A Baroque Christmas
Seasonal works by Bach & Handel
Rideau Chorale with Orchestra
Maghan McPhee, Soprano
Dillon Parmer, Tenor
Matthew Larkin, Guest Conductor
Saturday December 11th, 2021 @ 7:30pm
Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Ave, Ottawa, ON
Visit the concert page for livestreaming information and the post-performance recording.
Contents
Program
A Word of Welcome
Program Notes
Program Texts
Biographies
Members of the Orchestra
Members of Rideau Chorale
Rideau Chorale Executive
Artistic Leadership
Special Acknowledgements
Donors & Sponsors
Program
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
From MESSIAH
Overture (Orchestra)
Recitative: Comfort ye (Tenor)
Aria: Every valley (Tenor)
Chorus: And the Glory of the Lord
Recitative: For behold, a virgin shall conceive (Soprano)
Chorus: For unto us a child is born
Pastoral Symphony (Orchestra)
Recitative: There were shepherds abiding in the field (Soprano)
Recitative: And lo, the angel (Soprano)
Recitative: And the angel said unto them (Soprano)
Recitative: And suddenly, there was with the angel (Soprano)
Chorus: Glory to God
Chorus: Hallelujah
[SHORT PAUSE – AUDIENCE ASKED TO REMAIN IN PLACE]
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
CANTATA BWV 191, “Gloria in excelsis Deo”
(Glory to God in the Highest)
Chorus: Gloria in excelsis Deo
Duet: Gloria Patri (Soprano and Tenor)
Chorus: Sicut erat in principio
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
From MASS in B MINOR, BWV 232
Chorus: Dona nobis pacem
A Word of Welcome
Dear Guests,
Welcome to A Baroque Christmas, Rideau Chorale’s first live concert in over two years! Like choirs everywhere, the pandemic seriously hampered the ability to sing together, let alone perform. The fact that we are here tonight, joined by gifted professional soloists and instrumentalists from the Ottawa-Gatineau region, is a testament to the passion and tenacity of our members who have worked hard and with all the constraints COVID protocols have entailed to be once again ready to sing for an audience. It is also a testament to the inspiring leadership and vision of the talented Matthew Larkin, our Guest Music Director and Conductor for this season. We are extremely grateful to our Founding Music Director Roland Graham, who introduced us to this beautiful music and led us up to and through the challenging days of on-line rehearsals, and to our Accompanist Carson Becke. Add to this stellar group of individuals our audio and video support, our wonderful team of volunteers, our generous donors and local corporate sponsors, and finally, you, the audience. Together we are the community which, through music, we reunite and celebrate today.
Since its origins in 2015, Rideau Chorale has performed a series of acclaimed choral works for the community, including Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Our next concert is planned for March 26, 2022 and will feature A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms. We continue to welcome aspiring choristers from the Ottawa-Gatineau region and rely on audience turnout and the support of generous patrons to keep the music alive. I invite you to check out the choir’s website – www.rideauchorale.com – for news, updates, and details on how you can help support our music and efforts.
I truly hope that you enjoy tonight’s performance as we celebrate our return to live performance and the sharing of this beautiful joyous music with you.
Elizabeth Tromp
Chair, Rideau Chorale Executive
Program Notes
Prophecy is a constant in the Christian season of Advent. By now, we’re nearly at the three-quarter pole, as far as the Sundays are concerned. For those paying attention, the scriptural narrative – common to several faith traditions – of these late autumnal days has real resonance for our own time (indeed, as it does for every generation). As a career church musician (and I count my career as beginning on my first day as a boy chorister fifty years ago), I’ve thought about this a lot. In my mind, never have these Advent mysteries spoken as clearly as they do now.
Thumbing through the Old Testament books – and by this I mean the prophetic ones – I arrive at Isaiah. His words are so familiar, and even comforting. But when the Kingdom he speaks of actually comes, will that actually be comforting for us? Or is our habit of projecting our own needs and wants on to any prophecy we read or hear deafening us to those very words that are sent to enlighten?
Perhaps the music can help us sort this out.
Soon after the pandemic was declared, there was a very significant webinar, hosted by Chorus America and other professional music organizations, which was attended by thousands of subscribers (me included). In this, one expert guest after another confirmed our worst fears: singing (and many other kinds of music-making) contributes substantially to the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. A handful of examples were cited, and these were repeated widely in media circles. Every so often, a syndicated publication or news service would reference this choir practice, or that performance, with the message: group singing is dangerous. And it’s not just dangerous to the singers, but to the audiences, the family members, and the people on the bus going home. Churches and academic institutions fell into line: hymn books removed from pews; concerts and sessions postponed, then cancelled. Organizations that advocate for the performing arts fell silent. The music stopped everywhere at once. The “new normal” utterances echo in my head, and this would all have been difficult to believe had it not actually happened.
