I know you are all thinking, "The Choral Guild's next concert on Sunday, March 6 at 4 pm at the Northside Drive Baptist Church is going to be opera and Broadway music. They even have an interesting title for the program called 'A Chorus Line Up.' But, what does that mean? Why should I come to the concert?"
Well, first of all, several of the singers have brought in arias and solos that they are interested in singing as part of the program, and there are some very talented vocalists in the group who are going to impress you with their versions of favorites by Mozart, Rodgers, Delibes, Verdi and Arlen. Also, I have copied the program notes below from our website to pique your interest in the pieces to be sung by the full chorus.
“Comedy Tonight” Medley - Stephen Sondheim (b.1930), arr. Robert Page
“Comedy Tonight” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
“The Little Things You Do Together” from Company
“Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music
“Old Friends” from Merrily We Roll Along
Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. Robert Page expertly arranges four familiar Sondheim melodies around the “comedy” theme in this enjoyable collection, including one of Sondheim’s most enduring songs “Send in the Clowns.”
“Chorus of Wedding Guests” from Lucia di Lammermoor - Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
This chorus celebrates the marriage of Lucia to Enrico who tricks her into marrying him instead of her true love, Edgaro. The story is based on the novel written by Sir Walter Scott. This is a high-spirited chorus that offers a moment of brightness before tragedy ensues.
“Habanera” from Carmen - Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
The enticing aria and accompanying chorus is sung by the gypsy Carmen in an effort to seduce the corporal Don José. The story is based on a short novel by Prosper Mérimée. Bizet adapted the descending, chromatic melody from the Spanish song “El Arreglito” by composer Iradier.
“Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore - Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Another opera set in Spain, this one is based on a play by Antonio Garcia Guitiérrez. The heavy accents suggest the striking of anvils by the gypsies earning their living as tinkers as they sing about the new day – along with various pleasures including work, wine and women.
“Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves” from Nabucco - Verdi
This is arguably Verdi’s most famous melody and was adapted by the Italians as a song of patriotism shortly after its premier at La Scala opera house in Milan. The words are a paraphrase of Psalm 137, when the Israelites lament the loss of their homeland as part of the story of the Jews living in Babylonian exile in 586 B.C.
“Dido’s Lament and Final Chorus” from Dido and Aeneas - Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Using a ground bass and the interval of a descending fourth as traditional musical features of Italian laments, Purcell recreates the drama of the heartbroken Dido as she mourns the loss of her beloved Aeneas through the trickery of a sorceress.
“Bridal Chorus” from Lohengrin - Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Weddings seem to always attract trouble in opera, and this chorus, ironically used frequently in modern wedding ceremonies, is no exception. The happy couple, Elsa and Lohengrin, is being escorted into their bridal chamber immediately following their nuptials, which represents the most joyous period of their ill-fated marriage.
“Brindisi” from La Traviata - Verdi
The duet between lovers Alfredo and Violetta, along with accompanying chorus, may first appear to be nothing more than a coarse drinking song, but as they pledge their love to each other, the piece develops into a tribute to youth, beauty and pleasure. The story is based on the novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas..
“Neighbors’ Chorus” from La Jolie Parfumese - Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
In Offenbach's comic opera, the original Neighbors’ Chorus is a raucous morning-after song to a bride and groom. The singing neighbors are waking up the honeymooning couple and teasing the groom about whether or not his bride fulfilled her wifely duty. The English version was deliberately re-written for performance choirs to portray the woman as a prospective girlfriend who breaks a date.
“The Best of All Possible Worlds” from Candide - Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), arr. Robert Page
This excerpt from the musical based on the French satirical novella, Candide or The Optimist by Voltaire, describes a scene where the young man, Candide, is being given a lesson on blind optimism by his instructor, Pangloss. The use of tongue-in-cheek, nonsensical explanations for the hardships of the world was a political commentary of the time. We hear in this portion the over-simplified reasoning that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.”
I know, if you've read this far, you are interested in at least ONE of the pieces above. So, make plans now to join us!
