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Winter 2009
Please see the
review
at the Classical Voice North Carolina website. |
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Spring 2009 Winter 2008 Please see the
review at the Classical Voice North Carolina website. The Hillyer
Community Chorus has become one of the highly-regarded musical
organizations in a city that is home to quite a few good ones.
This excellent chorus, well-schooled soloists, and a fine accompanying
orchestra, all under the direction of Paul B. Conway, presented a great
concert of several sacred compositions by Nikolaus Betscher, until
recently an unknown monk serving the Premonstratensian Imperial Abbey of
Rot, on the River, in Upper Swabia. |
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Spring 2008
 Robert Schumann: Requiem Opus 148 Charles Gounod: The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross Please see the review at the Classical Voice North Carolina website. "Hillyer Community Chorus Offers Schumann's Last Choral Work" Hillyer The ensemble was anchored by bass Lewis Moore and over the top soared Penelope Jensen; the middle voices were also Nancy Brenner and tenor David Wiehle. There were not too many solo parts for these vocalist, but Jensen merits special praise for her "Recordare" and Brenner, for "Qui Mariam." The ten numbers move along fairly briskly, from time to time sounding a bit dark (as was Schumann's wont) The "Sanctus" is particularly lively, and the finale is as moving as anything in the better-known Manfred music. Concert attendees remain in Conway's and the Hillyer Community Chorus' debt and it is a great pleasure to sing their praises for such a wonderful evening. Bravo! n |
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Winter 2007
Please see the
review at the Classical
Voice North Carolina website. |
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Spring 2007 Domenico Cimarosa's Requiem in G minor Please see the review at the Classical Voice North Carolina website. "Cimarosa Requiem Resurrected" For its spring concert, the Hillyer Community Chorus aired Cimarosa's Requiem in G minor. Composed in just two days in 1787 for the wife of the Neapolitan ambassador in St. Petersburg, the Requiem is pretty much a paint-by numbers affair, but....hearing it makes one understand the creative genius of Mozart, whose own unfinished Requiem so raised the bar as to bring a slew of masterpieces in its wake. The Hillyer Community Chorus preformed admirably. The chorus was joined by four soloists - soprano Penelope Jenson, alto Nancy Brenner, tenor William McColloch, and bass Lewis Moore - but the majority of the music was choral. |
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Franz Schlecht's "Te Deum"
Please see the
review at the Classical
Voice North Carolina website. It takes a special kind of fortitude to successfully deviate from the holiday music comfort zone, but that's what Raleigh's Hillyer Community Chorus did during their winter performance of Franz Schlecht's "Te Deum", Carl Maria von Weber's "Mass No. 2 in G", Conradin Kreutzer's "Mass in E-flat". Today's churchgoers rarely experience the kind of elaborate musical workshop that the mass genre provides. But the Hillyer Community Choir's joyful execution of the dense orchestration, complex arrangements and demanding parts of Te Deum, Mass in G and Mass in e-flat simultaneously revived a nearly forgotten form of sacred music and refreshed holiday music with celebratory style and artistic sophistication.
Spring 2006
Luigi Cherubini's "Mass in F (di
Chimay)"
Please see the review at the Classical Voice North Carolina website. "Hillyer Resurrects Obscure Cherubini Mass"
When Cherubini returned from Vienna to France at Napoleon’s request, a delegation from the local parish arrived at the castle with the request that one of the musician guests provide a new mass for the celebration. Cherubini was not inclined to entertain such an idea, but the Prince’s wife intervened and soon the eminent composer secluded himself. After a number of days, he emerged with a new Kyrie, followed by the Gloria. However, it was not until his return to Paris that Cherubini completed this magnificent Mass and embarked on a wonderful period of religious composition. The Mass was performed in its entirety in March of 1809 at the Paris home of the Prince de Chimay, with the orchestra consisting of some of the finest musicians of the day and the elite of Paris as the audience. After being published in 1810, it was performed in Vienna in 1818 but has rarely been heard since – falling out of favor and being eclipsed by the popularity of other contemporary composers, as unfortunately often happened with other great works. Thus we are pleased to be able to bring such a challenging and worthy (though seldom heard) composition to our Raleigh audience.
