Pittsfield — Never have we needed choral music sung in the manner of heavenly hosts more than we do right now. And on Friday, December 13, at St. Mark’s Church, and at Saint James Place in Great Barrington on the 15th, Berkshire Lyric’s program “Love’s Pure Light” will easily meet that need with a cappella carols by Warlock, Pärt, Bruckner, Brahms, and others, sung in the acoustically sweet environs of two iconic church sanctuaries.
Joining the 85-voice Berkshire Lyric Chorus will be the young women’s ensemble Melodious Accord and the Lyric Children’s Chorus. Lily Lothrop, Rich Geiler, and John Demler will perform as soloists.
The acoustics of both St. Marks Church and Saint James Place (a repurposed church) are ideal for an 85-voice choir singing a cappella Christmas carols.
If you are unfamiliar with Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Christmas music, then you are in for a real treat. Listen to “Bogoroditse Djevo,” above, and you will find out why.
With any luck, you will get to hear Anton Bruckner’s “Ave Maria” in these programs. If not, it will still be some other unforgettable piece by Bruckner.
British composer Peter Warlock is known for writing evocative choral music, including several pieces associated with Christmas. His music has a distinctively English musical style and is lovely beyond words. One of his most popular works for Christmas is “Bethlehem Down,” written in 1927.
Johannes Brahms created several works with sacred themes or texts that are often associated with the Christmas season. His superbly crafted choral writing lends itself well to festive and contemplative occasions like Advent and Christmas. For example: “Es ist das Heil uns kommen her,” Op. 29, No. 1.
In its 60-year history, Berkshire Lyric has presented operas, operettas, Broadway musicals, cabaret evenings, holiday Christmas concerts, and most of the great oratorios. Notable performances have included the Bach Mass in B minor, Mozart’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” Bloch’s Sacred Service, and Dvorak’s Stabat Mater. Berkshire Lyric most recently sang the Brahms German Requiem at Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall.
Artistic Director Jack Brown has conducted the Berkshire Lyric Chorus since 2007 in concerts ranging from Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff to Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana and Karl Jenkins’ Requiem. He is currently on the faculty of the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn., where he teaches voice and directs the choral program, and during the summer months, he conducts the B’Shalom Chorale of the Berkshires. Jack is also on the staff of the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, where he shares the healing power of music with the patient community.
Hear Berkshire Lyric’s program “Love’s Pure Light” at St. Mark’s Church, 400 West St, Pittsfield, MA 01201, on Friday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m., or on December 15, 3 p.m., at Saint James Place, 352 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA. Tickets are available here.
