Chorale presents splendor of the season in song
Have yourself a splendid little Christmas celebration while listening to the upcoming Texarkana Regional Chorale concert, titled Christmas Choral Splendor.
Held 7 p.m. Tuesday at the recently renovated St. Edward’s Catholic Church downtown, the TRC goes for Baroque music with selections by Bach, Corelli and Handel. TRC’s director, Marc-André Bougie, says they’re pushing the envelope with this repertoire, particularly with the Bach selection.
The TRC and its orchestra will be joined by the Veritas Academy Ringers directed by Stephanie House.
“This will be a Baroque choral music concert featuring mostly two of the great vocal composers or choral composers,” Bougie said. That’s Bach and Handel. Excerpts from Handel’s “Messiah” are on tap, always appropriate for this time of year, said the director.
Corelli’s “Pastorale” from his “Christmas Concerto” is also on tap, exploring “the theme of the shepherd,” Bougie said, with its rhythmic elements. This, too, is a type of music often written for the Christmas season.
Also for the evening’s repertoire is a decidedly non-Baroque composer: the Austrian Anton Bruckner. “His beautiful ‘Ave Maria’ a cappella,” Bougie said of this selection, beautiful music and an exception to the night’s Baroque theme.
“That’s a piece we’ve been working
since the start of the season,” Bougie said.
As for Bach, there’s the “Magnificat” to perform, a work that calls for a fivepart chorus: two sopranos, alto, tenor and bass throughout. “That’s a challenge right there,” Bougie said, adding “The texture of such a piece is different.”
But he says the TRC singers have grown into a piece of this nature. “We’re doing all of the choral excerpts from it,” Bougie said.
With the Veritas Academy Ringers, the TRC opens with a hymn that then includes the orchestra and the choir. “That will be a unique opening, very introspective as it begins,” Bougie said, noting there will be a surprise with the “Hallelujah” chorus later in the program. People need to show up to hear it, he said.
“We’ll end with a bang,” Bougie promised, adding that nearly 100 performers will participate in this production. “It’s a big, massive group, and the concert is free,” Bougie said, recommending that people show up early for a good seat.
About performing in a renovated church such as St. Edward’s, the choir director showed definite enthusiasm.
“It’s wonderful. It’s very exciting for us and every- body,” Bougie said, noting the repertoire fits the season in a magnificent way. The last time TRC performed at St. Edward’s was about a decade ago, he believes. This will be the first large event there since the interior renovation, he said.
A reception, Santa Claus included, will follow the concert, which should last 45 to 50 minutes.