CU Bernstein at 100 (2018)
Free Concert
- Presented by: CU Boulder College of Music
- Venue: Macky Auditorium
- Macky Auditorium Concert Hall, 1595 Pleasant St, Boulder, CO 80309
The University Singers and University Choir perform Leonard Bernstein’s "Chichester Psalms," a dramatic 20-minute work for boy soprano, choir, organ, harp and percussion. Both ensembles are comprised of the most outstanding undergraduate singers from the College of Music as well as talented and dedicated students from across CU Boulder’s campus. Additionally, the Fall Festival of Choirs features performances by the Women’s Chorus, Men’s Chorus and Collegiate Chorale. The concert will culminate in a mass performance of “Make Our Garden Grow” from Bernstein’s "Candide."
Performance date and time:
Sunday, Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Program:
Bernstein at 100 is the worldwide celebration of the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein, the composer, conductor, educator, musician, cultural ambassador and humanitarian. Join the CU Boulder College of Music as our ensembles, students, faculty and guests embark on a journey through Bernstein’s lifework this semester.
Read moreProgram Notes
The Fall Festival of Choirs concert features five of the seven choirs in the College of Music at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The Men’s Chorus, Women’s Chorus, and Collegiate Chorale are performing music composed or arranged by Kim André Arnesen, Rollo Dilworth, Felix Mendelssohn, and Andrea Ramsey. As part of the Bernstein at 100 celebration, University Choir and University Singers, along with select singers from the CU Boulder community, perform Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. The concert ends with all choirs performing “Make Our Garden Grow” from Bernstein’s Candide.
Chichester Psalms
Chichester Psalms has a generally optimistic character and through an eclectic range of compositional techniques, Bernstein was able to highlight the themes of peace and unity in the texts. The work opens with a powerful five-note introit, which reappears at the end of the first movement and again at the end of the work. Following the opening of the first movement, a contrasting section with dancelike asymmetrical meter follows with the text, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands...”
“Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide
Voltaire’s controversial novel, Candide (1759), gained immediate popularity when it was first published. Bernstein’s Candide (1950) is an operetta modeled after this well-known and popular French satire. Throughout the plot, the main character, Candide (whose name translates into “naïve”) finds himself in a number of adverse situations. The final chorus in the work, “Make Our Garden Grow,” ties together a complicated plot. Candide and his love resolve to living simply in a hostile world, and they find hope in the humble activities of life: “We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we’ll do the best we know. We’ll build our house and chop our wood, and make our garden grow.”Notes by E.S.
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