Rockingham Choral Society presents ‘The Spirit’s Heavenly Homecoming’
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EXETER — The Rockingham Choral Society will perform two spring concerts, titled “The Spirit’s Heavenly Homecoming,” on Saturday, April 29 at 7 p.m. at Sanborn Regional High School at 19 Danville Road in Kingston, N.H. and on Sunday, April 30 at 3 p.m. at Christ Church Episcopal Church at 43 Pine Street in Exeter, N.H.
The performances will feature lesser known, but nonetheless monumental, works including Brahms’ Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), and Beethoven’s Mass in C andElegischer Gesang.
Brahms’ secular work, Schicksalslied, which will be sung in the original German and accompanied by a 17-piece chamber orchestra, returns to his much-loved theme of destiny and shows the dynamic and emotional potential of choir and orchestra to full effect. The cantata-length work will be followed by Beethoven’s Mass in C. The mass setting utilizes the forces of choir and orchestra along with inventive and exciting vocal solos, sung by members of the Choral Society. As a gentle coda, the performance concludes with the sweetly sad, Elegischer Gesang (Elegy). Taken in translation, the end of this piece is the source of the concert program’s title, “The Spirit’s Heavenly Homecoming,” and reflects a poignant hope for comfort in the next life.
“Beethoven, who studied under Haydn, wrote his Mass in C in response to a commission from Prince Esterhazy, Haydn’s former boss. Touches of Beethoven’s work reflect his teacher’s style, but the construction and fire are all Beethoven,” said Kristofer Johnson, Artistic Director. “Brahms’ 15-minute choral/orchestral work is sometimes called his ‘little Requiem’ because of its stylistic and compositional parallels with that larger masterwork.”
Since 1957, the Rockingham Choral Society has expanded and enhanced cultural experiences by performing choral masterpieces and adhering to the highest musical standards. The Choral Society is comprised of over 95 members and presents two concerts annually to the audiences in the New Hampshire Seacoast region.
General admission tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at www.rockinghamchoral.org. Children under six are free. Discounts for groups over 25 are available by calling 603-988-9676. At-the-door tickets are subjected to availability.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Rockingham Choral Society presents ‘The Spirit’s Heavenly Homecoming’
