Luminous Leap of Faith: Rod Olson

Have you ever had to place your trust in something over which you have no control? What if you had to put your trust in Mother Nature, herself? We continue our series of chorister leaps of faith with tenor Rod Olson, who carved out a unique career in Calgary.

Tickets to Leap of Faith:
http://LuminousLeapofFaith.bpt.me

Luminous Leap(s) of Faith

As we continue to count down toward Leap of Faith, for the next two weeks we will post videos of our choristers talking about instances in their lives when they took a leap of faith. We begin with soprano Julie Crouch -- and we are very glad she took her leap of faith!

New photos for Luminous Voices!

Just in time for Leap of Faith on February 25: new choir photos! Huge thanks to Bandi Szakony for the photo shoot last fall.

Which of the four do you like the most? Let us know in the comments section below!

#1 (Photo by Bandi Szakony)

#1 (Photo by Bandi Szakony)

#3 (Photo by Bani Szakony)

#4 (Photo by Bandi Szakony)

'Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf' by J.S. Bach

In each of our first four seasons, we have performed a motet by Johann Sebastian Bach. To date we have performed:

• Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden (Praise the Lord, all heathens),
• Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (Sing to the Lord a new song),
• Komm, Jesu, Komm (Come, Jesu, Come); and
• Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir (Fear not, I am with you)

For our fifth anniversary season, we are very excited to offer Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf (The Spirit gives aid to our weakness), as we continue to deepen our understanding and relationship with these beautiful motets. 

"The text highlights the idea of asking for strength of spirit in our weakness and troubles, which takes a lot of faith," says Timothy Shantz, founding director of Luminous Voices. "While the motet may not necessarily fit the theme of 'Leap of Faith' perfectly, one never needs an excuse to perform Bach's music."

Come hear Luminous Voices breathe life into the music of J.S. Bach on Sunday, February 25! Reserve your tickets today!

Background

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and Johann Heinrich Ernesti (1652-1729)

In 1723, Bach applied for the position of cantor (choirmaster) at St. Thomas School in Leipzig. The school's rector at the time was Johann Heinrich Ernesti, a Saxon philosopher, Lutheran theologian, Latin classicist and poet.

Ernesti died in 1729. For his memorial service held at Paulinerkirche, the church on the University of Leipzig campus, Bach composed Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf.

The text is taken from the Epistle to the Romans (Romans 8: 26-27), while the text for the chorale is the third stanza of a hymn for the feast of the Pentecost by Martin Luther, entitled Come Holy Ghost, God and Lord (Komm Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott). Ernesti himself had chosen the text from the epistle for the funeral sermon. Note, however, that the motet does not sound morose, despite having been composed for a funeral.

Luminous Voices and the Bach motets

With this performance of Der Geist hilft, Luminous Voices will have performed five of the six motets authenticated to J.S. Bach.

"The motets teach so much to listeners and performers alike," says Timothy Shantz, founding director of Luminous Voices. "The musical ideas are brilliantly displayed. The essence of the text shines through in every note. Every musical gesture, every phrase and the virtuosity requires the most of us as performers."

Translation

Translation by Francis Browne (2008)
Source: Bach Canatas Website
Accessed: 05 February 2018

CHOR:
Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf,
denn wir wissen nicht,
was wir beten sollen,
wie sich's gebühret;
sondern der Geist selbst vertritt uns
aufs beste mit unaussprechlichem Seufzen.
Der aber die Herzen forschet,
der weiß, was des Geistes Sinn sei;
denn er vertritt die Heiligen nach dem,
das Gott gefället.

CHORAL:
Du heilige Brunst, süßer Trost
Nun hilf uns, fröhlich und getrost
In deinem Dienst beständig bleiben,
Die Trübsal uns nicht abtreiben.
O Herr, durch dein Kraft uns bereit
Und stärk des Fleisches Blödigkeit,
Dass wir hie ritterlich ringen,
Durch Tod und Leben zu dir dringen.
Halleluja, halleluja.

