Tuesday rehearsal for Beauty of Baroque

Enjoy these images from last night's rehearsal for the Beauty of Baroque concert on Friday evening. The rehearsal went very well, although it is always initially difficult to get used to the different space and acoustics, when we first rehearse in the concert venue. The start of the rehearsal was accompanied by frowns, but by the end of the evening there were smiles all round and David declared the sound to be quite astounding - this is going to be a good concert!

Beauty of Baroque
Friday 30 March, 7:30pm at Knox Church

The City of Dunedin Choir presents the grandeur and exuberance of the pearls of Baroque music.

Conductor: David Burchell
Soloists: Pepe Becker (soprano), Grace Park (soprano), Amanda Cole (mezzo-soprano), Christopher John Clifford (countertenor),  Stephen Chambers (tenor) and Julien van Mellaerts (bass)
Orchestra: Southern Sinfonia

Programme:
Bach: Magnificat (BWV 243)
Handel: Utrecht Te Deum and Organ Concerto Op. 4 no. 2 in B Flat
Charpentier: Laetatus sum

The programme includes the breathtaking Magnificat composed by J.S. Bach in 1723. The impact of this great choral work derives essentially from Bach’s remarkable ability to balance, yet at the same time to exploit to the full, the spiritual and dramatic elements of the concise text of the Magnificat. It is a sublime pearl from an era rich in choral glory.

Stephen Chambers (tenor), recently described as having a “beautiful lyrical tenor voice”, is in Dunedin on a rare visit home. This is an opportunity to witness his progress on the international stage.

The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music. The style started around 1600 in Rome, Italy and spread to most of Europe. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word baroque is derived from the Portuguese word "barroco", Spanish "barroco", or French "baroque", all of which refer to a "rough or imperfect pearl".