PROGRAMME
Trad. Christmas Carol - Gaudete
J. H. Hopkins arr. Paul Leddington Wright - We Three Kings
Sarah Rimkus - Brightest & Best
John Rutter - Donkey Carol
Anna Disley-Simpson - Stopping by woods on a snowy evening
Errollyn Wallen - Road to Refuge
Michael Head - The Little Road to Bethlehem
Carl Rütti - I Wonder as I Wander
Joni Mitchell arr. Au Arias - River
Cecilia McDowall - In dulci jubilo
Gregory Wanamaker with words by Garth Bardsley – Stella Nuova*
Trad. arr. Vicente Chavarría - Gloucestershire Wassail
INTERVAL
Congregational: arr. David Willcocks - Once in Royal David's City
Adolphe Adam - O Holy Night
Congregational: arr. Alex Kyle - Silent Night, Holy Night
Pierpont arr. Ralph Allwood - Jingle Bells
Congregational: arr. David Willcocks - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Berlin arr. Jonathan Rathbone - White Christmas
Congregational: arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams - O Little Town of Bethlehem
Carey/Afanasieff arr. Matthew O'Donovan - All I Want for Christmas Is You
Congregational: arr. David Willcocks - O Come All Ye Faithful
* Kantos Carol Competition 2024 Winner
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Artistic Director Ellie Slorach
Organ & Piano Elin Hume
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Programme Notes
This festive season, join Kantos to share the joy of Christmas as we follow the star, wherever it goes!
On this journey we will track the steps of the three wise men, stop by woods on a snowy evening, tread the road to refuge and, of course, throw some wassailing in for good measure!
Our 2024 Carol Competition Winner, chosen by Cecilia McDowall, will be performed, as well as some Christmas classics and you will be invited to join us for some relaxed carol singing in the atrium for the second half!
Trad. Christmas Carol – Gaudete
Gaudete is a sacred Christmas carol thought to have been composed in the 16th century. The Latin text is a typical medieval song of praise. With its up-beat tempo and lilting rhythms, this carol is the perfect way to begin our exploration of Christmas journeys this evening with the choir bursting into the concert hall!
J. H. Hopkins arr. Paul Leddington Wright - We Three Kings
This arrangement of the famous carol by J. H. Hopkins uses a driving left hand piano line to depict the motion of the Three Kings walking; the dense texture of the left hand chords provides a richness and majesty along with the use of chromatic harmony throughout.
Sarah Rimkus - Brightest and Best
“Brightest and Best” is a contemporary carol setting, appropriate for performance at Christmas or Epiphany. It is a musical reimagining of the nineteenth-century hymn of the same title, which describes the travels of the Wise Men to see the baby Jesus, following that brightest of stars in the sky all the way. The words use vivid imagery to create a strong sense of urgency, placed into an equally strong and regular four-bar hymn pattern. My setting uses lilting rhythms and a suspended harmonic backdrop to sonically paint the Magis’ journey for the listener.
John Rutter - Donkey Carol
The 5/8 rhythm of this carol evokes the ambling gait of the donkey on the road to Bethlehem.
Anna Disley-Simpson - Stopping by woods on a snowy evening
This carol was commissioned and first performed by the Huddersfield Choral Society in December 2021. The carol is a setting of Robert Frost’s poem of the same title written in 1923. The piece is mostly homophonic with the music’s easy beauty highlighting the lovely words of the poem.
Errollyn Wallen - Road to Refuge
'Road to Refuge' contrasts pure harmonies with dissonant passages as Wallen draws comparisons between the nativity story and modern refugees. The rippling piano accompaniment and sudden changes in the vocal writing highlights the lived experiences in this poignant piece.
Michael Head - The Little Road to Bethlehem
Composed in 1946, The Little Road to Bethlehem, is a beautifully simple song that is a setting of a poem by Margaret Rose. With imagery of sheep and Mary singing a lullaby to Baby Jesus, the words depict a peaceful pastoral scene as the speaker wanders through. Originally a song for voice and piano, this arrangement is for unaccompanied SATB choir.
Carl Rütti - I Wonder as I Wander
The words of I Wonder as I Wander were originally heard and collected by composer and song collector John Jacob Niles. He heard the song at a fundraising meeting held by evangelicals who had been ordered out of town by police in the town of Murphy, North Carolina in 1933. Carl Rütti, a Swiss composer, wrote this setting in 1996. It combines jazz rhythm and harmonies with the soundworld of the English choral tradition with choir and organ accompaniment.
