Connecticut Master Chorale

Our program opens with a brilliant and rousing arrangement of This Is the Day the Lord Has Made. To celebrate Thanksgiving, we offer a unique and new spirited hymn fantasia on Now Thank We All Our God. Next comes Beautiful Savior, a gorgeous 8 part setting of this timeless favorite which ends each performance of the renowned St. Olaf Choir. A Rhapsody of Christmas is a joyful and effective Christmas medley incorporating four familiar carols. What Sweeter Music by John Rutter is an exceptionally lovely original carol.

The first half of our program ends with Z. Randall Stroope’s exuberant cantata Hodie! This three movement work opens with a lively rendition of Christus Natus est Hodie! ("Christ is Born Today") in 7/8 time. The second movement begins with a chant, then slowly builds to a terrific climax proclaiming Salvator Apparuit ("the Saviour Appears"). The final movement starts with a choral fanfare, then progresses to an exciting rhythmic setting of Gloria in Excelsis Deo. Then the resounding theme from Bach’s Wachet Auf ("Sleepers Wake") is introduced, culminating in a spectacular finale.

Empire of the Sun is among the many film scores written by John Williams. The film is about World War II as seen through the eyes of a nine year old boy who has been separated from his parents. Exsultate Justi is the rousing song of rejoicing heard at the conclusion of the movie when the war is over and the boy has been reunited with his parents. Also heard in the movie is the beautiful Suo Gan ("Soothing Song" arranged by K. Lee Scott) based on a Welsh Lullaby. How Many Morning? is a rhythmic African folk-style song of celebration. Our tenor and bass sections are featured in a lush arrangement of the traditional American song How Can I Keep from Singing – and the soprano and alto sections are highlighted in a novel a cappella arrangement of the Trinidad carol The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy. Next we offer Ocho Kandelikas (eight candles) – a Ladino song for Hanukkah traditionally sung by the Hebrew people of Turkey and the Slavic countries. We close our program with Go Tell It on the Mountain by Philip Kern. This sensational new arrangement with piano, brass and percussion plus a rhythmic a cappella section, incorporates modulating keys and builds to a powerful finish – guaranteed to send you home on a high note!