The Giovanni Consort presents Path of Miracles

Wednesday 26th November 2014, 7:30pm
Government House Ballroom, St George's Terrace, Perth

The Giovanni Consort: Path of Miracles

Perth's own Kristin Bowtell makes his conducting debut with The Giovanni Consort in the ensemble's final subscription concert for 2014. An expanded Consort will present the Australian premiere of British composer Joby Talbot's Path of Miracles, an epic four-movement work in 17 different vocal parts based on the Roman Catholic Pilgrimage to Santiago. This piece was commissioned in 20o4 by the British choir Tenebrae but it's only been performed a handful of times worldwide since, due to its substantial length and incredibly vocally demanding nature. 

The Ballroom of Government House is the perfect venue in which to present this masterpiece of the 21st century, a space that allows the singers to surround the audience and 'travel' as they sing. Be sure to purchase your tickets to avoid disappointment, for what will be a very special concert. 



Adults $30  |  Concession $25  |  Students $15

Tickets from www.trybooking.com/elvn

The Giovanni Consort presents War & Peace

Friday 12th September 2014, 7:30pm
Church of the Resurrection - 105 Shenton Road, Swanbourne 6010

The Giovanni Consort: War & Peace
The Giovanni Consort's Artistic Director, Lucien Fischer, conducts the Consort's third concert at Swanbourne's Church of the Resurrection, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of World War One. 

Using Janequin's La Guerre and Francisco Guerrero's Missa de la Batalla Escoutez as a framework, this concert will explore repertoire that deals with themes of conflict and loss, and peace and resolution, including Edward Elgar's Lux Aeterna, Edwards' Anthem for Remembrance, Robert Pearsall's Lay a Garland, and Herbert Howells' Take him, earth, for cherishing.

The stunning acoustics of the Church of the Resurrection, Swanbourne, lend perfectly to this repertoire. Tickets are strictly limited in this small but beautiful space, so we advise booking ahead of time via TryBooking to avoid disappointment.

Adults $30  |  Concession $25  |  Students $15

Tickets from www.trybooking.com/elvm

The Giovanni Consort presents Christ Church by Candlelight

Wednesday 16th July 2014, 7:30pm
Christ Church Claremont, Cnr Queenslea Drive & Stirling Hwy, Claremont

Join the Giovanni Consort for their second subscription concert of the year, in the intimate acoustic and beautiful, candle-lit space of Christ Church, Claremont.

Christophe Karas, the church's Director of Music, conducts a programme of beautiful choral music, drawn from over 500 years of musical tradition. Works featured in the programme include Josquin des Prez's beautiful 'Ave Maria', Morten Lauridsen's sumptuous 'O Magnum Mysterium', and the rarely performed 'Quatre petites prières de Saint François d'Assise' of Francis Poulenc -- as well as music by Byrd, Gibbons, Harris, Lotti, and Purcell -- and contemporary offerings by Harold Arlen, Billy Joel and others.

Presented with just 8 singers, it promises to be an intimate and special evening for choral music lovers, or for those who are new to choral music.

Friday, 16th July @ 7:30pm

Christ Church, Claremont

Cnr Stirling Hwy & Queenslea Drive

Adult // $30

Concession // $25

Student // $15

www.trybooking.com/elvl

The concert will be performed with an interval, where you are invited to join us for our famous refreshments, with wines from Lamont's available. Free Parking available on Queenslea Drive, or for up to 3 hours in Times Square or Claremont Quarter.

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The Giovanni Consort presents A Spanish Twist

Friday 16th May 2014, 7:30pm

Perth Town Hall, Cnr Hay & Barrack Streets, Perth

The Giovanni Consort begins its 2014 Concert Series with a concert that features works by Renaissance masters - such as Josquin des Prez, Cristóbal Morales, Carlo Gesualdo, and Tomás Luis de Victoria - and pairs them with both modern 20th Century works by Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Duruflé, and 21st Century Australian compositions by Brooke Shelley and Joseph Twist.

