Past Concerts
In the Moon of Wintertime
December, 2018
Free your earthbound imagination with the Colorado premiere of The Consolation of Apollo by Kile Smith. This work celebrates the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, which entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, 1968. That evening, the astronauts held a live broadcast in which they showed the first pictures of the Earth as seen from their spacecraft, and took turns reading from the first verses of the book of Genesis. None of them were prepared for the spellbinding moment when they would first see their home planet rise from behind the desolate lunar horizon. Philadelphia composer Kile Smith intersperses transcripts of the Apollo 8 communications with selections from The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius (480–524), the sixth-century writer’s musings on our place in the universe. The result is a choral work of extraordinary depth and beauty, a moving tribute to this seminal moment in human history. The second half of the program offers unusual, rarely heard music for the holiday season with Ars Nova’s unique flair, balancing novelty, tradition, and familiar melodies with innovative new sounds.
I
Kile Smith, The Consolation of Apollo (2014)
1. Thou may’st know, if thou wilt notice
2. Yes, it’s beautiful
Interlude: “We’re theorizing…” – from the Apollo 8 mission recordings
3. Wings are mine
4. The Sea of Tranquility
5. While the bright sun
Interlude: “Are you reading us?” – from the Apollo 8 mission recordings
6. In the beginning
7. The stars shine
II
Carols and Beyond
James Bassi, Quem pastores laudavere
Tomás Luis de Victoria, O magnum mysterium
Peter Warlock, Two Carols: I Saw a Fair Maiden/Benedicamus Domino
Israeli Song, arr. Shira Cion, Ma navu (How beautiful on the mountains)
Terre Roche, Star of Wonder
Huron Carol, arr. Timothy Takach, ‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime
Traditional Carol, arr. Thomas Edward Morgan, In dulci jubilo
English Carol, arr. Dale Grotenhuis, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
Hidden Masterpieces of the Renaissance
February, 2018
With special guest artists Solis
The 16th century is a true “Golden Age” of music for voices. The repertoire of Renaissance polyphony in this era is vast and varied, and while much has been explored, researched, recorded, and performed, there are still many hidden masterpieces to be discovered. Our program features works from the northern European Franco-Flemish masters Johannes Ockeghem, Antoine Brumel, and Orlando di Lasso; English composers John Taverner and William Byrd; and Italian composers Constanzo Porta and Orazio Vecchi.
I
John Taverner (c. 1490–1545), Quemadmodum
Orlando di Lasso (c. 1532–1594), Prophetiae Sibyllarum (selections)
Prologue: Carmina chromatico
Sibylla Persica
Sibylla Erythræa
Sibylla Agrippa
Orlando di Lasso, Mira loquor (à 10)
Antoine Brumel (1460–1512), Lamentations of Jeremiah
II
Carlo Gesualdo (1566–1613), “Io parto” e non piú dissi
Cristóbal Morales (1500–1553), Et ecce stella
performed by Solis
III
Costanza Porta (c. 1528–1601), Missa Ducalis (Mass for 13 voices)
Sanctus–Benedictus
Agnus Dei
IV
Johannes Ockeghem (c. 1420–1497), Deo gratias (canon for 36 voices)
V
Orazio Vecchi (1550–1605), Assumpta est Maria
Orazio Vecchi, Alleluia laudem dicite
performed by Solis
VI
Nicholas Gombert (c. 1495–c. 1560), Virgo sancta Katherina
William Byrd (c. 1543–1623), Ne irascaris Domine
Orazio Vecchi, Benedicite omnia opera Domini
Fire and Ice: Christmas with Ars Nova
December, 2017
With guest artist Nicolò Spera, guitar
Ars Nova ignites the dark of winter with the sounds of the classical guitar and the passionate words of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. The program features Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s dramatic Romancero Gitano, essentially a guitar concerto with chorus accompaniment. In 1951, Castelnuovo-Tedesco chose seven poems from Federico Garcia Lorca’s 1921 collection Poema del canto jondo (Poems of the Deep Song) for this work. Romancero Gitano is one of almost 100 compositions Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed for guitar, reflecting his long association with the virtuoso Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia.
I
Latvian Mummer’s Carol, arr. Andrejs Jansons, Ai, nama Mamina
Stephen Paulus, Hymn to the Eternal Flame
David MacIntyre, Ave Maria
John Conahan, Love of Fire (2016)
II
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Sonata Omaggio a Boccherini, op. 77
I. Allegro con spirito
III
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Romancero Gitano, op. 152
I Baladilla de los Tres Rios
II La Guitarra
III El Puñal
IV Procesion –Psao – Saeta
V Memento
VI Baile
VII Crotalo
V
Ēriks Ešenvalds, Stars
Alf Houkom, The Rune of Hospitality
Matthew Culloton. God’s Mother Be
VI
J. S. Bach, Sarabande (from the Fourth Cello Suite, BWV 1010)
VII – Carols
Traditional, arr. David Maddux, Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow
arr. Thomas Edward Morgan, Gaudete! (2017; premiere)
Basque carol, arr. Jim Clements, Gabriel’s Message
Michael Fink, What Sweeter Music
