The UAB Theatre Hall to hold traditional Christmas concert on 19 December
The UAB Choir, Chamber Choir and Orchestra - conducted by Poire Vallvé - will offer the traditional Christmas concert on 19 December at 1:45 p.m. at the UAB Theatre Hall. This year's concert, entitled A Bridge of Hope, aims to be a hymn for hope and peace with a repertoire of ten musical pieces, including popular songs, Gregorian chants, contemporary madrigals, Christmas carols and lullabies.
According to the director of the UAB Choir and Chamber Choir Poire Vallvé, the repertoire of songs that will be perfomed "aims to be a message of hope, a bridge between cultures, a bridge that leaves behind the times of turbulent waters and heads towards light, hope and peace".
This year's concert will offer a repertoire of songs composed by English composer of sacred and liturgical music Thomas Tallis, Franco-Flemish Renaissance composer Orlando di Lasso, Hungarian musician Zoltán Kodály, renowned folk rock duo of the 1960s Simon & Garnfunkel, lead singer of the band Queen Freddie Mercury, Catalan composer and cellist Pau Casals and American composer and pianist George Gershwin.
The concert will begin with Te lucis ante terminum and O nata lux, two liturgical hymns of the 17th century wrote by Thomas Tallis. Then, the choir will perform the contemporary madrigal Compartirem misteris i desigs, a poem by Miquel Martí i Pol with music composed by Poire Vallvé.
Afterwards, the Choir will sing more popular songs that have been recognised worldwide since the 1970s: Bridge over troubled water by Paul Simon, a piece of music with a metaphorical message referring to human connections in times of adversity, and Bohemian Rhapsody by Freddie Mercury, one of the greatest hits by the British rock band Queen.
The former conductor of the UAB Choir, Joaquim Miranda, will also take part in this edition of the Christmas concert, conducting the version of the Gregorian chant Veni veni Emmanuel arranged by Zoltán Kodály, an Advent hymn for the days before Christmas. In addition, the Choir will perform G. Walters' version of Maria durch ein Dornwald ging, a traditional German Advent song, and El cant dels ocells, a Catalan song composed by Pau Casals that recounts the joy of nature during the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
The UAB Orchestra will also play Lullaby, originally written by George Gershwin for a string quartet.
The last song of the concert will be a joint performance by the Choir and Orchestra of the Ukrainian carol Shchedrik.
To attend the concert, tickets must be booked on the following link. For more detailed information about the timetable and programme, please contact us at cultura.enviu@uab.cat.