These modern works are inspired and drawn from material of their renaissance counterparts. Sydney-born Brooke Shelley's 'parody' Messa Sans Regretz is influenced heavily by the style of Josquin and the Missa Milles Regretz of Morales. Stravinsky's motets echo the haunting and distinctive style of Carlo Gesualdo - and Brisbane-born Joseph Twist's motets are written in homage to Victoria's Lamentations of Jeremiah, Battle Mass, and Requiem. 

We are joined for this concert in the Perth Town Hall by conductor Warren Trevelyan-Jones, Head of Music at St James' Church, King Street, Sydney - and co-director of The Consort of Melbourne and Parsons Affayre. Warren is a past member of ensembles including The Sixteen and The Tallis Scholars. We look forward to welcoming him.

Friday 16th May @ 7:30pm

Perth Town Hall

Corner Barrack and Hay Street, Perth

Adult $30

Concession $25

Student $25

Tickets available HERE via TryBooking

To purchase subscription tickets for our 2014 Season (or become a Patron of The Giovanni Consort) please click HERE or email us at giovanniconsort@gmail.com to receive a hardcopy. Your support is greatly appreciated.

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YouTube: www.youtube.com/giovanniconsort

Concert 4 - Weihnachtshistorie

Concert 4 - Weihnachtshistorie

The Giovanni Consort completes their 2013 Concert Series with Heinrich Schütz's Weihnachts-Historie, or Christmas Story. Schütz is often considered to be the most important German composer before JS Bach, and his polychoral style echoes the music of both Gabrieli and Monteverdi and the compositional style of the Netherlands school. 

Just sixteen singers will perform both solo and choral parts in this masterwork, joined by a chamber orchestra of some of Perth's finest early music specialists. The program will also feature traditional German carols, and choral miniatures from the period.

Wednesday 11th December @ 7:30pm

Trinity College Chapel

2 Trinity Avenue, East Perth

Conducted by David Gething

Adult $30

Concession $25

Student $15

Tickets available at www.trybooking.com/CKPJ

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YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/giovanniconsort

Concert 3 - Northern Lights

Concert 3 - Northern Lights 

The Giovanni Consort presents a program of contemporary Baltic and Scandinavian compositions featuring the Arvo Pärt Seven Magnificat Antiphons and music by Ešenvalds, Gjeilo, Rajaton, ABBA and many more. Fresh from the success of their sold-out Rachmaninoff All-night Vigil season, our singers are looking forward to sharing the unique and distinctive sounds of Northern Europe, and the unique school of choral composition that has flourished there over the course of the 20th and 21st Centuries.

Friday 20th September @ 7:30pm

Perth Town Hall

Barrack St, Perth

Conducted by Lucien Fischer and Perry Joyce

Adult $30

Concession $25

Student $15

Tickets available from www.trybooking.com/CKPI

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YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/giovanniconsort

Concert 2 - All-Night Vigil

Friday 23rd & 24th August
7:30pm Church of the Resurrection, Swanbourne

The Giovanni Consort is delighted to welcome Carl Crossin OAM, director of the Adelaide Chamber Singers, the Elder Conservatorium of Music, and the National Youth Choir of Australia to conduct two performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff's All-night Vigil or Vespers.

Tickets: Adult $30 | Concession $25 | Student $15

You can find the full and complete recorded performance at our YouTube channel.




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Concert 1 - Sonorum

Wednesday 15 May @ 7:30pm, Christ Church, Cnr Queenslea Drive and Stirling Highway, Claremont 
The programme centres around the Howells 'Requiem' (1936) and pieces by contemporary American composer, Eric Whitacre - his 'Nox Aurumque' (2009) which inhabits a dark, richly coloured, and beautiful tonal landscape. 'Nox Aurumque' in particular, deals with the 'weaving' of light and gold - and the 'singing' of night. It is a biting but beautiful musical setting which is built around complex contemporary harmony, which is 'weaved' with soaring vocal lines. Contrasting these, is Britten's remarkable setting of 'Hymn to St Cecilia' (1942) which we perform in his 100th anniversary year.

