The Mateo Guerra Choir sings ‘The Rose Pilgrimage’ by Schumann, in a new edition of the series Young Performers

2009-08-14

The Mateo Guerra Choir sings ‘The Rose Pilgrimage’ by Schumann, in a new edition of the series Young Performers

 Conceived in the Choir of Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir is characterized by its cappella repertoire and its reduced formats compared to a symphony choir

 The concert will take place in the Chamber Hall of Alfredo Kraus Auditorium on October 27th at 8:30 PM, in it the work ‘The Rose Pilgrimage’ by Schumann will be played

The Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir, conducted by Luis García Santana, will offer a new edition of the series Young Performers with the work ‘The Rose Pilgrimage’ by Schumann. The concert is scheduled on October 27th at 8:30 PM, in the Chamber Hall of the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium. The series Young Performers is sponsored by La Obra Social of La Caja de Canarias and AUREN.

The Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir is comprised by members of the Choir of Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra. It is characterized by its cappella repertoire and its reduced formats compared to a symphony choir. Its debut took place in 2000 in the church of San Francisco with a program of Polish composers, and conducted by Marcin Lucas. That same year it participated in the series Christmas Concerts in Agaete and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

In 2002, the Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir focused its program in the Renaissance, under the title ‘The golden age of Polyphony’, with concerts in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Agaete, Valleseco, Santa Brígida, La Aldea, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife and Nevers, in France.

In the 2003 season, it performed ‘Petite Messe Solennelle’, by Rossini, in the series of Easter Week in the Literary Bureau of Las Palmas. In December it offered in Santa Brígida a varied repertoire by authors like: Pachelbel, Benedetto Marcello and Janácek in the series Young Canarian Performers in the Chamber Hall of the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium.

‘The rose pilgrimage’: remembering Schumann

If there’s a work that identifies Robert Schumann (1810-1854) as a romantic composer, is this: ‘The rose pilgrimage’. In it, we can find the basic language of lied (technical German word for ‘chamber song’), full of identifying symbols and expressive synthesizers (nature, mankind, the lime, the mill, the path, the hunter…); and also the desire to experiment new forms, original in their structure, but always with the literary evocation as a centre. The result is a fascinating work in the middle of pagan oratory and a choir ballad.

The work was composed in 1851 when Schumann moved to Düsseldorf. It was used to inaugurate in a musical matinee The Schumann’s music parlor in their new house of Kastanien Allee. Clara Schumann was the pianist accompanying a 24-singer choir and soloist friends of the couple. The success of the chamber work was diluted in the orchestra version presented by the author in 1852, which has not outstood in the repertoire, and neither has got the expressive level of the original version. About it Schumann himself addressed: “I wrote the original version of this work only with the accompaniment of piano, which seemed and still seems to me perfectly enough for this lovely story”.

The eternal encounter of the nature symbols (the rose) with man takes place in a bucolic peasant world. Rustic simplicity dressed with the marvelous ingredient of magic, represented in the princess of the elves. A beautiful story, as usual in the lied world, based on an initiation (a pilgrimage), that goes from worldly to celestial to the quest of love, affection and other human virtues.

‘The Rose Pilgrimage’ is structured in two parts as a Liederkrantz, which is, a succession of narrative or merely poetic and evocating paintings. The lack of recitative as a structural part gives an original way of remarking melody and synthesizes constantly the essential aspects of the story.

Tickets for the concert of The Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir are available at: Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, from 15:00 to 21:00 h (Monday-Friday); and few moments before the concert. In Internet through www.cajatique.com · La Caja de Canarias, ticket dispensers and by calling: 902 405 504.

2009-08-14
The Mateo Guerra Choir sings ‘The Rose Pilgrimage’ by Schumann, in a new edition of the series Young Performers
	 Conceived in the Choir of Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir is characterized by its cappella repertoire and its reduced formats compared to a symphony choir  The concert will take place in the Chamber Hall of Alfredo Kraus Auditorium on October 27th at 8:30 PM, in it the work ‘The Rose Pilgrimage’ by Schumann will be played The Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir, conducted by Luis García Santana, will offer a new edition of the series Young Performers with the work ‘The Rose Pilgrimage’ by Schumann. The concert is scheduled on October 27th at 8:30 PM, in the Chamber Hall of the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium. The series Young Performers is sponsored by La Obra Social of La Caja de Canarias and AUREN. The Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir is comprised by members of the Choir of Gran Canaria Philharmonic Orchestra. It is characterized by its cappella repertoire and its reduced formats compared to a symphony choir. Its debut took place in 2000 in the church of San Francisco with a program of Polish composers, and conducted by Marcin Lucas. That same year it participated in the series Christmas Concerts in Agaete and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. In 2002, the Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir focused its program in the Renaissance, under the title ‘The golden age of Polyphony’, with concerts in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Agaete, Valleseco, Santa Brígida, La Aldea, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife and Nevers, in France. In the 2003 season, it performed ‘Petite Messe Solennelle’, by Rossini, in the series of Easter Week in the Literary Bureau of Las Palmas. In December it offered in Santa Brígida a varied repertoire by authors like: Pachelbel, Benedetto Marcello and Janácek in the series Young Canarian Performers in the Chamber Hall of the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium. ‘The rose pilgrimage’: remembering Schumann If there’s a work that identifies Robert Schumann (1810-1854) as a romantic composer, is this: ‘The rose pilgrimage’. In it, we can find the basic language of lied (technical German word for ‘chamber song’), full of identifying symbols and expressive synthesizers (nature, mankind, the lime, the mill, the path, the hunter…); and also the desire to experiment new forms, original in their structure, but always with the literary evocation as a centre. The result is a fascinating work in the middle of pagan oratory and a choir ballad. The work was composed in 1851 when Schumann moved to Düsseldorf. It was used to inaugurate in a musical matinee The Schumann’s music parlor in their new house of Kastanien Allee. Clara Schumann was the pianist accompanying a 24-singer choir and soloist friends of the couple. The success of the chamber work was diluted in the orchestra version presented by the author in 1852, which has not outstood in the repertoire, and neither has got the expressive level of the original version. About it Schumann himself addressed: “I wrote the original version of this work only with the accompaniment of piano, which seemed and still seems to me perfectly enough for this lovely story”. The eternal encounter of the nature symbols (the rose) with man takes place in a bucolic peasant world. Rustic simplicity dressed with the marvelous ingredient of magic, represented in the princess of the elves. A beautiful story, as usual in the lied world, based on an initiation (a pilgrimage), that goes from worldly to celestial to the quest of love, affection and other human virtues. ‘The Rose Pilgrimage’ is structured in two parts as a Liederkrantz, which is, a succession of narrative or merely poetic and evocating paintings. The lack of recitative as a structural part gives an original way of remarking melody and synthesizes constantly the essential aspects of the story. Tickets for the concert of The Mateo Guerra Chamber Choir are available at: Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, from 15:00 to 21:00 h (Monday-Friday); and few moments before the concert. In Internet through www.cajatique.com · La Caja de Canarias, ticket dispensers and by calling: 902 405 504.