The final meeting of A Christmas Carol, the musical review organized in collaboration with the Bernardino Luini Association, the event in the Hall takes up the tradition of Weihnachtssingen in central Switzerland in which choirs, ensembles and families come together to sing. The choirs Cantemus, S. Bernardo, Tersicore and Lauretano, accompanied by musicians from the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana and young talents, thus bring to life an afternoon of great music and popular carols, inviting the audience to participate in a communal ritual of sharing and listening.
Saturday 20 December
Hall
Robert Kowalski violin
Vasyl Zatsikha violin
Ivan Vukcevic viola
tbd cello
Erick Martínez double bass
Giulio Mercati harmonium and piano
Mattia Marelli harmonium
Massimo Berzolla conductor
Vocal group Cantemus
Vocal group S. Bernardo
Tersicore Choir
Lauretano Choir
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Siegfried's Idyll for chamber orchestra, WWV103 (transcription for strings and piano by Alfred Pringsheim, revised by Giulio Mercati)
Anonymous
God rest you merry, gentlemen (traditional song)
David Willcocks (1919-2015)
Lullay, my liking
Anonymous
Ding dong (traditional song)
John Rutter (*1945)
Nativity carol
Mykola Leontovyč (1877-1921)
Ring Christmas bells
John Rutter
Star carol
Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863)
Astro del ciel (Italian text by Angelo Meli)
Anonymous
Adeste fideles (traditional song)
Anonymous
Tu scendi dalle stelle (traditional song)
Transcriptions by Massimo Berzolla.
The concert opens with Richard Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, in Alfred Pringsheim's recently revised transcription by Giulio Mercati. Composed as a Christmas gift for his wife Cosima in 1870, it is one of the most touching declarations of love in the history of music, a collected and affectionate introduction to the Christmas season. The program continues with traditional Christmas carols, chosen and reworked by Massimo Berzolla: from God rest you merry, gentlemen to David Willcocks' Lullay, my liking, via the rhythmic Ding Dong Merrily on High and John Rutter's sweet melodies with Nativity Carol and Star Carol. This is followed by the celebrated Ring Christmas Bells by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovyč, in its energetic original version. The concert concludes with three traditional Italian and European carols, Astro del ciel, Adeste fideles and Tu scendi dalle stelle, inviting the audience to join in the singing.
