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Media Release
The Canadian Men’s Chorus presents:
Out of the Depths: An Exploration of Sacred Music
Toronto, April 29, 2012 - The Canadian Men’s Chorus, with Artistic Director Greg Rainville, presents a journey through some of the finest sacred music written for men’s voices, both modern and traditional. The concert will take place on Sunday, May 13 2012 at 4 PM at the Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W., Toronto.
The concert will open with the thrilling nuances of early works by Tallis, Victoria, and Palestrina including the familiar “If Ye Love Me”. These will be followed by three magnificent mass settings by Toronto’s Stephanie Martin who is the Director of Music at the Church of St Mary Magdalene and the Artistic Director of the Pax Christi Chorale, the incomparable Healey Willan and Finnish composer Kaj-Erik Gustafsson. The men will perform the brilliant complexities of contemporary sacred music in Leevi Madetoja’s “De Profundis”, Pablo Casals “O Vos Omnes” and Healey Willan’s “Magnificat”. No concert of sacred music would be complete without the inclusion of much-loved and passionate spirituals masterfully arranged by William L. Dawson, Jester Hairston, and Moses Hogan, including “Go Down Moses”, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and “Deep River”.
In accordance with its mandate, the Canadian Men's Chorus has commissioned a new work for this concert. The Chorus is privileged to perform the world premiere of Book of Lamentations by the brilliant young Canadian composer, Patrick Murray. Written near the end of his life, St Gregory of Narek’s Book of Lamentations (951-1003) is a collection of ninety-four intensely personal prayers, each beginning with the phrase, “Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart.” In Prayer 88, the text of this setting, Narek offers a passionate plea for forgiveness and for reconciliation after his death. It is a profoundly human work that struggles to reconcile the fallibilities and conceits of human nature with the beauty and goodness of God. The music of greatest anguish came first: “This book will cry out in my place, with my voice, as if it were me…”
The Canadian Men’s Chorus is relatively new on the Toronto music scene, having made its debut in November 2010. After five highly successful concerts, the ensemble is looking forward to a third season in 2012-2013. The group’s mandate emphasizes the commissioning and premiering of new Canadian works in order to foster and advance a distinctive Canadian repertoire for men’s voices.
Concert: Out of the Depths: an Exploration of Sacred Music
Date/Time: Sunday, May 13 2012 4:00 PM
Location: Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St W, Toronto
Tickets: $30 http://canadianmenschorus.ticketbud.com/out-of-the-depths (NO SERVICE FEES) or at the door. Ticket price includes the Post-Concert Reception.
- May 11, 2013 8PM
Music: The Food of Love
