ETERNITY IN AN HOUR

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Tonight’s musical journey follows the arc of the Requiem Mass as we trace a path from lamentation to light during this customarily ascetic season of the church calendar. The solemn and hushed tones of the opening works will give way to optimistic prayers for peace and mercy, ending with visions of light and eternal life – all offering some comfort (we hope) in the face of our own personal trials and mortality.

 

Mad Rush – Philip Glass (b. 1937, United States)

• This piece was written as a prelude to honour the visit of the Dalai Lama to North America in 1979. It was required to be “of indeterminate length” as it was not known how long would be needed for all the guests to file into the venue! The opening texture of three-beats-against-two and the running semiquaver passages, almost tripping over themselves, lend the piece its name.
• One of the most influential composers of the late 20th century, Glass’s music has been associated with minimalism although he prefers to refer to himself as a composer of “music with repetitive structures”. We have sung much of his music before, notably at In The Dark :: Górecki/Glass at the Youngblood Gallery in 2018 and at the Norval Foundation in 2019.

 

The Evening Primrose – Benjamin Britten (1913–1976, England)

• This beautiful poem was written by the English poet John Clare (1793–1864) who was celebrated for his descriptions of the English countryside. In this poem, he captures the ephemeral beauty of a flower that blooms only at night.
• This piece is a throwback to the complete set of Flower Songs by Benjamin Britten that we sang as part of our recital of the same name at the UCT Irma Stern Museum in 2019.

When once the sun sinks in the west,
And dewdrops pearl the evening’s breast;
Almost as pale as moonbeams are,
Or its companionable star,
The evening primrose opes anew
Its delicate blossoms to the dew;
And, hermit-like, shunning the light,
Wastes its fair bloom upon the night,
Who, blindfold to its fond caresses,
Knows not the beauty it possesses;
Thus it blooms on while night is by;
When day looks out with open eye,
Bashed at the gaze it cannot shun,
It faints and withers and is gone.

 

Requiem Aeternam I – Herbert Howells (1892–1983, England)

• This is the second movement of the Requiem by Herbert Howells, a work that was only published in 1981. But it is a reinvention of material that he previously wrote for his enormous orchestral and choral work called Hymnus Paradisi, composed in memory of his nine-year-old son, Michael, who died of polio.

Requiem aeternam dona ets, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat ets.

 

Translation:

Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
and may perpetual light shine on them.

 

The Edge of Night – Billy Boyd, from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

• This fragment of melody written by Billy Boyd, the actor who played Pippin in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), is reminiscent of the baritone melody in the piece which follows it. In the film, the Steward of Gondor, residing in the capital Minas Tirith, asks the humble hobbit Pippin to sing for him while he eats. At the same time, the Steward’s son Faramir makes a futile attempt to retake the nearby city of Osgiliath, as requested by his father. The film devastatingly juxtaposes the relative opulence and comfort of the leader’s seat, far away from those suffering on the front line.
• The soloist this evening is Bevan Timm.

Home is behind, the world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow, to the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Mist and shadow
Cloud and shade
Hope shall fade
All shall fade

 

Lord Jesus, Think On Me – Bradley Burgess (b. 1986, South Africa)

• The words are by Bishop Synesius (c. 365–414), a philosopher who occupied a fascinating position between the secular and the sacred.
• About the composer: Praised for his “virtuoso piano playing” and his ability to leave audiences “spellbound” (ClassicSA), Bradley Burgess enjoys a multifaceted career as a concert artist, educator, and church musician. He has appeared in recital in South Africa and across the United States, including performances in New York, Boston, St Louis and Cincinnati. Bradley recently returned to Cape Town after having been based in the United States for the past 15 years, during which he most recently served as Organist andChoirmaster at Church of the Nativity and as a chamber music coach for North Carolina Chamber Music Institute in Raleigh, NC. He also released his first album, J.S. Bach: Orgelbüchlein, under the RavenCD label. Bradley holds degrees in piano and organ from University of Cape Town, Manhattan School of Music, and Yale School of Music / Institute of Sacred Music, and was the winner of the Pick ‘n Pay / FMR Music Awards. More at bradley-burgess.com.
• We are delighted that composer is in the audience this evening! The soloists are Matt Beck and Evan Strauss.

Lord Jesus, think on me,

And purge away my sin;

From earthborn passions set me free,

And make me pure within.

