The Heritage Chorale's 2010 Fall concert, titled "Comfort and Joy" and conducted by John Finney, pairs the serene and comforting Requiem by John Rutter with joyous holiday music by American composers Stephen Paulus and Kirke Mechem.
John Rutter (b. 1945), British composer and conductor, is well-known for his many sacred choral works; his Requiem (composed in 1985 in memory of his father) is justifiably one of his most popular compositions. Filled with a sense of peace and calm in its most lyrical movements, and bristling with excitement in the exuberant “Sanctus,” Rutter’s Requiem will be performed in the composer’s own arrangement for chamber orchestra (solo cello, organ, harp, woodwinds, and percussion).
The second half of the concert offers a change of mood, as the Heritage Chorale presents music for the holiday season. Stephen Paulus (b. 1949) composed his Three Nativity Carols in 1998, setting English texts from the 15th century to a mesmerizing accompaniment of oboe and harp. Kirke Mechem (b. 1925) created his Seven Joys of Christmas in 1963; these beautiful arrangements of carols from around the world include settings of “Ding Dong, Merrily on High” and “Fum, Fum, Fum!” and feature sparkling accompaniments in which the delightful sound of the harp predominates.