Choirs (like the one you’ve come to hear tonight) have tried their best to cope. Communities often express their best selves in choirs, and to lose that connection with one’s fellow choristers, friends, and neighbours has been – let’s face it – an unhappy experience. Thus began Zoom rehearsals and virtual choir efforts: fun, at first, for the IT-literate, but they got old really fast. As the daily numbers waxed and waned, talk of “September 2021” began, as a time it will all start back up again. We’ll have vaccines! All will be well. Whichever of that ended up being true, we’re here tonight for the first time in nearly two years. I know we’re all pretty thankful.
“Part the First” of Handel’s Messiah is a musical setting of biblical verses selected by the librettist Charles Jennens, chiefly from two sources: the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, and the New Testament Gospeller, St. Luke. Handel’s oratorios are divided into theatrical “scenes”, and in the first of these, Isaiah tells us in Chapter 35:1-10 to be comforted, because the day of God is at hand. The future (and as yet unborn) voice of John the Baptist is heard, as a “voice crying in the wilderness”, and all the injustices of the world are to be redressed in the form of the mountains being laid low, and the rough places being made plain. In this way, the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. And then, two scenes later, Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the kingdom that is to be (this comes, perhaps counter-intuitively, from earlier in his account – Chapter 9:6,7), and tells that “a Child will be born for us, and a Son given”. The child’s manger will thus become a throne, and his kingship will be that of the Prince of Peace.
From there, Handel and Jennens craft a fourth scene, where the words of St. Luke’s account begin in his second chapter: the shepherds are in their fields, tending their flocks, when suddenly, an host of angels compass them about, and announce that the Kingdom is near. The resulting acceptance of this news gives way to the Book of Revelation, where St. John the Divine tells us that the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth, and will do so for ever and ever. This story is masterfully told through the interweaving of orchestral, instrumental playing, the contribution of our soloists, and the singing of the choir. In this, we’ve condensed the Advent pageantry of this masterwork into a smaller number of movements. That may be practical in one sense, but the listener’s imaginations ought not to be thus diminished.
Isaiah has several messages for us, and they are worth hearing: the world is always changing, and we will change with it. Contemporary commentary has that much right, but in my opinion, the framing is often wrong. It’s not about what we “can’t” do as a community. It’s about what we “can”. The prophet tells us that the new world is just over the horizon, and in a way, it’s always been here if we would but watch and listen. There is an open gate, and it’s open to everyone. If God can humble himself to be a little child, surely we can follow that child into a new way of living. And a way of living in which the sacred communion of music-making is more precious than ever.
The great Bach didn’t set texts in Latin very often, and the association of the Gloria in excelsis canticle with Cantata BWV 191 is unclear (in terms of when, exactly, it was done). All three movements are borrowed from the second full section of the composer’s Mass in B minor (BWV 232), which was composed at various times between the late 1720s and 1740s. The Cantata offers up Luke’s account of the angels appearing in the sky, and if we imagine for a moment in our mind’s eye and ear what that revelation might have been like (or would be like if we were to encounter the angelic band on the way home from the concert), it may well have sounded similar to this! And, to close, the Latin prayer for peace in our hearts forms the final offering of tonight, which is excerpted, as well, from the Mass in B minor. It is the perfect combination of old and new choral styles and textures, as the great master Bach would have understood them to be.
I want to lift up the work of the Rideau Chorale’s leadership team, and to acknowledge the profound and considerable efforts they have gone to in creating a safe rehearsal and concert environment for all participants. We all owe them a tremendous debt of thanks for all the thoughtful and assiduous planning, care, and faithfulness they have shown in bringing this remarkable choir back to the stage.
Of course, none of this would have been possible had not Roland Graham founded the choir in the first place. From the early days at the Folklore Centre, through many triumphant concerts and productions, Roland has led this group from strength to strength. I have always admired his energy, ingenuity, musicianship, sense of community, and skill, and I am grateful to be standing in for him this year. To those joining us for this musical and community celebration tonight, I do not exaggerate when I say it would not be possible without you. On behalf of the choir, thank you for your support, and may the festive season be transformatively yours.
Matthew Larkin
Guest Music Director & Conductor, Rideau Chorale
Program Texts
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
From MESSIAH
Overture (Orchestra)
Recitative: Comfort ye (Tenor)
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness; prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
(Isaiah 40: 1-3)
Aria: Every valley (Tenor)
Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain.
(Isaiah 40: 4)
Chorus: And the Glory of the Lord
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
(Isaiah 40: 5)
Recitative: For behold, a virgin shall conceive (Soprano)
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us.
