Boulder Messiah Sing-Along

One Christmas tradition that has brought us great joy is the annual Boulder Messiah Sing-Along. We discovered it in 2002, and with one exception, have participated every year since. This will be our 11th year of participation. This year's (2013) three events will be held on Saturday and Sunday, December 21st and 22nd. We will be there on Sunday evening, the 22nd. See the link for more information on this 31st annual event..

Mr. Robert Arentz has been conducting this wonderful event three times a year for the past 30 years (this wil be the 31st). Professional soloists and an orchestra are hired.

A festival choir that has been practicing since September leads the singing, and the congregation sings along on all of the choruses.

 Here's a shot of the joyful participants in the annual Messiah Sing-Along in the beautiful sanctuary of St. John's Episcopal Church in Boulder.

 

Another shot of the enthusiastic singers (you can see my wife, our niece, and part of me on the righthand side of the picture).

Everyone is invited. Tickets are only $15, if purchased in advance at The West End Wine Shop (8th and Pearl in downtown Boulder), Page Two (in Gunbarrel), John's Cleaners at 28th and Iris, the Trattoria on Pearl Street (east end of the Mall), St. John's Episcopal Church (14th and Pine Street), or at the door for $20.  If you would like to buy tickets beforehand, they can be purchased via credit card at their web site: www.messiahsingalong.org.  You may also call 303-666-9016 to hold tickets in your name as will-calls, which you can pay for and pick up in the lobby.

Most of the participants in the congregation have sung Messiah many times over and have their own scores, but scores are also available at the door, on loan (free) or for purchase ($10). Don't allow the lack of a score to keep you from one of the most uplifting events of the Christmas season.

For more on Handel, check out an excellent article here.

For much more information about the Sing-Along (Singalong/Sing-a-long) and about G. F. Handel and his music,
check out the Boulder Messiah Sing-Along site here.

Because I Met You...

I love this song. I love its play on words—for good (for the better) and for good (forever).

I love this song and the emotion between two people thrust together by fate, so different and yet...

I love this song, and I was pondering its lyrics the other day and thinking about all the people in my life, all the people I have met over the years who have had such an influence, such a profound effect on my life. I thought, of course, of parents and relatives, family and friends, neighbors, schoolmates, co-workers, teachers, dentists, doctors, librarians, shop owners, employers, shipmates, bosses. So many have changed me for good—and for good?

But on this day, my mind turns inexorably to that day, so many years ago, that I joined with the one I had met the year before, the one who truly changed my life for good...and for good...

Because I met her...

Here are the lyrics along with a recording of the song.

Happy anniversary, my love.

 

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you:

 

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

 

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend:
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you

Because I knew you:
I have been changed for good
And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for
But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share
And none of it seems to matter anymore

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better?
And because I knew you:
Because I knew you:
Because I knew you:
I have been changed for good.

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Since its first performance on NBC TV, Christmas Eve, 1951, Amahl and the Night Visitors has taken its place with "A Christmas Carol" as a holiday classic. Peformed on every continent and in many languages, it has been seen by more people than any other opera in history.

The story tells of the night the Three Kings, following the star to Bethlehem, stop for shelter at the home of Amahl, a poor, crippled shepard boy who lives with his widowed mother. Inspired by the Wise Men's tale of a kingdom "built on love alone," Amahl offers his own simple gift to the Christ Child. And then a miracle happens.

In this warm and compassionate story, Gian Carlo Menotti has captured the essential spirit of Christmas. At its premiere, The New York Times called Amahl "rare art. . . tender and exquisite."

Gian Carlo Menotti was born in 1911 in a mountain village in northern Italy. He began composing at age five and had written his first opera before he was eleven. As a little boy, he was miraculously cured of lameness by a pilgrimage to the nearby Sanctuary of Sacro Monte. This was the genesis of Amahl and the Night Visitors, the first opera ever commisioned for television.

Sample or download the music here.

The Story of Amahl

Somewhere in the world lives a crippled little shepherd called Amahl, with his mother, an impoverished widow. Nothing is left to them of the little they ever had, and they are now faced with hunger and cold in their empty house.

Three Wise Men, on their way to Bethlehem, stop at the hut and ask to be taken in for the night. Amahl and his mother welcome them and their Page as well as they can, and are much astonished at the splendor of their robes and the wealth of gifts they are carrying with them. When Amahl's mother realizes that the Three Kings are looking for a newborn babe and that the expensive gifts are all destined for him, she becomes bitter and envious. She cannot understand why at least some of these gifts could not be given to her own child, who is so poor and sickly.

Under cover of darkness, while the Three Kings are asleep, she steals some of the gold from them - and is caught red-handed. When she explains to the Three Kings that she needs the gold to feed her starving child, she is readily forgiven. With great tenderness they try to explain to her who this newborn child is and how much he needs the love of every human being to build his coming kingdom. Touched by their words, the poor widow not only gives back the stolen gold, but wishes she could add a gift of her own. Little Amahl comes to her rescue. He impulsively hands the Three Kings his wooden crutch, his most precious possession, and in so doing he is miraculously cured of his lameness.

As dawn appears in the sky, the Three Kings prepare to resume their journey. Amahl begs his mother to let him join them, and he is finally allowed to follow the Kings to Bethlehem to adore and give thanks to the Christ Child.

(Synopsis taken from www.boychoirs.org here.)

Amahl and the Night Visitors is one of our favorite Christmas stories, but we have only rarely been able to see it performed live. This year we will be seeing it in Evergreen, Colorado at Center/Stage, performed by the Evergreen Chorale.