Joni Mitchell arr. Au Arias – River
This song by Canadian singer songwriter, Joni Mitchell, features on her 1971 album ‘Blue’. The song is about a recent relationship break up and we hear the singer longing to escape from the emotional pain. It’s set around Christmas time and features a fragment of the ‘Jingle Bells’ melody in the piano accompaniment. This a capella arrangement transfers the lilting piano part to the voices of the choir.
Cecilia McDowall - In dulci jubilo
The charming and vibrant melody of this attractive carol for choir and organ glides above harmonies that are almost entirely diatonic, but whose originality and frequent passing dissonances mean that predictability is never a danger.
Music by Gregory Wanamaker & Words by Garth Bardsley – Stella Nuova
Kantos Carol Competition 2024 Winner
In its original form, Stella Nuova is the final movement of Laude!, my collaboration with Garth Bardsley resulting in a group of three settings of songs devoted to the Christmas season from the 13th-century Laudario di Cortona. Originally for chorus and orchestra, it was premiered in New York in 2014. Garth’s words supplement the original 13th century Italian text with beautiful thoughts of hope and reflection. I have created this a cappella version of Stella Nuova in celebration of the 10th anniversary of its premiere.
Stella Nuova Italian Lauda (ca. 13th century)
Words by Garth Bardsley (2014)
Stella nuova ‘n fra la gente (O New Star among mankind)
k’aparuisti novamente! (You appeared once again!)
Stella k’aparuisti al mundo (Star, you appeared to the world)
quando nacque ‘l re iocondo, (when the joyful king, who was born)
stett’en mezzo a tutto ‘l mondo (came into the midst of all the world)
per aluminar la gente. (to enlighten all people.)
Stella nuova ‘n fra la gente
k’aparuisti novamente!
Look to the sky, for there in the distance
Light, unimagined, steals through the night.
Piercing the gloom, its flame everlasting
Hails new beginnings, our hearts to delight.
Stella nuova ‘n fra la gente
k’aparuisti novamente!
Peace, hope and joy will lighten our journey
Precious and pure, these gifts lie within
Look to your heart where heav’n’s light is shining
Then may the world see a new day begin.
Stella nuova ‘n fra la gente
k’aparuisti novamente!
Gaze upon your heart and see
The truth therein will set you free
Stella nuova ‘n fra la gente
k’aparuisti novamente!
ABOUT GREGORY WANAMAKER (COMPOSER)
Equally at home composing in solitude or collaborating with other artists, Gregory Wanamaker creates music that is at times lyrically expressive while at others athletically virtuosic. His eclectic sound world responds in kind to a variety of extra-musical influences ranging from the simplicity of a still life painting, the emotions of a dramatic narrative, the graceful or angular lines of a landscape, or the visceral discourse of the moment.
Wanamaker’s music has been described as “pure gold, shot through with tenderness and grace” (San Francisco Chronicle), “achingly beautiful” (Palm Beach Daily News), "deeply romantic, yet unsentimental” (I Care If You Listen), and “a technical tour de force” (Fanfare).
The creation of Gregory’s music has been supported by The National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts in addition to several private organizations and individual and consortium commissions by performing musicians and ensembles from around the world. His music has been performed in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall and Weiner Konzerthaus to the most intimate spaces on university campuses and museums.
Wanamaker has closely collaborated with visual artists Carrie Mae Weems and Meggie George, choreographers Cheryl Wilkins-Mitchell and Guy Thorne, and more frequently, the writer and director Garth Bardsley with whom he has created several works from intimate art songs to large works for chorus and orchestra. In addition, he created effects music for the film Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, produced by The Asylum for release on the SyFy Channel.
Gregory Wanamaker is Professor Emeritus of Composition at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, where he actively served from 1997 - 2023. He publishes his own music, which is available exclusively through his website at www.gregorywanamaker.com.