 

Crucifixus – Antonio Lotti (1667–1740, Italy)

• Lotti was born in Venice and eventually became the organist at St Mark’s Basilica. Lotti’s music was incredibly influential amongst his contemporaries – both Handel and Bach knew of his compositions – and this is perhaps his best-known choral work. The eight vocal lines enter one at a time, building up a richly imitative opening section, with appropriate dissonances on the very visceral word ‘crucifixus’ – ‘crucified’.

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis; 
sub Pontio Pilato passus 
et sepultus est.

 

Translation:

He was crucified also for us, 
under Pontius Pilate he suffered 
and was buried.

 

The Beatitudes – Arvo Pärt (b. 1935, Estonia)

• In January this year, VOX joined Grant McLachlan for a lecture-recital at the UCT Summer School entitled Phases, Phrases, and Palindromes.
• The Beatitudes by Arvo Pärt is a magnificent setting of the blessings recounted by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount. It was completed in 1990 and is one of Pärt’s first settings of an English text. That piece takes on the quality of a meditative recitation. Each line of the text moves a chromatic step higher and we get a sense of gradually rising tension. After ascending a fifth, and reaching the climactic ‘Amen’, the process reverses in the final bars, with a sense of ‘unwinding’ in the organ. And so the piece ends where and how it began – in effect, a giant musical palindrome.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Amen.

 

Echoes From The Abyss – Hans Zimmer, from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

• This is a fabulous arrangement by Anna Lapwood of Davy Jones’s errie theme. It is played by Neil Robertson.

 

The Lamb and The Tyger – Sir John Tavener (1944–2013, England)

• Sir John Tavener was an English composer for whom Orthodox theology and liturgical traditions were a major influence.
• The Lamb and The Tyger are both settings of poems by William Blake, the English poet and painter who was most prolific around the turn of the 19th century. Perhaps his best-known output is his collection of illustrated poems Songs of Innocence and Experience from which these two poems come – the lamb representing innocence (naivety, vulnerability) and the tiger representing experience, adulthood, the loss of that innocence.
• John Tavener composed The Lamb in 1982 as a birthday present for his three-year nephew. It has an almost nursery rhyme-like quality to it, compared the vivid ferocity of The Tyger that follows: a pulsing, surging energy in the music befitting that most magnificent creature. Tavener’s compositional masterstroke in The Tyger is, during the most climactic and dazzling verse in that piece, to present a moving musical quotation from The Lamb – listen out for that.
• VOX’s very first public performance n 2016 was entitled Tave(r)ner and showcased the music of this holy minimalist composer along with his Renaissance namesake.

Little Lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee

Gave thee life and bid thee feed

By the stream and o’er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing, woolly, bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice?

Little Lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

 

Little Lamb, I’ll tell thee;

Little Lamb, I’ll tell thee;

He is called by thy name,

For He calls Himself a Lamb.

He is meek and He is mild,

He became a little child.

I, a child, and thou a Lamb,

We are called by His name.

Little Lamb, God bless thee!

Little Lamb, God bless thee!

Tyger, Tyger, burning bright

In the forests of the night:

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

 

In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

 

And what shoulder, and what art

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat

What dread hand and what dread feet?

 

What the hammer? What the chain

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? What dread grasp

Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

 

When the stars threw down their spears

And water’d heaven with their tears:

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

 

Tyger, Tyger, burning bright

In the forests of the night:

What immortal hand or eye

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

 

Ngothando – Mbuso Ndlovu (b. 1982, South Africa)

• Mbuso Ndlovu is a respected music director, composer and arranger, educator and entrepreneur.
• About this piece, the composer writes: “Ngothando is a song written in IsiZulu. The song is a message to the rest of the world that it is only through love that we can conquer the barriers that stand between us, the poverty and disease that surround us. Let us open our hearts and not fear the unknown. Let us search deep within ourselves, knowing that we do have enough resources.”
• The djembe is played by Fran Laenen.

Ngothando kuphela,

Sonqoba konke,

Izimo zonke,

Azinakusigwinya.

 

Sivul’ iinhliziyo zethu,

Singesabi lutho,

Ngothando…

 

Translation:

Through love, only,

We will conquer everything,

All situations,

Cannot swallow (devour) us.

