The sound of some of the most beautiful and uplifting carols and festive songs from around the world is drifting from The J right now as Noosa Chorale practises for its duo of “Peace and Joy” Christmas concerts next month.
Eighteen classics, some from Norway, Sweden, the U.S. and U.K, will make the concerts something to remember—a time to remind us of the joy in our lives and to cherish the hope for peace in the world.
From Sweden, comes the gentle “Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul”, with its message of the eternal yearning for light and peace. Singing in Swedish has opened up a new challenge but luckily for the choir soprano Marianne Seldon’s native Norwegian has helped to pronounce the somewhat similar Scandinavian sounds.
The contemporary composer Ola Gjeilo is also from Norway but now lives in the USA from where he wrote his gentle, lyrical setting of “Ecce Novum”, reflecting the wonder of the Christmas story.
Also, from the northern hemisphere where winter inspires people to seek the light, composer Jacob Narverud brings us his heartwarming melodic style with “Season of Light.”
Good cheer and toe-tapping good times come alive in “Holiday Tango” by Greg Gilpin, and even Tchaikovsky gets into the spirit as his “Nutcracker Suite” is borrowed in a rather surprising way.
This is the seventeenth year of the Chorale’s Christmas concerts and there is a feeling among choir members who go back a long way that the music selection has rarely been bettered.
Credit for this belongs to Chorale music director Kim Kirkman’s partner Paige Allen. Paige sings with the sopranos and is a member of several Sunshine Coast choirs. She was invited by the Chorale committee to put the programme together.
“I have a soft spot for Scandinavian Christmas music and I wanted to keep the peace theme, bring in classical pieces but with a new twist. The committee also said it was willing to do works in a different language and I thought, ‘Ah, finally, a choir that wants to do Swedish and I became very excited. We are also very lucky to have Marianne.’”
Paige described the programme as being a mix of “classy works, some gentle, some beautiful and a few in there for a bit of fun. I like a mixture of things in different styles—works that everyone knows but with new life.”
And Chorale audiences who love carols like “O Come All Ye Faithful will as usual will be invited to sing-a-long with the choir.
Noosa Chorale’s “Peace and Joy” at the J, Friday Dec 13 at 7pm and Saturday Dec 14 at 2pm. Tickets $48. Book now at 07 5329 6560 and www.the j.com.au
