For millennia, hope and joy have been expressed through music. In our upcoming concert, the Santa Cruz Chorale brings you Psalm settings of power and beauty that sing of these timeless human emotions; texts of the same Psalms will be sung in settings by different composers, and in German, English and Latin.
The words of Psalm 70, “make haste, O God, to deliver me...,” are sung first by a tenor soloist with continuo (Heinrich Schütz’s “Eile mich, Gott, zu erretten”), then by the choir a cappella (Benjamin Britten’s “Deus in adjutorium”), and finally by the choir with a chamber orchestra (Johann Pachelbel’s “Deus in adjutorium”).
The text of our next Psalm (Psalm 130, “Out of the Deep”) is sung first by the choir with continuo (Henry Purcell), and then in a cantata for soloists, choir and chamber orchestra (J.S. Bach’s “Aus der Tiefe”). The latter piece is presented as a repeat performance—at the request of our audience!
The conclusion of our concert is a joyous double-choir setting of Psalm 109 (Claudio Monteverdi’s “Dixit Dominus”). Some in our audience might find such texts particularly apropos in today’s world, and it is noteworthy that two of our pieces were actually written in times of war by composers who were hoping for peace and the joy it would bring. Schütz composed his setting, during the Thirty Years War, and Britten—of course known for his War Requiem—composed the piece we are singing during WWII.
The Santa Cruz Chorale invites you to our concert so we can share with you the Hope and Joy of this music.
For Saturday concert, buy 4 tickets or more for $20 each.