MD and a very capable choir.  Congratulations are due.

Oriana Chorale performed at Anzac Memorial Chapel at Duntroon under Dan Walker (MD, conductor) including one World and one Australian premiere.

CIV26

The mysterious title refers to the 72nd Intervarsity Choral Festival held in Canberra over the last week or so.  Shilong put out a call for orchestral players to play with the choristers for the final concert in mid-January to end the 2 week festival.  Given the main work was Brahms German Requiem, I was a ring-in.  It was all brought together over those 2 weeks with the final concert of ~150 in Llewellyn on Saturday, no doubt preceding a celebratory pub party thereafter.  Thus is the way of intervarsity events, at least from what I remember.  It was a long program.  The main work was the German requiem under Olivia with Andrew Fysh and Evangeline Osborne soloing; delicate and desperate and driving over 7 movements totalling ~1 hour.  What a thrill to revisit this work in the luxurious surroundings of Llewellyn Hall.  Then a second half with Phantom of the opera, Slavonic dances, Sabre dance and Brahms again with his playful but still challenging Academic Festival Overture, all under Shilong, and a final work, Everything sings, with the choir and Anthony Smith accompanying.  The first week was only 2 calls for strings while the second was busy with 1 for orchestra, 3 for orch & choir and the final concert.  But the thrill of Brahms stays and this was memorable and concentrated and interestingly with an orchestra thrown together from several local ensembles.  And to top it off, we were recorded by an engineer with 40 professional releases to his name.  Looking forward to hearing that.  A worthy performance of several great works.

Vita et Mors was the final concert of the Canberra Intervarsity Choral Festival 2026 (CIV26).  Shilong Ye and Olivia Swift (conductors) various led the choir and festival orchestra through Brahms x2, Lloyd Webber, Dvorak, Khachaturian and a final song by TC Takach accompanied by Anthony Smith (piano).  Soloists for the Brahms German Requiem were  Andrew Fysh and Evangeline Osborne (vocals).

A calendar and more

Kompactus performed a 1.25 hour work in 24 parts with huge complexity and obviously considerable emotional depth at Wesley.  I got to record it and the quiet passages were almost inaudible and the loud passages forthright and often dissonant and there were even passages where the audience was invited to take part by following repeated lines from the choir.  The lines give away the quiet desperation of the piece and involve the public in the hopeful response: "Let us believe in the resurrection fo the Earth", "Is it impossible to plant change?", "How can we let it all slip through our fingers?", How can we believe these dayes will end?", perhaps one or two others. There's a quiet religiosity to the text, too, and an inverted year of summer and winter which shows this a northern hemisphere and I look later, southern California.  The work was Dale Trumbore A calendar of light with libretto by Barbara Crooker.  Not sure if it's been performed before locally, but it was a challenge, with dynamics aplenty, very edging harmonies in at least a standard 4 parts, perhaps more.  But Kompactus with Olivia were up to it.  This was a totally convincing performance and deeply touching, somewhat beyond the expectations of just a choral work.  This comes from composers with current relevance and this has that in spades.  Just fabulous that Kompactus would take it on, and they did it worthy justice.

Kompactus Youth Choir performed Dale Trumbore A calendar of light at Wesley under Olivia Swift (MD, conductor).

Choose one if you wish

Just 2 pieces, Snow angel and The snow.  It had been cold overnight in Canberra.  I was not sure quite what to expect.  This was the Canberra Community Chorale directed by Olivia Swift.  Olivia does good work.  I spoke to her after the concert about the compositions.  She said most people like one or the other and they were quite different.  I was commenting to her about Sarah Quartel Snow Angel.  This one fascinated me.  It's modern: it has a string of spoken word passages from Angels 1,2,3, written as paragraphs but quite poetic with rhymes and repetitions, telling stories with discrete religious themes; it has modern piano accompaniment of limited harmonic movements with rhythmic structure, with quite complex voices and harmonies over.  And it has just a few rap passages.  Rap!  That fascinated me and I felt it may have somewhat discombobulated the mature singers.  But this was a fascinating modern composition. The other piece was a poem by Caroline Alice Roberts put to music by her husband, Edward Elgar, which seemed fairly obvious English music of the period.  So I had a preference and it was Sarah Quartel.  This was a run through for a later concert in this Church in a month or so.  Snow angel was quite intriguing.  Hope to catch this one again.

