A Classical Christmas
Singing heavenly hymns in honour of the holidays, Darwin’s Vocalective presents a selection of masterful Christmas classics from renowned Baroque era composers.
By Jenna Kirkham
KNOWN FOR DELIVERING a dynamic musical experience, Vocalective’s 30-voice choir finishes the year with a showcase of classical masterpieces, sung alongside an orchestra featuring strings, an organ, and a harp.
Conducted by Music Director Michael Loughlin, music aficionados can delight in discovering works from European composers Vivaldi, Saint-Saëns, and Telemann.
“I wanted to give the audience a taste of these pieces, Christmas pieces, I think partly because Christmas concerts are very often predictable with carols and performances of Messiah, I just wanted to do something a little different,” says Loughlin.
The choir performs excerpts from Telemann's Christmas Cantatas and Vivaldi’s Magnificat. Telemann is known for his wide range of compositions and ability to blend different musical influences, while Vivaldi was famous for his innovative use of violin and grand concertos.
“These Cantatas are beautiful pieces, I would love to have done all of them, so I thought I’d just do some excerpts from a number of them – it just shows Telemann’s skill as a composer … The Vivaldi piece we’re also doing is quite a popular piece, it’s made up of about ten short movements,” Loughlin says.
“All these pieces are in the first half. The main [part] is Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio which will be in the second half, so we’re just doing some snippets of Vivaldi and Telemann in the first half to give the audience a taste of what these composers were doing.”
Renowned for his vast catalogue of compositions, Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio is regarded as a somewhat neglected masterpiece. Loughlin says it’s also an exciting treat for listeners, with the welcome addition of a harp.
“Written in 1858, it’s a really nice, subdued piece. It’s not a massive work like Messiah or Mendelssohn's Elijah, it has a small orchestra of strings, organ, and harp, to go along with the accompaniment of the choir … It’s the first time we’ve had a harp, so that’s pretty exciting.”
Loughlin and his merry entourage invite you to sit back and bask in the brilliance of these Baroque composers, delivered to your ears by talented local voices in the beautiful acoustic setting of Darwin Memorial Uniting Church.
“It’s full of good melodies, people can just sit back and enjoy the music washing over them.”
A Classical Christmas
WHEN SAT 14 DEC | 7.30-9.30PM
AT DARWIN MEMORIAL UNITING CHURCH
COST $35 | CONC $30 | CHILD $20
INFO facebook.com/vocalective.singers
Header, thumbnail & inset: Alison Welsh