Please see the
review at the Classical Voice
North Carolina website. Soloists: Nancy Brenner and Meg Risinger
Sometimes called “the Czech Bach”, Zelenka was born in Lounovice, Bohemia (now the Czech republic), the eldest of eight children. His father was a local cantor and organist and provided his children’s early musical education. It is presumed that Zelenka studied in Prague at the Jesuit College of the Clementinum. He maintained a relationship with the Order and composed works for them, including a piece that was used at the coronation of Charles VI as King of Bohemia. Upon completion of his studies, he remained in Prague where he held a position as double bass player in the orchestra of Count Johann Hubert Hartig.
Our director, Paul B. Conway, accepted the award at Fletcher Opera Theater on Wednesday, May 18, in honor of 35 years of excellence in the performing arts. He was also presented with a plaque from Hillyer Memorial Christian Church following Sunday evening's concert, in appreciation of his dedication to expanding the community's musical horizons, his devotion to the chorus and the church, and his tireless efforts on behalf of both. We are deeply indebted to Paul and are looking forward to many more years of excellence in musical performance. Thank you, Maestro.
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Spring 2005
Please see the
review at the Classical Voice
North Carolina website. Soloists: Collin Cooper, David Wiehle, Lewis Moore Widely regarded as one of France's greatest composers, Andre Campra started his career in the priesthood and was soon appointed chaplain. His priesthood was short-lived however, as he was named maitre de chapelle at the cathedral of Toulon (then Arles), Toulous, and finally, in 1694, maitre de musique at Notre Dame de Paris.
Our program features one of at
least four masses Campra composed, part of a catalogue of over 100 sacred
works. It was commissioned for the memorial service of the archbishop of
Paris, Monseigneur Francois de Halay. The mass is scored for four musical
groups: Grand Choir, Petit Choir, soloists and orchestra.
Soloists: Meg Risinger, Laura
Williams, Nancy Brenner,
Please see the
review at the Classical Voice North
Carolina website. Born in Hamburg on February 3, 1809, Felix was the second of four children born to Abraham Mendelssohn, a Jewish banker, and Lea Solomen-Bartholdy. In 1819 (at the age of 10) he began to study theory and composition with Zelter, who was a major formative influence on the young composer. By 1820, Mendelssohn began to compose; and, by the age of 15, was deemed by Zelter and others to be a fully formed musician. His parents were unconvinced that music should be the young Felix’s profession; however, his father traveled with him to Paris to seek the opinion of Cherubini, who further affirmed Zelter’s view. During the past 20 years, there has been a true revival of Mendelssohn’s lesser known and earlier, smaller works by those who have come to appreciate the true genius of one of Germany’s greatest and most prolific composers.
The text of the "Magnificat"
is taken from Luke 1:46-55 and expresses the song of praise Mary intones
when Elisabeth recognizes that she is carrying the Son of God. The
“Gloria” is among the oldest songs of the Christian church, the earliest
Latin version probably dating from the seventh century and originally
intoned only by the Pope. Its use gradually became more widespread and is
now sung on all major feast days of the church year. It is appropriate as
well for our Advent season, since the translation is “Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace to all those of good will”.
Born in Florence in 1760, Luigi Cherubini studied with his father and other
masters of the time and became a leading contemporary exponent of
counterpoint. During his lifetime, his enormous output lists 29 operas, 17
cantatas, 11 masses, two requiems, an oratorio, a symphony, string
quartets, and sonatas; however, his dramatic and expressive "Requiem in C
Minor" is renowned as his best sacred work — and indeed was used at
Beethoven's funeral! Roughly at age 50, while living in Paris, Cherubini
turned more to religious composing and in 1816 conducted this monumental
work at the 20th anniversary of the death of Louis XVI. PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR OUR REHEARSAL SCHEDULE.
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Winter
2006
Winter 2005
