THE YEAR AHEAD: AN EARLY MUSIC EXPERIENCE

For over eighty years, the Australian Boys Choir has provided outstanding training for young people alongside exceptional performances for audiences. And the year ahead is no exception. The extraordinary Requiem for an Empress is set to be a highlight of 2021.

Perfectly suited to the voices of the Choir’s Performing Squad and The Vocal Consort, this event features music by celebrated Spanish Renaissance composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. Luscious six-voice music was originally written to honour the Dowager Empress Maria of Austria at her funeral in 1603. Victoria was her personal chaplain.

Requiem for an Empress is particularly close to the Artistic Director’s heart. He first imagined the program back in 2010 when he visited the convent of the Descalzas Reales in Madrid, where empress and composer lived side-by-side.

‘I was inspired by standing in the very chapel where Victoria’s music would have been sung,’ says Nick Dinopoulos. ‘My mother is actually Spanish, and I am passionate about this music.’

Nick has prepared a new edition of Victoria’s six-voice Requiem, also incorporating the ancient chant into modern notation to make it easier for singers to read and understand. This program will also be accompanied in historically appropriate fashion by the unique sound of the dulcian, or Renaissance bassoon.

‘We hope audience members will be able to close their eyes and imagine, for a second, they are attending the event as it might have happened some 400 years ago,’ says Nick.

Artistic Director and singers alike are delighted to be presenting this work as part of their next concert series. Nick adds, ‘I love programs that are not only comprised of great music, but provide a rich, real, and tangible experience for audiences.’

2021 promises to be an exciting year. Audiences can enjoy this spectacular music and much more, by visiting australianboyschoir.com.au/concerts

Author: Coral Vass