By Pat Curry, Special to The Augusta Press
Every year, the Augusta Choral Society kicks off its season with the choral masterwork equivalent of a blockbuster, such as Haydn’s “The Creation” or “Carmina Burana.” The goal is to provide not only something the audience will enjoy hearing, but also works the singers will enjoy singing.
For this Saturday’s opening concert of the choral society’s 71st season, Artistic Director J. Porter Stokes has selected two very different pieces, one instantly recognizable and another that many patrons may not have heard before. The group’s 60 singers and four soloists will be accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra.
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The evening will begin with “Requiem” by the 20th-century French composer Maurice Duruflé, who wrote the work in memory of his father, who died shortly after the liberation of Paris in 1945.
“Given its genesis in the turmoil of the Second World War, it dwells on themes not of strife, anger and recrimination, but those of peace and joy,” Stokes said. “The Duruflé may suffer from some recent bias relative to other ‘blockbuster’ requiems, but I think it’s among the 20th century’s finest examples. Additionally, I think many would argue that it’s foremost in terms of pure melodic and harmonic beauty of the great requiem settings.”
After a short intermission, the performance will conclude with one of the great choral masterpieces of all time, the choral finale of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, commonly known as “Ode to Joy.” The first symphony by a major composer to include voices, the piece will be sung in the original German and will feature four soloists recruited by Augusta University piano professor Rosalyn Floyd, the Augusta Choral Society’s long-time accompanist. The soloists are soprano Indra Thomas, mezzo Alexis Davis-Hazell, tenor Johnnie Felder, and bass Ramelle Brooks.
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Stokes described the Beethoven as a “180” from the Duruflé, which he said is “very tonal, almost jazzy at times, but it’s very listenable and tuneful. (The Beethoven is) “powerful, forceful, sometimes reckless. Both selections, individually and together, present a constant barrage of new and exciting moments.”
The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 605 Reynolds St., Augusta. Doors open at 7. General admission tickets are $15 to $35, available at augustacs.org or at the door. Call 706-826-4713.
