Bach Society of Dayton celebrates the spring season through song
In celebration of spring and Mother’s Day, the Bach Society of Dayton wraps its 20162017 season with a concert aptly titled “Love in Bloom” slated Sunday, May 14 at Kettering Adventist Church under the music direction of John Neely with accompaniment by R. Alan Kimbrough.
“The music in this concert spans 350 years and contains a wide variety of selections,” Neely said.
The program of varied styles from different eras include Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Serenade to Music.” It incorporates William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” several of Johannes Brahms’ “Lebeslieder Waltzes Op. 52,” Daniel Pinkham’s contemporary “Wedding Cantata,” an assortment of madrigals by Thomas Morley (“Sing We and Chant It,” “Now is the Month of Maying”) and Orlando Gibbons (“The Silver Swan”), and selections by Aaron Copland (“Stomp Your Foot,” “The Promise of Living”), Franz Schubert (“Die Nacht”), Georges Bizet (“A Fond du temple saint”) and Robert Schumann (“Der Wassermann”).
“The centerpiece of the concert is ‘Lebeslieder Op. 52,’ which translates as love songs,” Neely remarked. “It is a beautiful piece with 18 movements split between soloists and the chorus. Two pianists will also be featured. It really is a stunning piece. Anything Brahms wrote is superb, but this is certainly a great example of his artistry. Also, Pinkham’s ‘Wedding Cantata’ sounds so fresh. The madrigals are so light and fun as well.”
The featured soloists are soprano Andrea Chenoweth, mezzo-soprano Ryu-Kyung Kim, tenor Jeremy Winston, and baritone Mark Spencer.
IF YOU GO
“Love in Bloom” Kettering Adventist Church, 3939 Stonebridge Road, Kettering Sunday, May 14; 4 p.m.
$18 for adults; $10 for children ages 12 and under
Call 937294-2224, visit bachsocietyofdayton. org or purchase at the door.
Visit bachsocietyofdayton. org
A free concert preview presented by Lisa Hanson, Executive Director of Culture Works, begins at 3 p.m.
“We are absolutely thrilled about our wonderful soloists,” Neely said. “It’s great to have talent of this caliber locally.”
In addition, the organization recently announced its 2017-2018 season. The season is still being finalized but is slated to include: “The French Connection” (Oct. 29) which will include two works by Poulenc and also feature organ soloist David Crean; the troupe’s annual “Sweet Sounds of the Holidays” (Dec. 3) featuring the Kettering Children’s Choir Chorale and the Advent Ringers; “Sebastian and Sons” (March 25) featuring music by Johann Sebastian Bach and his sons Wilhelm Fridemann Bach, Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and Johann Christian Bach; and “The Romantic Connection” (May 13) featuring music of the Romantic Period including Brahms and Mendelssohn.
“We are about to finish our largest-attended season,” Neely said. “Audiences seem to enjoy what we’re doing which is great. We do Bach but we always try to bring variety to people as well.”