The Canberra Community Chorale performed at Wesley Church under Olivia Swift (director) with accompaniment by Lucus Allerton (piano) and angels Helen Moore, Maxine Robinson and Martin McGill (spoken word).

Voices through ages

This was a world premiere of a vocal quartet and it was quite lovely.  And not unexpected given the known history of these singers.  The group was called Arcenciel presumably Arc-en-ciel, French for Rainbow.  Amusingly, I looked up YouTube and found a Japanese metal band with that name playing Madison Square Gardens.  This was another, obviously.  Our Arcenciel was pure, SATB, glorious often challenging harmonies, with music from a range of composers from Purcell and Bruckner to Bobby McFerrin and languages from Latin to Latvian with some English. It started with lovely religious music, Psalm 23 and Thou knowest Lord and like themes, but then onto jazzy styles, soprano over African grooves or vocal bass lines with complex interplays of melodies and ostinatos through the higher parts and wonderfully difficult echoed lines and harmonised interplays in The Shore then a final The Bee by Frank Bridge, written in 1913 but with a surprisingly modern sound.  So a fascinating and satisfying program, lovely and pure up front then more modern and fun towards the end.  It can only bode well for this choral quartet in its premiere concert.

Aracenciel performed their world premiere concert at Wesley.  Aracenciel are Rena Li (soprano), Olivia Swift (alto), Henry Bonanza (tenor) and Lucus Allerton (bass).

Loss, grief and healing

As I write this I regret that I hadn't read the generous and informative program notes before this performance.  This was Oriana Chorale performing at Wesley Church and the title/theme was We are not ready : Music of loss, of grief and of healing.  Not an easy topic and the program even came with a warning of possible emotional triggers.  The music was of various eras, several modern, several regarding a passage of the King James version of the Bible on a son's loss, several on other losses, in various wars or otherwise.  I might have listened differently.  I just noted the modern dissonances and chromatics and the comparisons with the sweet harmonies of Monteverdi.  The lyrics were not included in this program and maybe they would have guided the appreciation.  Whatever, I've recorded it so look forward to a relisten after reading the excellent program notes .  But otherwise, this is a wonderful choir, with high notes towering above with SATB males and female voices with wonderful skills and clear enunciation under two excellent directors, one having composed one piece, and the other arranged another.  The tunes were from Weelkes, Olivia Swift, Prestini, Makaroff, Monteverdi, Eric Whitacre, Ella Macens and that arranged Trad piece.  This is music of richness and complexity and variation and I feel I just touched on the experience in my first outing.

Oriana Chorale performed music of loss, grief and healing at Wesley Church under Dan Walker (director, conductor) and Olivia Swift (conductor).

Many happy returns

It was just a few weeks ago that I'd heard Kompactus at a Wesley Wednesday lunchtime session.  It was obviously a prep for their end-of-year concert, also at Wesley, but seeing it again was no loss.  I'd been entranced the first time enjoyed it massively again.  The one main difference was the accompaniment - this time: there was none.  I prefer a choir singing a capella, so no issue there.  There were one or two additions to the repertoire, six Joshua Shank Colour madrigals rather than two, an original by chorister Jesse Hill, a second tune by MD Olivia Swift, maybe one or two other changes.  And I've written similar comments in my notes, strong and certain dynamics, washes of harmonic colour, interweaving lines and the like.  I was amused that Olivia had checked the technical correctness of one song, Comet, with the resident astrophysicist and was fascinated by the melding of Eric Whitaker Sleep with Olivia Swift Sleepless.  It worked a treat.  Enough to say I enjoyed this one immensely like the last.  What a lovely and capable choir.

Kompactus Youth Choir performed at Wesley under MD Olivia Swift (conductor).

Wed 1

Wednesdays is a regular recording outing at Wesley lunchtimes and the performance this week was Kompactus, our local notable Youth Choir.  From the first notes I was entranced.  Firstly, because the human voice is a glorious, intimate thing and probably the best instrument of them all, at least to us humans.  But also because this is a very sophisticated and hugely capable choir led by a friendly but committed MD.  The music stunned from the start with complex chords of rich colours and demanding intervals and various pitches.  And the precise dynamics from good listeners aware of the unity of the whole.  And a large range of pitch, deep presences through to ecstatic and extended soprano highs.  And the moves of singers between tunes that highlighted the stereo spread, perhaps individuals of one section singing left or right.   And just the fact this was so alive, gentle, delicate, precise.  And those fascinating compositions from Australia and Finland and Malaysia and the inenvitable Eric Whitacre.  And one song from Olivia Swift, MD and conductor.  And a final encore from Tracy Wong with a jazzier feel and an accompaniment of odd syncopations of foot taps, finger clicks, leg slaps, claps, shouts, unexpected triplets and perhaps more.  Intriguing and satisfying and really lovely.