ABOUT GARTH BARDSLEY (WORDS)
Award-winning opera director, Garth Bardsley studied at Chetham’s School of Music, St John's College, Cambridge, and at the Royal Northern College of Music. He made his operatic debut with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and starred in the West End productions of Jerry Herman’s The Best of Time and as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. As a director, Garth’s production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream won the Manchester Theatre Award Best Opera. He is the biographer for Anthony Newley and his 90 min radio drama Jubilee! starring Sam West, Simon Callow and Sophia Nomvete, produced by Made in Manchester, and directed by Andy Jordan was broadcast on BBC R3 in June 2024 and was made pick of the week by five national papers. As a poet and lyricist, Garth collaborates with British composer Ben Parry. Their numerous works have been performed and broadcast around the world including the RAH, Wigmore Hall, Washington DC’s National Cathedral and The Kennedy Center. Garth also writes with award-winning, American composer Gregory Wanamaker and in 2016 their choral work, Laude! was broadcast on PBS across America and Canada. Together they are currently working on a cabaret song cycle, Love At First Sight.
Trad. arr. Vicente Chavarría - Gloucestershire Wassail
Chavarría keeps the spirit of wassailing at the forefront of this dynamic and energetic arrangement of 'Gloucestershire Wassail', which features imitation and call-and-response figures.
-INTERVAL-
arr. David Willcocks - Once in Royal David's City
Harmonised by A. H. Mann
Descant & Organ by David Willcocks
1) Solo
2) Kantos
3) And through all his wondrous childhood
he would honour and obey,
love and watch the lowly maiden
in whose gentle arms he lay;
Christian children all must be
mild, obedient, good as he.
4) For he is our childhood’s pattern
day by day like us he grew;
he was little, weak and helpless,
tears and smiles like us he knew;
and he feeleth for our sadness,
and he shareth in our gladness.
5) Not in that poor, lowly stable
with the oxen standing by
we shall see him, but in heaven,
set at God’s right hand on high,
when, like stars, his children, crowned,
all in white shall wait around.
Adolphe Adam - O Holy Night
‘O Holy Night’ is a sacred song about the night of the birth of Jesus Christ. Based on the French poem Minuit, chrétiens, written in 1843 by Placide Cappeau, it was set to music by composer Adolphe Adam. The English version is by John Sullivan Dwight.
Franz xaver gruber arr. Alex Kyle - Silent Night, Holy Night
1) Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
’Round yon virgin mother and child!
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
2) Kantos
3) Silent night! Holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth!
Pierpont arr. Ralph Allwood - Jingle Bells
This is a lively a capella arrangement of a popular favourite; Allwood uses underlying musical motors that roll along throughout so we truly feel like we’re dashing through the snow..!
arr. David Willcocks - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Mendelssohn,
Descant & Organ by David Willcocks
1) Hark! The herald angels sing
‘Glory to the newborn King:
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled’
Joyful all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem’
Hark! The herald angels sing
‘Glory to the newborn King’
2) Kantos
3) Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings;
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the new-born king"
Berlin arr. Jonathan Rathbone - White Christmas
A luxuriously chromatic arrangement of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, this a capella number is rich and decadent! Oh... and of course it features a key change!
arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams & Thomas Armstrong - O Little Town of Bethlehem
1) O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight
2) O morning stars together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King
And Peace to men on earth
For Christ is born of Mary
And gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love
3) Kantos
4) O holy child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born in us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
Carey/Afanasieff arr. Matthew O'Donovan - All I Want for Christmas Is You
An a capella arrangement of Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic; this version features a glorious solo from our very own Jonathan Ainscough.
arr. David Willcocks - O Come All Ye Faithful
1) O come all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye
to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord!
2) God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo! He abhors not
The Virgin’s womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created:
O come...
3) Kantos
4) Lo! Star-led chieftains,
Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer him incense,
Gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ Child
Bring our hearts’ oblations:
O come...
5) Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens
of heav’n above;
Glory to God
In the highest:
O come...
THE CHOIR
SOPRANO
Lindsey James
Sarah Keirle-Dos Santos
Charlotte Laidlaw
Megan Rickard
Lucy Vallis
ALTO
Jessica Conway
Alison Daniels
Lorna Day
Joseph Judge
TENOR
Brennan Alleyne
Alex Kyle
Andrew Morton
Robin Wallington
BASS
Jonathan Ainscough
Jonny Hill
Graham McCusker
Edmund Phillips
THE TEAM
Artistic Director Ellie Slorach
General Director Claire Shercliff
Communications Coordinator Eve Powers
Design Sam Gee
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