Works by Palestrina, Lassus, Byrd, Victoria, Clemens non Papa

Participants:
Cantemus Choir of Nyíregyháza
Conducted by Soma Szabó and Dénes Szabó

The programme for the opening concert of our choir season is eternal love for the singers of Cantemus. Since childhood, we have lived and grown up under the spell of Renaissance vocal polyphony, and it is with performances of these works that we have perhaps enjoyed our greatest successes. Our Lacrimae (Tears) programme brings the most wonderful treasures of this musical world to the audience, for the masterpieces of the greatest Renaissance composers are inexhaustible and eternal. The secret that lies within them offers an unforgettable experience for both singers and audiences.

GIUSEPPE VERDI: REQUIEM

Miskolc Symphony Orchestra
Cantemus Choir

Soloist:
Létay Kiss Gabriella – soprano
Atala Schöck – alto
Heiko Börner – tenor
Dani Dávid – bass

Conductor: Levente Török

At the age of 60, Giuseppe Verdi, considered an aging opera composer, surprised his contemporaries by writing an instrumental work: in 1873 he composed his String Quartet in E minor, and a year later, not an opera but a funeral mass was also produced. The Messa da Requiem was completed in 1874 and was immediately premiered in the Cathedral of San Marco in Milan, to great acclaim. After its premiere in Italy, a rapid succession of European successes followed, and Verdi’s funeral Mass has enjoyed unbroken popularity ever since. And for good reason. The master did not lie to himself. He strove for a direct, captivating operatic expression and accessible melody. ‘Another Verdi opera, this time in a churchly guise’, Hans von Bülow wryly observed. “Only a genius could write such a work”, wrote Brahms in response to the above comment. They were both right. Originally, the work was to have been written for the death of Gioachino Rossini, a man Verdi greatly admired, in 1868, and the composer had intended that each movement of the Requiem should have been composed by a different composer, without any payment. The great collaboration came to nothing because of jealousy and indifference between the composers. But Verdi did not give up. The final impetus to write the complete work came with the death of Alessandro Manzoni, one of the greatest poets of Italian Romanticism and a leading figure of the Risorgimento.

HUNGARIAN CULTURE DAY

Cantemus Children’s Choir, Pro Musica Girls’ Choir, Cantemus Mixed Choir
Conducted by Soma Szabó and Dénes Szabó

The third concert of our choral ensemble pays tribute to our national culture. The Day of Hungarian Culture is now a regular feature of our season, as the performance of contemporary works of Hungarian culture has become a significant part of the rich repertoire of our choirs. As Kodály said, “Culture cannot be inherited. The culture of one’s predecessors will evaporate if each generation does not acquire it again and again.” The concert will also feature choral works that are the latest in contemporary Hungarian choral culture and will hopefully become part of the international choral repertoire as well as the national repertoire.

CARNIVAL CONCERT

Cantemus Choir of Nyíregyháza
Conducted by Soma Szabó and Dénes Szabó

At the fourth concert of our choir series, the main focus will be on the joyfulness of the choir. From the youngest to the oldest members of the choir family, everyone will have the chance to show off their talents. A colourful, carnivalesque, true festival atmosphere will ensure that by the end of the concert, the audience will have forgotten their woes and celebrated the celebration of the winter wonderland.

LEVENTE GYÖNGYÖSI: TENEBRAE RESPONSORIA

Cantemus Mixed Choir
Conducted by: Szabó Soma

On Holy Week, which begins with the commemoration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on the Feast of the Holy Sepulchre, liturgical rituals recall the final events of Christ’s life on earth, reliving the story of the Passion of the Redeemer in the present tense. The texts of the responsories for the period from the betrayal and arrest of Jesus to his burial and mourning, Good Thursday, Good Friday and Good Saturday, are accordingly drawn partly from the Passion narratives, partly from the lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah, and other biblical excerpts. Levente Gyöngyösi, one of the leading figures in contemporary Hungarian choral music, who has already demonstrated his exceptional talent with his works, gives new musical expression to these dramatic texts. He has dedicated many of his compositions to Cantemus choirs, and the Cantemus Choir will sing the premiere of his latest masterpiece at this concert. This time, the first of the three-part, large-scale compositions will be performed in the first of the nine movements of the Maundy Thursday Responsories.