SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Music for sacred spaces

Sonoran Desert Chorale singing the songs of Europe's cathedrals October 4-5
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MESA/PARADISE VALLEY/SCOTTSDALE – Returning from its highly successful European tour, inspired by the sound of singing in the cathedrals of Bayeux, Rouen, Metz, Chartres, and Strasbourg, the Sonoran Desert Chorale sings music of the masters including Monteverdi, Mozart, and Mendelssohn. In this first concert, Music for Sacred Spaces, of the Chorale's 21st Season - Sing On!, the Chorale celebrates the glorious sensation of music created for cathedral spaces which resound and amplify the voices.

Performances of Music for Sacred Spaces will take place Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 15 E. First Avenue, Mesa and Sunday, October 5, 2014 at 3 p.m. at Valley Presbyterian Church, 6947 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley. Tickets are $18 for adults/$15 for seniors, students and groups of 10 or more. Tickets may be purchased online at www.SonoranDesertChorale.org or by calling 480-305-4538.

Given the huge amount of music composed by Mozart in his short lifetime, his choral pieces are relatively few in number – gorgeous, but few. This concert includes three of them – Venite populi for double chorus, Dixit Dominus and Magnificat. The Venite populi is a rare example of Mozart's writing for two choruses and utilizes antiphonal/echo effects in the work's slower middle section, plus highly contrasted rapid-fire counterpoint tossed back and forth between the two choruses. The Dixit and Magnificat, written by the 17-year-old Mozart, are propelled by relentless energy through a streamlined text enhanced by his concentrated setting – an ebullient, life-affirming experience for both singer and audience.

Ranging from Baroque to Romantic, Music for Sacred Spaces also includes the great Haydn Te Deum written for the Empress Maria Theresa, the lyrical Mendelssohn Psalm 115 containing one of the most beautiful tenor/soprano duets in all of choral literature, and the incredible Gabrieli Buccinate, featuring 4 choruses and 19 voice parts. The breadth and depth of these pieces and others provides a fine showcase for the outstanding musicianship of the Chorale singers and a most satisfying listening experience for their concertgoers. Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy these masterworks from the cathedrals of Europe.