The Sunshine Coast’s renowned Oriana Choir will be presenting Mozart’s Requiem May 15 at The Events Centre Caloundra and May 16 at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane City.
Conducted by internationally acclaimed choral and orchestral director, Andrew Wailes, the choir will be joined by Sinfonia of St Andrew’s and soloists Elisabeth Wallis Gaedtke, Soprano, Anne Fulton, Alto, Philip Prendergast, Tenor, and Shaun Brown, Bass.
The choir and orchestra will also present Sunrise Mass, a stunning modern sacred work by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. The combined program is a reflection of current times with the Sunrise Mass depicting hope, peace and light in a dawning world and the Requiem mourning for all that has been lost.
The Mozart Requiem was the grand master’s final composition. Left incomplete at Mozart’s death, the Requiem has always been surrounded by mystery and intrigue sparking numerous romantic exaggerations.
A lucrative commission by an anonymous stranger – portrayed as a herald of the composer’s own premature death – led to many tales and stories in the nineteenth century and became the basis for dramatic works on Mozart’s life in the twentieth century. While the reality is somewhat more prosaic, the Requiem itself remains one of the most intimate, fervent and profound of Mozart’s works.
“Andrew’s knowledge of composers and classical music knows no bounds,” said Melissa Innes, President of Oriana referring to Wailes, Oriana’s seasonal Musical Director, who is travelling from Melbourne and his regular engagement with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic to conduct Oriana for select weekend rehearsals, in addition to the direction of the concerts in May.
“During rehearsals he shares many anecdotal gems from history and his personal interpretation of the music, and from his own performance experience.
“The works spring to life with Andrew bringing context, meaning and significance to the music.”
Oriana’s regular patrons will remember Ola Gjeilo’s exquisite Sunrise Mass from the choir’s highly acclaimed 2017 present.
This evocative and captivating modern mass paints a series of emotional landscapes, combining voice and strings to create a sublime musical experience. Listeners are taken on a journey from the starry heavens to the darkest emotions of human existence.
Tickets for the 7pm May 15 concert at The Events Centre, Caloundra can be purchased through the venue (theeventscentre.com.au phone: 5491 4240). For St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane on May 16 at 1:30pm, visit trybooking.com. For enquiries phone 0431 542 343 or email info@oriana.org.au. For all the details visit oriana.org.au.
