2007- 2008 Season — Celebrating Three Decades of Note!
 |
A Choral CelebrationSaturday, November 10, 2007, 8:00 PM Sunday, November 11, 2007, 3:30 PM Cantata 169, "Gott soil allein mein Herze haben" — J. S. Bach With orchestra and soloists: There can be no better way to begin the 30th anniversary season of the Assabet Valley Mastersingers than with the little known but musically rich and expressive Bach Cantata 169, featuring mezzo soprano solo and beautiful organ obbligato. Haydn's Little Organ Mass, which contains solos for soprano and organ, is typical of early Haydn — delightful and pleasantly original. Staying true to the Mastersingers tradition of promoting lesser known compositions as well as choral masterworks, AVM will perform the "other" Vivaldi Gloria (RV 639/588), often neglected and overlooked. This work has many similarities to the more frequently performed Gloria RV 589 but has a glorious Introduction for mezzo soprano solo and some other enchanting surprises. |
 |
Messiah SingSunday, December 16, 2007, 3:30 PM With soloists: An annual Holiday Tradition — Join the Mastersingers and soloists to sing the Christmas portion of Handel's Messiah. Come listen or bring/borrow from us a score and sing along in this informal, exhilarating event. |
Ye Shall Have a SongSaturday, March 8, 2008, 8:00 PM Sunday, March 9, 2008, 3:30 PM As Assabet Valley Mastersingers considers its own rich 3-decade history, this concert provides an opportunity for musical reflection with a presentation of some of the choral music classics from the 17th to the 20th century. Bach's Lobet Denn Herrn will be contrasted with Rachmaninoff's setting of the same text. Similar comparisons of musical settings will be Victoria with Lauridsen, and Brahms with Whitacre. This exciting and eclectic program will also include American music from the Spiritual to Randall Thompson's "Ye Shall Have a Song." |
|
 |
Mass For PeaceSaturday, May 10, 2008, 8:00 PM "The Armed Man": A Mass for Peace — Karl Jenkins; With orchestra and chorus conducted by Robert Eaton and the Algonquin Regional High School Chorus, Joshua Miller, Director ARHS AVM will present the New England premiere of this powerful and compelling account of the consequences of war. One of the most popular and frequently performed choral works in England in recent years, The Armed Man is just beginning to be heard in the United States. Commissioned for the millennium by the Royal Armouries and dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo crisis, this work is a contemporary example of a mass based on the 15th-century French song "L'Homme Armé" (The Armed Man). The complete composition sets sacred and secular texts including Tennyson, Kipling, The Koran and the Hindu Mahabharata within the framework of the Christian mass. |