In November we showcase, for the first time, a choral masterpiece by Venetian composer Antonio Lotti. Little known today, Lotti was a prominent figure in his day: Bach, Handel, and Zelenka admired his work greatly. All three composers had manuscript copies of Lotti’s Missa Sapientiae. Zelenka arranged it for his own use in Dresden, Handel borrowed from it, and it is thought that this piece was inspiration for Bach’s own great Mass in B-Minor. Lotti Revealed aims to show Lotti’s significance in the baroque musical world by pairing his glorious Mass with music by his more familiar colleagues.
We are also thrilled to be collaborating once again with Canadian composer James Rolfe, who will add his own unique and contemporary look at the 18th–century sacred music on this program. I’m delighted to add that we will be highlighting soloists from within our talented choir.
In March, we continue our ongoing Bach cycle with his St John Passion, last performed by Tafelmusik in 2015. Dramatic, visceral, passionate, and tender by turn, the St John Passion reflects our world as well as Bach’s. We are thrilled to welcome Canadians Jana Miller, soprano, and Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano, as well as tenor Charles Daniels, and baritone William Sharp for our performances at Koerner Hall.
We’ll end the season with the return of our popular A Handel Celebration, a “pasticcio” which I originally curated for Tafelmusik Chamber Choir’s 20th anniversary season. It includes some of my favourite choruses and airs for soprano and tenor from Handel’s oratorios. In all his theatrical music, Handel responded to the drama and beauty of the world around him by creating music that explores the full spectrum of human experience.
You’ll hear it all in this concert, which features soloists Amanda Forsythe and Thomas Hobbs, who won us over with their radiant singing last season in Handel’s Alexander’s Feast. I’m also excited to announce that this concert will be recorded live for release on our Tafelmusik Media label—the first collaboration between Elisa Citterio and myself on a recording project.
Image Credits
Chamber Choir by Cylla von Tiedemann
Water Jewels, Claire Ross
Kathryn Hosier, detail, Karolina Kuras
Peaches and Hydrangeas After G.G., Paulette Tavormina