 

Let us open our hearts,

And let us fear nothing,

Through love…

 

Apparition de l’église éternelle – Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992, France)

• The solo organ work ‘Apparition of the Eternal Church’ was written by the great French composer Olivier Messiaen just under a century ago in 1932. The piece is in arch form, beginning pianissimo and building up to a fortississimo climax featuring a majestic C-major chord, and then receding back to pianissimo. Richly coloured chords alternate with open fifths, on top of a throbbing bass line which repeats a simple rhythmic pattern. This imagery has been compared to Dante’s description of the inferno. It is definitely the most challenging work on the programme tonight but do not be afraid – it is only four minutes long!

 

Pie Jesu from Requiem – Sir John Rutter (b. 1945, England)

• As with the requiem settings of both Fauré and Duruflé, the Pie Jesu focuses on the soprano soloist – providing a ravishing line performed this evening by Lia Hall. It is our small tribute to this composer who in 2025 turns 80 years old and has done so much to promote choral music over the years! In the context of our programme, this piece provides a shaft of light, and hope.

Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem.

Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis sempiternam requiem.

 

Translation:

Blessed Jesu, Lord I pray, in thy mercy grant them rest.

Lord our God, we pray thee, grant them everlasting rest.

 

Vater Unser – Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672, Germany)

• We have been wanting to sing music by the German Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz for a long time and so we will hear his setting of The Lord’s Prayer – Vater Unser – again, a typical component of the Requiem Mass which would, when sung liturgically, include these words.

Unser Vater in dem Himmel!
Dein Name werde geheiliget.
Dein Reich komme.
Dein Wille geschehe auf Erden wie im Himmel.
Unser täglich Brot gib uns heute.
Und vergib uns unsere Schulden,
wie wir unsern Schuldigern vergeben.
Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung,
sondern erlöse uns von dem Übel.
Denn dein ist das Reich und die Kraft
und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit.
Amen.

 

Translation:

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever.
Amen.

 

Steal Away from Five Spirituals – Sir Michael Tippett (1905–1998, England)

• Sir Michael Tippett also celebrates a ‘birthday’ this year (120!) and we sing his stunning arrangement of this famous African-American spiritual which originally appeared in his oratorio A Child Of Our Time. His arrangement is a grand one, with its use of dynamic contrasts and soloists – once again showcasing the expressive voices we are very privileged to have in VOX.
• Our soloists this evening are Dirk Binneman and Carelize Klopper.

Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus;
O steal away home, I han’t got long to stay here.

 

My Lord, he calls me, he calls me by the thunder;
The trumpet sounds within-a my soul,
I han’t got long to stay here.

 

Green trees a-bending, poor sinner stands a-trembling;
The trumpet sounds within-a my soul,
I han’t got long to stay here.

 

In Paradisum from ‘Requiem’ – David Butlin (b. 1987, South Africa)

• One of the final items tonight, as we arrive in Paradise, is a beautiful setting that is reminiscent of the sublime finale of Fauré’s Requiem. Originally scored for unison baritone voices, tonight it will be sung by the sopranos line to create the impression of a choir of angels. Its composer, David Butlin, is a local musician and music teacher who, regrettably, doesn’t spend enough time composing these days!
• About the composer: “David is a South African musician, music teacher, and former composer who spent many of his school years immersed in writing choral and instrumental music. In Paradisum was composed during his teenage years as part of a larger Requiem, written out of a deep love for sacred music and choral textures. David went on to study voice at the South African College of Music (University of Cape Town), and later voice and collaborative piano at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He now works primarily as a teacher, with a particular focus on nurturing young vocalists and accompanying singers in performance and examination settings. Though he no longer composes regularly, music remains a central part of his life.”

In Paradisum deducant te Angeli;

In tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres,

Et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.

Chorus angelorum to suscipiat,

Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.

 

Translation:

May the angels lead you into Paradise;

May the martyrs receive you at your coming

And lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem.

May a choir of angels receive you,

And with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have eternal rest.

 

Juranacht – Eugen Meier (b. 1934, Switzerland)

• Our final piece is by a Swiss composer – a beautiful lullaby that will see you out into the night (and to your wine!). It mirrors The Evening Primrose which appeared at the very start of our programme, bringing the evening full circle.

 

Bonus! Soar away with us… Test Drive from How To Train Your Dragon – John Powell (arr. Anna Lapwood)