After previous successful exchanges in 2011, 2014 and 2017, the Glasgow Chamber Choir come to the Netherlands for the fourth time in March 2020 for joint concerts with the St. Joris Chamber Choir. At the last minute we unfortunately had to cancel the performances in Amersfoort and Amsterdam and later in Glasgow for the well-known reason in 2020. This, of course, to the great disappointment of all involved.However, we quickly decided that ‘postponement’ is different from ‘cancellation’ and that is why we have re-programmed them for the spring of 2023.

The monumental Messe in e-moll by Anton Bruckner for eight-part choir and fifteen woodwind and brass instruments is again the main part of the programme. Bruckner wrote this mass in 1866 on the occasion of the construction of the votive chapel of the new cathedral in Linz; the mass sounded for the first time in 1869, in the open air and under the direction of the composer.

In addition to this mass, three transcriptions for eight to no fewer than sixteen voice choir by Clytus Gottwald (1925-2023) of songs by Gustav Mahler will be performed. Gottwald’s choral arrangements are also characterized as recreating the beautiful sounds of the instruments in question to the unique qualities of the human voice (Clytus Gottwald passed away on January 18 at the blessed age of 97).

And as a contrast to all these late 19th-century choral works, the choirs each perform a work by the Scottish composer James MacMillan (*1959): the St. Joris Chamber Choir with its setting on Psalm 51 ‘Miserere’ from 2009 (which also fits well during this Lent) and the Glasgow Chamber Choir with the composition ‘Who shall separate us’ (written last year for and performed during the funeral ceremony of Queen Elisabeth II).

In anticipation of the joint performances in Glasgow next April, the GCC has also scheduled Ralph Vaughan William’s ‘Three Shakespeare Songs’.

The arrangements for wind instruments by our choir member Frits Gombert on orchestral works by Anton Bruckner provide a few instrumental interludes.

The complete program:

Anton Bruckner/arr. Fritz Gombert:
March in D minor (WAB 96)
From Drei Orchesterstücke (WAB 97): No. 1 – Moderato and No. 3 – Andante con moto

James MacMillan – Miserere (*)

Ralph Vaughan Williams – Three Shakespeare Songs (**)

James MacMillan – Who shall separate us (**)

Gustav Mahler/Clytus Gottwald:
from: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen: nr. 4 ‘Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz’
from: Des Knaben Wunderhorn: no. 13 ‘Urlicht’ from: Rückertlieder: nr. 4 ‘Ich bin der Welt abhanden komommen’

Anton Bruckner – Messe in e-moll (WAB 27), for eight-part choir and winds:

(*) SJKK only

(**) GCC only