Kompactus Youth Choir performed at Wesley under Olivia Swift (conductor, musical director).

Long time coming

Funny to drive for 2 days to attend and record a concert but that's what I just did.  I'd been in Adelaide visiting family and other than the rain, the 2-day trip was pretty comfy.  The concert was Kompactus Youth Choir celebrating their 15th anniversary at Wesley.  The first  numbers were by the current youth choir under MD and conductor Olivia Swift and the last 5 tunes included older alumni and variously  David Yardley, once Kompactus MD, and Olivia conducting.  Olivia also provided two songs, David one, and Kompactus  alumnus Patrick Baker another.  It was hard not to notice how varied were the songs presented, as well as how challenging and well performed.  This was seriously satisfying a cappella singing.  Olivia was beautifully in control of a choir that responded with delicacy and care and joy at times.  Especially for a few amusing pieces, like time with its tongue clicks for clock beats and I'm a train with all manner of trainy noises and of course a more complex take of the well known What shall we do with the drunken sailor.  There was a song on Turing which referenced his sexuality and well as thinking machines, and a song that was all the world like an instrumental, with foot taps and thumb clicks (Olivia called it body percussion) laying down a groove and singing providing a synth-like overlay.  And the two tunes by Olivia, something touching and complex called Soldier's grave, and another on creativity from hard work called Sleepless.  Interestingly, the lyrics for many tunes were poems; I guess that's the/a way in many choral works.  David Yardley led an early Kompactus tune called Butterfly, on the short life of the animal, and one of his original musical overlays for mediaeval lyrics missing music, A doomsday we schull ysee.  Then something that seems local, Rachel by Idea of North singer Trish Delaney-Brown, which seemed to be a call to Rachel, slow and pensive, then another amusing number called How to reach the Sun which detailed paper folding kites ultimately to the distance of the Sun (?!?), I think, and a final contemporary madrigal, Orange from Mounts of more soft ascent.  The tunes and lyrics were from all manner of countries and local and from some Kompacti.  The singing was dreamily good or amusingly playful.  I went away realising how much I love the human voice, at least when well done like this.  OK not perfect, but so bloody good.  So glad too that I could record this and worthy of the 12-hour drive to the gig.

Kompactus Youth Choir and Kompactus alumni celebrated the Kompactus 15th anniversary with a concert at Wesley.  Olivia Swift (musical director) and David Yardley (past musical director) conducted and Patrick Baker (alumnus), Olivia Swift, David Yardley and many others provided the compositions.

Grammy

Well that's a first: my first time to record a Grammy-award winning artist.  It was just the evening of our MdCC concert and I threw the recording gear in my car and in the end I got the gig.  The group was a touring boys' choir out of Silicon Valley called Ragazzi Boys Chorus.  They tour regularly; they total ~250 students in SF and toured with ~100: the pizza boxes on the way in just confirmed numbers.  They had just played St Patrick's, the huge Catholic Cathedral in Melbourne and they are due to perform in the Opera House in a few days.  So our diminutive Wesley Church seems a throwaway but they performed with verve and pleasure.  They sang in three combinations, the whole, the trebles, another, then a few songs from our own marvelous Oriana Chorale and an all-in.  Ragazzi had sung a range from de Victoria to Bridge over troubled water under Kent Jue with a notable number of Australian compositions.  Impressive.  One group had a series of soloists; another was presumably TTBB or maybe higher; an Ave Maria had a section in the organ loft behind; introductions were by the students.  There was a piano accompanist for most pieces and once a student conductor and djembe.  And some seriously effective singing.  (BTW, their Grammy was for a recording by the SF Symph and Chorus with Ragazzi and SF Girls' Chorus of Persephone, Best classical album 2000: impressive).  But equally impressive was our own Oriana, singing the best I've heard them, singing three quintessentially Aussie songs a capella (truly in Wesley Church) with Olivia Swift directing for this outing.  Then an all-in with boys arrayed against walls and on the altar with Oriana, singing Pemulwuy,  How Ausie can you get?  A great pleasure.

Ragazzi Boys Chorus performed under Kent Jue (MD) with Oriana Chorale under Olivia Swift (conductor) at Wesley Church.