Estimated duration

1 h 20 min., no intermission

Organizer

Musiikkitalon kuoro

Helsinki Music Centre Choir takes the stage together with organist Susanne Kujala, soprano Tuuli Takala and a boy soprano.

Helsinki Music Centre Choir
Nils Schweckendiek, conductor
Susanne Kujala, organ
Tuuli Takala, soprano
xx, boy soprano

Program:
J.S Bach: Prelude D Major BWV 532/1
F. Mendelssohn: Hör mein Bitten, WoO 15
V. Kujala: Aurora Borealis
B. Britten: Rejoice in the Lamb Op. 30
Franz Liszt: Präludium und Fuge über den Namen B-A-C-H
Leonard Bernstein: Chichester Psalms

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When Helsinki Music Centre Choir takes the stage together with organist Susanne Kujala, soprano Tuuli Takala and a boy soprano, the audience can expect a truly radiant evening. The programme features three brilliant solo works for organ and three magnificent and much-loved choral masterpieces – works that are rarely heard in Finnish concert halls, and even more rarely presented within the same concert.

Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb was composed in 1943 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of St. Matthew’s Church in Northampton. Its text is drawn from a larger poetic work by Christopher Smart (1722–1771), a poet considered mentally ill. The theme of the text – the individual versus society – is one Britten returned to frequently. The influence of Purcell, a composer close to Britten’s heart, can be heard especially in the work’s Hallelujah movement.

Hör mein Bitten is the most beloved of Mendelssohn’s smaller-scale choral works. It was composed during the composer’s eighth visit to England in 1844. Mendelssohn described the schedule of his trip as utterly insane: long days, little sleep. Yet not a trace of exhaustion can be heard in this luminous and uplifting piece.

In December 1963, Leonard Bernstein received a letter from Walter Hussey, Dean of Chichester Cathedral. Together with the cathedral’s organist and choirmaster John Birch, he wished to commission a choral work from Bernstein for the Chichester Festival in 1965. The texts were to be taken from the Biblical Psalms. Despite the context, the commissioner emphasized that Bernstein was free to adopt a more popular style: “Many of us would be delighted if we could detect a hint of West Side Story.” Chichester Psalms is a portrayal of the composer’s longing for peace and brotherhood.

Concert is part of Organ Night & Aria Festival.