(Isaiah 7: 14; Matthew 1: 23)
Chorus: For unto us a child is born
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9: 6)
Pastoral Symphony (Orchestra)
Recitative: There were shepherds abiding in the field (Soprano)
There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
(Luke 2: 8)
Recitative: And lo, the angel (Soprano)
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
(Luke 2: 9)
Recitative: And the angel said unto them (Soprano)
And the angel said unto them: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
(Luke 2: 10-11)
Recitative: And suddenly, there was with the angel (Soprano)
And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying:
(Luke 2: 13)
Chorus: Glory to God
“Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men.”
(Luke 2: 14)
Chorus: Hallelujah
Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
(Revelation 19: 6)
The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.
(Revelation 11: 15)
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
(Revelation 19: 16)
Hallelujah!
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
CANTATA BWV 191, “Gloria in excelsis Deo”
(Glory to God in the Highest)
Chorus: Gloria in excelsis Deo
Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will towards people.
Duet: Gloria Patri (Soprano and Tenor)
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Chorus: Sicut erat in principio
Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum, amen.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
From MASS in B MINOR, BWV 232
Chorus: Dona nobis pacem
Dona Nobis Pacem
Give us peace
Biographies
Matthew Larkin, Guest Music Director & Conductor
Matthew Larkin was born in Oxford, England, and spent his childhood years in Kingston, Ontario. He was educated at Lord Strathcona School, and received his early musical training as a chorister at St. George’s Cathedral, later serving as assistant organist. He attended the University of Toronto as organ scholar of Trinity College, where he was a student of John Tuttle, and subsequently the Royal College of Music.
One of Canada’s most influential liturgical musicians, he has held appointments in Toronto (St. James Cathedral and St. Thomas’s Church), Ottawa (Christ Church Cathedral and St. Matthew’s Church), and Victoria (the Church of St. John the Divine), and was director of music at Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa, for fifteen years.
Active as a choral director and conductor, he founded the Caelis Academy Ensemble and has served as musical director of a number of other noteworthy Canadian ensembles, including the Ottawa Choral Society.
He has appeared as soloist with several of Canada’s orchestras, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, and the Victoria Symphony. His recital work has taken him worldwide, and his collaborative projects have produced commercially successful recordings on several labels, including his most recent release on the ATMA Classique label. He is conversant in a number of musical genres, and is well-known as a composer, arranger, and educator.
Matthew is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists and has served as a member of its Examinations Committee. He currently serves as Custodian for Music at St. Andrew’s Church in Ottawa, dividing his time between there and Toronto, and is engaged with conducting, recital, recording, collaborative, and live-streaming projects. Matthew Larkin is represented by Domoney Artists Management.
Maghan McPhee, Soprano
The soaring voice of Maghan McPhee’s soprano has been described as “brilliant, with warm lyricism” (Times Argus). Signature roles include Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen, and Berta in Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia where she made her mark and “immediately had the public holding their breath during her brief but remarkable solo”. (LeDroit)
Highlights of past performances include her debut at Carnegie Hall and her solo performances on the NAC stage in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Handel’s Messiah.
Ms. McPhee is a highly sought after vocalist for new works. She has premiered many works by established composers such as Monica Pearce and will be performing eight new works by emerging composers at the East Chamber Music Festival. (Jan 2022)
Maghan is as passionate about teaching voice as she is with singing and founded BIIMA, a safe-haven music academy in the Italian Alps, inspiring artistic growth for all involved. Roland Graham joined BIIMA with his choral workshop in 2019. Maghan holds an online and in-person studio in Ottawa and teaches for Carleton University.
Dillon Parmer, Tenor
Audiences always welcome tenor Dillon Parmer for a voice that “breathes warmth and lyricism”. Critics have praised his performances as “particularly rewarding,” “finely honed”, and “outstanding”. Mr. Parmer has been a guest soloist with many groups in the National Capital region, Toronto, and Montreal. He is a versatile artist with over 75 operatic, oratorio, and concert roles ranging from Monteverdi to the present in both the standard repertoire and avant grade.
Excited to be performing again after so many months of lockdown, Mr. Parmer is thrilled to make his comeback with the Rideau Chorale and Matthew Larkin. Upcoming performances for 2022 include Mahler Das Lied von der Erde and Mozart’s Idomeneo both in Toronto.
Carson Becke, Accompanist
Canadian pianist Carson Becke has performed worldwide. He holds a doctorate in musicology from the University of Oxford, and is the director of Pontiac Enchanté, a concert series in Quebec. His recordings can be heard on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube.
He forms one half of Duo Octavian, a two-piano ensemble that he co-founded with fellow pianist Suren Barry in 2016. Duo Octavian seeks to expand the two-piano repertoire with their own arrangements of various works and with arrangements/commissions by other performers/composers.