Music  includes: Herbert Howells Requiem, Benjamin Britten Hymn to St. Cecilia, Eric Whitacre Nox Arumque

Conducted by Christophe Karas 
Tickets: Adult $30, Concession $25, Student $15
Tickets available from www.trybooking.com/CKPF

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Concert 4 - Hodie Christus

Wednesday 12th December @ 7:30pm, St George's College Dining Hall, UWA - Mounts Bay Rd, Crawley

Music includes: Britten A Boy was Born, and music by Poulenc & Tavener plus traditional Christmas carols

The Giovanni Consort presents Christmas through two different lenses - the sacred music of 20th-Century composers and the better known traditional Christmas tunes.

Conducted by Marilyn Phillips

Tickets - Adult $30 / Concession $25 / Student $15

Online tickets at http://www.trybooking.com/BGUZ

Concert 3 - Tapas

Wednesday 26th September @ 7:30pm, Moore & Moore Cafe, 46 Henry St Fremantle 

Music includes: Alonso Lobo Lamentations, and music by Victoria, Scarlatti and Melgas

The Giovanni Consort is joined by several guest artists including renowned composer and conductor Jonathan Willcocks as it presents a delightful concert of Spanish music.


Harpsichord - Jonathan Bradley
Classical Guitar - Don Candy


Conducted by Jonathan Willcocks

Tickets - Adult $30 / Concession $25 / Student $15


Online tickets at http://www.trybooking.com/BGUV

Concert 2 - El Grillo

Tuesday 5th June @ 7:30pm, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, UWA (cnr Fairway & Stirling Hwy, Crawley)
Music includes: Josquin des Prez Missa Pange Lingua, Britten Five Flower Songs and music by Arcadelt, Gibbons and Passereau


Join The Giovanni Consort for their second concert of 2012 in the serene Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery at UWA. A reduced 8-voice Consort will present a programme centred around Josquin des Prez's magical Missa Pange Lingua, and lesser-known music based on themes of flora and fauna by Britten, Arcadelt, Gibbons, Passereau and others will also feature. 


Online booking: http://www.trybooking.com/BGUU

Tickets - Adult $30 / Concession $25 / Student $15

Concert 1 - Bon Voyage

Wednesday 28th March @ 7:30pm, Perth College Chapel - 31 Lawley Crescent, Mt Lawley

Music includes: Parry Songs of Farewell, Tormis Songs of the Ancient Sea and music by Byrd, Monteverdi and Grainger


Join The Giovanni Consort for a journey on the seas, featuring Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry’s choral masterpiece, Songs of Farewell. The Consort opens with a Perth premiere performance of a work by Estonian composer, Veljo Tormis. Songs of the Ancient Sea (1979) finds Tormis composing a sequence of runo-songs (old Estonian folksongs) in a modern idiom. The journey then continues, visiting traditional folksongs and Renaissance madrigals.

Parry’s Songs of Farewell offer numerous biographical interpretations of the last years of Parry's life. They may well impart a sense of leave-taking, but more affecting is the impression of mystery and alienation, of life's transitory nature, and of passing into the unknown.

The Consort is delighted to welcome guest conductor, Joseph Nolan (Organist & Master of the Choristers at St. George's Cathedral), to direct the Consort.

Tickets:
Adult $30 / Concession $25 / Student $15. Unreserved seating

Available online from TryBooking or at the door.


Any questions? Email giovanniconsort@gmail.com

2012 Season Launch

Saturday 28 January 4pm, The Grove Library, Peppermint Grove

In 2012 The Giovanni Consort is under new management, focussed on transforming the image of niche choral music, and the image of the Consort itself. Exciting plans are well underway and several significant changes will be implemented during the coming year (including a reduction of ticket prices), all of which will hopefully result in a greater and more diverse following. Needless to say, that we will of course keep to our tradition of polished, stylish, and high-quality singing.

The 2012 Concert Series, comprised of four mid-week concerts, reflects this new direction with performances in new and interesting spaces, including Moore & Moore Cafe in Fremantle, and the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery at UWA. Over the course of the year, the Consort will present an extremely diverse selection of music from all musical periods that will feature some more mainstream choral works, but also some works which have not yet been performed in Perth. Josquin's Missa Pange Lingua, Parry's Songs of Farewell and Britten's Five Flower Songs are just a taste of what lies ahead for the Consort and the listener.

