The Angel and the Alchemist, detail, anon woodcut in “Musaeum hermeticum reformatum” (Hermannum a Sande, 1677), National Library of Medicine
“Full many a glorious morning have I seen Flatter the mountain tops with sovereign eye,
Kissing with golden face the meadows green, Gilding pale streams with heav’nly alchemy”
— Willam Shakespeare, Sonnet 33 —
Shakespeare describes how the morning light performs a “heavenly alchemy” on the landscape. He refers to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the transformation of base metals into gold. The voices of individual singers are like base metals, which, given the right circumstances, undergo a seemingly magical transformation into a choral sound of pure gold. Join us for an afternoon of extraordinary choral music in the historic Mandeville Hall. After the concert, you are invited for a glass of wine in the Oak Parlour or on the terrace.
Henry Purcell Thou knowest Lord the secrets of our hearts
Moya Henderson In Paradisum (1996)
Claudio Monteverdi Sì, ch’io vorrei morrire
Giaches deWert Cara la vita mia
Claudio Merulo Missa Cara la Vita Mia
Samuel Barber Reincarnations Opus 16, Nos.1 to 3
Gordon Kerry Alchemy (first performance)
Felix Mendelssohn Lift thine eyes; Denn er hat seinen Engeln
Johann Sebastian Bach Komm, Jesu, komm
Detailed Program Notes
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[gigpress_shows tour=37]