Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Event Details

The Consort of Melbourne is Melbourne's premier vocal ensemble, comprising eight of this city's finest chamber singers under the artistic direction of Steven Hodgson. Typically performing “a cappella” (unaccompanied) with one singer per part, The Consort of Melbourne champions both historic and contemporary repertoire, bringing 1000 years of vocal music to life with an intimacy and verve that leaves audiences spellbound. Their programmes include celebrated masterpieces heard alongside lesser-known gems, exploring the full expressive potential of human voices combined. The Consort of Melbourne perform a program of sacred and secular masterpieces spanning three continents and 1000 years. We celebrate the glorious harmonies of the British cathedral tradition (Cecilia McDowall, William Henry Harris and Hubert Parry), the dramatic multi-choir textures of the Italian Renaissance (Tomás Luis de Victoria and Raffaella Aleotti) and the expressive mastery of German Baroque and Romantic composers (Heinrich Schütz and Josef Rheinberger), alongside stunning choral gems from Australia (Meta Cohen and Dan Walker) and the USA (Samuel Barber and Nico Muhly). Don’t miss this opportunity to hear how composers throughout Western musical history harness the power and beauty of human voices in perfect harmony.

Anonymous plainchant – Alma redemptoris mater (Loving mother of the redeemer’)

Cecilia McDowall (born 1951) – Alma redemptoris mater

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) – Bogoroditse dyevo (‘Rejoice, o Virgin’)

William Byrd (c. 1540–1623) – Ave verum corpus (‘Hail true body’)

Edward Elgar (1857–1934) – There is sweet music

Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548–1611) – Super flumina Babylonis (‘By the rivers of Babylon’)

Samuel Barber (1910–1981) – To be sung on the water

Raffaela Aleotti (c. 1570–c. 1646) – Ego flos campi (‘I am the rose of Sharon’), Vidi speciosam (‘I saw the fair one’) and Surge, propera amica mea (‘Arise, my love’)

Nico Muhly (born 1981) - I cannot attain unto it

William Henry Harris (1883–1973) – Faire is the heaven

INTERVAL

Meta Cohen – Caedo (‘Slaughter’)

Gianandrea Pauletta (born 1967) – Agnus dei (‘Lamb of God’)

Robert Pearsall (1795–1856) – Great god of love and Lay a garland

Heinrich Schütz ¬(1585–1672) – Unser Wandel is in Himmel (‘Our citizen ship is in heaven’) and Selig sind die Toten (‘Blessed are the dead’)

Josef Rheinberger (1839–1901) – Abendlied (‘Night song’)

Dan Walker (born 1978) – Dusk

Hubert Parry (1848–1918) – There is an old belief

Featured non-Australian music: Anonymous plainchant – Alma redemptoris mater (Loving mother of the redeemer’) Cecilia McDowall (born 1951) – Alma redemptoris mater Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) – Bogoroditse dyevo (‘Rejoice, o Virgin’) William Byrd (c. 1540–1623) – Ave verum corpus

Further information for this event is available online at the event's website or by phone on 0397 891 671 or by email to moxlene@hotmail.com

Featured Australian Works

	Caedo : for SATB vocal ensemble with divisi (2023) by Meta Cohen — World premiere — performed by The Consort of Melbourne
	Dusk : SATB choir (2006) by Dan Walker — performed by The Consort of Melbourne

Featured artists

• Performer The Consort of Melbourne