The Consort is delighted to work with two guest conductors in 2012: Joseph Nolan, who since arriving from England in 2008 has changed the face of choral music in Perth, and Jonathan Willcocks (son of Sir David Willcocks) who regularly conducts choirs and orchestras across five different continents. Both of these prodigious musicians will bring their individual flair to the Consort’s highly regarded, meticulous music making.

To help bring these plans to fruition, The Giovanni Consort is looking for Patrons and Subscribers who are interested in supporting the development of young musicians and the arts generally in Western Australia, and who have a passion for sublime and sensitive choral music. Subscribers will receive one ticket to each of our four concerts in 2012 at a discounted rate, while Patrons will receive two tickets to each of our four concerts, reserved seating at each concert, complimentary refreshments at every interval, the ability to purchase additional tickets at a discounted rate, and an invitation for two to an exclusive Patrons' Soiree. This will be an inaugural event designed to thank our faithful audience for their patronage, with canapés, drinks, and an intimate performance by the Consort.

We hope to see you at The Giovanni Consort's 2012 Season Launch, to be held at The Grove Library on Saturday the 28th of January at 4pm. Complimentary season brochures, canapés, and wine will be available, and the Consort will perform a selection of music to whet your musical appetite for the coming year.

In the Midst of Life

Friday 18 November, 7:30pm, Chapel of St Mary and St George, Guildford Grammar School, Terrace Road, Guildford


Works Include: John Sheppard Media Vita, Regis Tharsis, Francesco Guerrero Ave Virgo Sanctissima, Frei Manuel Cardoso Missa Pro Defunctis, as well as Spanish, English and Portuguese music for organ


Conductor: David Gething, Organist: Stewart Smith


A dazzling concert of spectacular Tudor and Renaissance choral and organ music, this program includes some of the most majestic and splendid motets from the great polyphonic masters of the sixteenth and early seventeenth century. The centrepiece of this program is the superb motet Media vita in morte sumus. The opening of this phrase of this awesome work is regarded as one of the greatest passages of all Tudor polyphony.


Also performed in this concert will be motets by the neglected master Francesco Guerrero and extracts from the magnificent and exotic Requiem by Frei Manuel Cardoso. Timeless, spacious and exhilarating, these works feature the rich sonorities and soaring vocal lines that require extra-ordinary technique and stamina. Although rarely heard in a live performance, these motets are perfectly suited to the fine voices of the Giovanni Consort in a concert that should not be missed!

Bach and Beyond

Saturday 3 September, 7:30pm, St Joseph's Catholic Church, Subiaco


Works Include: J.S. Bach Mass in A Major, Cantata BWV98 Was Gott tut, das ist Wohlgethan (excerpts), Cantata BWV106 Gottes Zeit ist die Allerbeste Zeit, Ich Folge Dir Gleichfalls from St. John Passion, Marc-Antoine Charpentier De Profundis Clamavi


The Giovanni Players will join the Giovanni Consort in a program that features sacred works from three generations of baroque masters. The Mass in A major is one of the most elegant and charming of Bach’s Lutheran Masses and a work that looks back to earlier more conservative forms and forward to the gallant style of the late eighteenth-century.


Composed for the private funeral of Maria Thérèse, the wife of Louis XIV, the exquisite motet De profundis clamavi was not only a personal tribute to a beloved royal patron, but a political and aesthetic statement for his own critics at the Court of the ‘Sun King’, as well as a treasure for all ages. 

Conductor: David Gething 

Stabat Mater

Sunday 3 April, 2:30pm, St Patrick's Basillica, Fremantle


Works include: Domenico Scarlatti Stabat Mater, Marc-Antoine Charpentier La Reniement de St Pierre, Ralph Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs, Johann Sebastian Bach “O Lamm Gottes, Unschüldig” BWV 656 from The Eighteen for organ, Marcel Dupré “Crucifixion” from Symphonie Passion Op 23 for organ


Conductor: David Gething


For its first concert of the 2011 Concert Series the Giovanni Consort joins with Pipe Organ Plus Organist, Dominic Perissinotto and the renowned Baritone Sitiveni Talea to present Stabat Mater, a concert that will take audiences on a musical journey with religious overtones in celebration of Lent and Easter.