Carson is committed to raising awareness about climate change and other environmental challenges through music. He is enacting those ideas through his directorship of the Pontiac Enchanté concert series: environmental sustainability is one of the cornerstones of its mission.
Carson lived in the United Kingdom for fifteen years: first in London, and then in Oxford. In 2019 he moved home to Ottawa, Canada, where he currently lives with his partner Madeline, and their dog Jerry.
Roland Graham, Founding Music Director
A musician with an array of artistic talents, Roland Graham is an accomplished pianist, conductor, composer, and impresario. He is the Director of Music at Southminster United Church, as well as the founder and Artistic Director of both the Doors Open for Music at Southminster and Concerts by the Canal series, as well as the Master Piano Recital Series.
Roland has conducted the Rideau Chorale since its formation in 2015. He began his choral training as a boy chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, Ontario, and subsequently enjoyed formative experiences with the St. Matthew’s Choir of Men and Boys, the Ontario Youth Choir, the Anglican Chorale of Ottawa, and various other ensembles in the National Capital Region.
Roland holds a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Ottawa where he studied piano performance with Jean Desmarais, and a master’s degree from the Université de Montréal where he studied piano interpretation with Jimmy Brière and Marc Durand.
Roland is on sabbatical for the 2021-22 Season.
Members of the Orchestra
Violin 1: Adam Nelson, Ioan Harea
Violin 2: Galina Rezaeipour, George Stathopoulos
Viola 1: Caren Abramoff
Viola 2: Jolani Domitrovits
Cello: Gabriela Ruiz
Bass: Vicente García
Flute: Pascale Margely, Jeffrey Miller
Oboes: Frederic Hodgson, Kira Shiner
Bassoon: Orlando Corabian
Trumpets: Sean van Gulik, Christa Lowry, Renee Lavoie
Percussion: Zac Pulak
Members of Rideau Chorale
Soprano: Lucia Marc, Anne-Christine Bonfils, Rhona Einbinder-Miller, Hilary Esmonde-White, Irenka Farmilo, Sylvia Grambart, Paula Hurtig, Frances Isaac, Aditi Magdalena, Anne McGorrian, Inara Moeser, Annick Morin, An Ngo, Krisha Séguin, Elizabeth Tromp, Anna van Holst Pellekaan, Susanna Wiens, Dorothy Wood, Allison Woyiwada
Alto: Mary Wilson, Robin Allison, Elspeth Butterworth, Hélène Caron, Janice Gray, Isabella Grigoroff, Natalia Jaworska, Angela Kelly, Monika Rahman, Susan Rich, Susan Robertson, Pamela Robinson, Linda Russell
Tenor: Tug Williams, Guy Bujold, Lawrence S. Cumming, Morgan Hassell, Michael Koros, Janice Manchee, David Oliver, Nick Savage
Bass: Marty McCurdy, Donald Leek, Greg Lopinski, Benjamin Mallory, Samuel Mennier, Geoffrey Oliver, Mark Olo, Ralph Osterwoldt, Archibald Ritter
Rideau Chorale Executive
Chair: Elizabeth Tromp
Treasurer: Robin Allison
Membership Coordinator: Linda Russell
Secretary: Greg Lopinski
Member-At-Large: Rhona Einbinder-Miller
Artistic Leadership
Guest Music Director & Conductor: Matthew Larkin
Accompanist: Carson Becke
Founding Music Director: Roland Graham
Special Acknowledgements
Rideau Chorale and its members respectfully acknowledge that the land on which we gather, rehearse and perform our music is the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People. We are grateful to have the opportunity to be present in, and to perform on, this land.
Volunteers
Rosmarie Gerber and her team – Front of House operations
Patricia Wilson – graphics
Emily Walpole, Natalia Jaworska, Monika Rahman – website
Monika Rahman – social media
Janice Manchee – sponsorship, fundraising and communications
An Ngo – staging
Anna van Holst Pellekaan- Choir Marshall
Hilary Esmonde-White – program compilation
Sylvia Grambart, Paula Hurtig, Dorothy Wood – COVID protocol support
Hélène Caron – ticket sales
Additional Credits
Mike Mullin – audio & video
Reid Smith – technical support
Donors & Sponsors
Donors
Rideau Chorale wishes to acknowledge the generosity of our valued donors in helping us to present this concert. Gifts such as these make it possible for the choir to cover the considerable costs involved. If you are interested in making a donation (tax-deductible), you can donate by clicking the “Donate” button below or learn more on our website.
*donations powered by canadahelps.org (learn more).
Sponsors
We would also like to thank the Ottawa businesses whose generous sponsorships have supported this concert. We encourage you to patronize our sponsors and let them know that you appreciate their support of Rideau Chorale.
Business Sponsors
Community Sponsors
Avenue Lock & Security
Penelope Jones & Co.