CHORUS:
The spirit gives aid to our weakness,
For we do not know
What we should pray,
As we ought to pray;
But the spirit itself pleads for us
in the best way with inexpressible groans.
But he who searches our hearts knows
what the Spirit means
since he pleads for the saints
In the way that pleases God.

CHORALE:
You sacred warmth, sweet consolation,
now help us joyful and comforted
in your service, always to remain
do not let sorrow drive us away!
O Lord, through your power make us ready
and strengthen the feebleness of our flesh
so that we may bravely struggle
through life and death to reach you!
Alleluia, alleluia.

"The First Elegy" by Einojuhani Rautavaara

The last work of the first half for Leap of Faith is Die Erste Elegie by Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. While Einojuhani Rautavaara may not be as familiar a name as other contemporary choral composers such as Eric Whitacre, Bob Chilcott or Morten Lauridsen, he is well known In choral circles. Rautavaara's Die Erste Elegie is based on the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), a Bohemian-Austrian, who the Poetry Foundation regards as 'one of the most lyrically intense German-language poets'. Make sure you reserve your tickets to hear Luminous Voices tackle this gorgeous work!

Einojuhani Rautavaara
(1928-2016)

About Einojuhani Rautavaara

Einojuhani Rautavaara was born in Helsinki in 1928. His father was an opera singer and cantor, and his mother was a doctor. Both of his parents died before he reached his 16th birthday, and he went to live with his aunt in a Helsinki suburb.

Rautavaara studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki under Aarre Merikanto from 1948 to 1952. He first came to international attention when he won the Thor Johnson Contest for his composition A Requiem in Our Time in 1954; the work prompted Jean Sibelius to recommend him for a scholarship to study at the Juilliard School in New York City. At Juilliard, he was taught by Vincent Persichetti, and he also took lessons from Roger Sessions and Aaron Copland at Tanglewood. He graduated from the Sibelius Academy in 1957.

Rautavaara composed prolifically. His compositional output includes eight symphonies, 14 concertos, sonata for various instruments, string quartets and other chamber music, biographical operas, and numerous choral works. He wrote in a variety of forms of styles. Many of his works reflect his fascination with metaphysical and religious subjects and texts, including his Die Erste Elegie.

Rainer Maria Rilke
(1875-1926)

Rautavaara on Die Erste Elegie

Program notes translated into English by Andrew Bentley

My youthful encounter with the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke turned out to be quite a discovery, not only in literary terms but also for the development of my world view. I still associate it strongly with the mysticism surrounding the ruins of post-war Vienna. It was there that I composed my Fünf Sonette an Orpheus, and two years later in Cologne I started writing the song cycle Die Liebenden to Rilke's texts. From that time onwards, I continued to carry with me - both mentally and in my suitcase - the Duino Elegies, Rilke's seminal work. Over the years I would take it out, finding myself particularly drawn to the first elegy, whose angel figure took on the role of a personal 'animus'. My orchestral works Angels and Visitations, Angel of Dusk and Playgrounds for Angels are all musical personifications of this figure.

Only as recently as 1993, however, when the international choral body 'Europa Cantat' wanted to commission a large-scale choral work from me, did I feel that the time had come to set of angel elegy. It had evidently matured in my subconscious in the interim, since the process of composing the work was swift, eager and fluently self-assured. The basic pitch material is derived from four triads which together form a twelve-note row. The way this material is applied, however, stands in considerable contrast to methods usually used for atonal music. In consequence, the tone of the work is mellow even at its most dramatic; poetic, yet expressive.

An Analysis by Timothy Shantz

How would you describe the compositional language of Einojuhani Rautavaara? What makes his Die Erste Elegie so interesting to program in a concert?

Timothy Shantz: Rautavaara's music is full of mysticism. He really knows how to write for the voice. His love of Rilke poems reveals his own existential questions.

The musical style of Die Erste Elegie sits somewhere between late Romanticism and the Serialism of Schoenberg. The music will be heard in a tonal way with plenty of pedal notes to provide harmonic context. Having sung this work many times I can say that the dramatic ascent of the final pages is unforgettable for both performer and audience!