Remaining Performances:
Thu, 12/22/2011 - 7:00pm
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 4:30pm
Fri, 12/23/2011 - 7:00pm.

Longmont Symphony Orchestra

As I have posted in the past, one of the raisons d'etre of my blog is to highlight some of our favorite things. The Longmont Symphony Orchestra is one of those things. We first discovered the LSO at the annual Thornton Fourth of July fireworks celebration, at which they have been performing for over 30 years. Later, I was privileged to take a course in Music Appreciation from one of their musicians, Deb Corisis, who is also involved in many other musical endeavors, some of which can be seen at Ribbons and Strings Ensembles.

Saturday, we attended LSO's latest offering, A Night in Old Spain. We love Spain, which was our home for ten years. We love good music, and we love the Longmont Symphony Orchestra, one of the top amateur orchestras in the country.

We started the evening at a favorite local eatery.

The menu was varied, the service excellent, the atmosphere appealing, and the food delicious.

At the concert, the music was wonderful, and the flamenco was outstanding.

This was the program, as described on their web site.

Capriccio Espagnol has always been one of my favorite pieces of "Spanish music," although it was written by a Russian! The LSO did it justice. This is how director Robert Olson put it.

A Night in Old Spain
Nov. 12th @ 7:30
The music of Spain is immediately recognizable, whether it be from the exciting cross rhythms inherent in its folk music, or its unique scale resources that conjure up images from Moorish Spain. Spanish music is always passionate and colorful and reeks of energy, perfect for Flamenco!

The LSO is thrilled to present Longmont’s own Salli Gutierrez, flamenco dancer and teacher. Salli will be choreographing a work with orchestra, and her favorite flamenco guitarist, Steven Mullins. Mr. Mullins, also from Longmont, has written a work especially for this concert we will premiere.

As I was researching for this concert, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a wealth of wonderful music written by various composers celebrating Spain and its musical heritage. Oddly enough, two pieces I found particularly exciting were written by French composers, Massenet and Chabrier! The former contains a series of short dances celebrating the various regions of Spain (all quite different from each other), while the latter is simply a flashy, exciting work capturing the energy and romance of Spain.

No concert of Spanish music would be complete without the music of Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. El Amor Brujo is a ballet suite, a story of ghosts, magic and of course, love. The exotic sounds are remind us of Moorish Spain, one of the great epochs of Spanish history.

Oddly enough, we’ll end the evening with probably the most exciting “Spanish” work ever written, by a Russian! Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol is a tour d’force for orchestra, highly colorful, exciting, and a piece “in overdrive” from start to finish.

I’m really looking forward to this concert, and I hope you are as well. See you there.
Robert Olson
Music Director

Vote for our Friend

Today we received an email from our friend, Deb, about whom I wrote earlier here.

You may remember she plays viola for the Longmont Symphony Orchestra and the annual Mahlerfest Orchestra. She has also played in the community orchestra supporting the annual singalong of Handel's Messiah in Boulder, an event we have sung along with at least five times!

Besides teaching music appreciation and the theory of music at the University of Colorado and all the other things she does musically in the community, she is the manager, arranger, and violist for the Ribbons and Strings ensembles.

Anyway, Deb asked us to vote for her group at the Denver Channel 7 site here or here, if we felt so inclined. We did, and we would invite you to do so, if you feel so inclined, as well.

And by the way, if you are looking for a group to play beautiful music at your next event, check out one of the Ribbons and Strings ensembles.

A is for Amateur

Amateur is often used in a negative context in English—a rank amateur, an amateurish production. Yet from the etymology, amateurs love what they do. From Latin amator (lover) through French amateur (lover) to English, ultimately from Latin amare (to love), the amateur is not remunerated for what she does, but does it out of love, a devotee.

Although the word professional is often used to signify an expert and amateur a dilettante, a tyro, many amateurs have achieved great heights in their loved avocations. Bobby Jones, for example, was one of the greatest golfers of all time yet never played professionally. At one time Olympic athletes were all amateurs, but their level of expertise is world class.

Speaking of amateurs who are world class, Longmont, Colorado, boasts one of the top amateur symphony orchestras in the country. The Longmont Symphony Orchestra performs throughout the year, including the annual Fireworks Display at Thornton (see my Independence Day post below).

Our friend, Deb, plays viola for the Longmont Symphony Orchestra, for the Razumovsky String Quartet, and for the MahlerFest orchestra. She gives private lessons and teaches music appreciation and theory at the University of Colorado. She shares the richness of music with the community in innumerable ways. It was in her Music Appreciation class in 1999 that I was introduced to opera, and my wife and I have been hooked on opera ever since. I did a post on our annual Central City Opera House summer festival trip last year here.

Orig: 7/8/08

For Music Lovers: August Rush

August Rush.

If you love music, you'll love this film.

If you love tear jerkers with a happy ending, you'll love this movie.

If you can suspend disbelief and love a totally unlikely but thoroughly enjoyable fable, you'll love this production.

Favorite quotes from the film:

"You know what music is? God's little reminder that there's something else besides us in this universe; harmonic connection between all living beings, everywhere, even the stars."

"The music is all around you, all you have to do is listen."

Here's a trailer

This movie combines the classical (Keri Russell's character playing with the New York Philharmonic)

with the contemporary (Jonathan Rhys Meyers's character playing with a rock band).

August is a modern-day Mozart, a musical prodigy to whom music comes as naturally as breathing!

Here he is conducting the New York Philharmonic in a rendition of his composition, August's Rhapsody.