Charpentier’s short but exquisite Latin oratorio Le Reniement de St Pierre on the denial of St. Peter may have been intended for performance in a Holy Week church service, but it is among the most dramatic works he ever wrote. Set for double chorus and organ continuo, the Stabat Mater by Domenico Scarlatti is a sublime and evocative meditation of Christ’s journey to the Cross. The concert will also include organ music by Bach and Dupré then finish with the warm romantic melodies and rich sonorities of The Five Mystical Songs of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

15th Anniversary Concert

Friday 19 November, 7:30pm, St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth


Works include: J.S. Bach Singet dem Herrn, Harris Faire is the Heaven, Bring us O Lord God, Brahms Geistliches Lied, Duruflé Requiem, Ubi Caritas


The final concert in the 2010 Subscription series is a celebration of the 15 years of fine choral music presented by the Giovanni Consort. This outstanding programme contains two of the greatest choral masterworks ever written, the Requiem by Maurice Duruflé and the motet Singet dem Herrn by Johann Sebastian Bach.


Few composers have had such a complete understanding of the unique challenges and creative opportunities of writing for the pipe organ as French organist and composer Maurice Duruflé. Using the full expressive resources of both the choir and the pipe organ, and inspired by plainchant melodies, Duruflé created one of the great choral masterpieces of the 20th Century.


The exhilarating, majestic and uniquely challenging double choir motet Singet dem Herrn by Johann Sebastian Bach provides a unique counterpoint in this program to the profound and deeply moving Requiem by Maurice Duruflé. Bustling with vigour and energy, Singet dem Herrn is a contrapuntal tour de force and Bach’s crowning achievement in the motet genre.


This program also includes two miniature choral masterpieces by William Harris - Faire is the Heaven and Bring us O Lord God. Although written after the First World War, these works nostalgically evoke the mood of the halcyon days of Edwardian England and are amongst the most well-loved choral works of the extraordinary 20th Century English Choral repertoire.


Don’t miss this unique concert!

Serenade to Music

Saturday 28 August, 7:30pm, Cottesloe Civic Centre, Broome Street, Cottesloe


Works Include: Brahms Vocal Quartets, Vaughan-Williams Serenade to Music, In Windsor Forest, Faure Pavane, Madrigal and Cantique


For its second subscription series concert, the Giovanni Consort will present an evening of glorious romantic melodies.


Ralph Vaughan-Williams wrote his celebrated Serenade to Music for a consort of soloists, many of whom were his close friends, so few works provide such a perfect artistic match for the Giovanni Consort. The lyrical melodies and sumptuous harmonies that highlight the Serenade to Music can also be heard in his choral cantata, In Windsor Forest. Created from music taken from his opera Sir John in Love, Vaughan Williams vividly recreates of the magical Shakespearean world, with its mysterious forests, drunken revelry and gorgeous love songs.


The choral and vocal music of German Romantic composer Johannes Brahms has been unjustly neglected in favour of his orchestral music. Brahms, perhaps the greatest of the Romantic masters, nevertheless maintained and interest in the human voice throughout his career. His Vocal Quartets are each superbly crafted miniatures, characterized by exquisitely shaped vocal lines expressive harmonies and virtuosic piano accompaniments.


Lighter in style, texture and mood than the Quartets by Brahms, the three choral songs by Gabriel Fauré, Pavane, Madrigal and Cantique de Jean Racine, are nonetheless polished, restrained and elegant, reflecting precisely the differences between the French and German late Romantic style. These stylistic differences caused enormous controversy towards the end of the 19th century but both can been enjoyed in this charming and delightful program.

Resurrection

Sunday 21 March, 2:30pm at St Patrick's Basilica, Adelaide St, Fremantle


Works Include: Tallis Lamentations, Allegri Miserere, de Brossard Stabat Mater, Weelkes Gloria in excelsis


In 2010, Pipe Organ Plus and the Giovanni Consort both celebrate important musical milestones. In this concert they join together for a sublime musical reflection on the journey of Christ from Lent until Easter.


Featured in this program are the Lamentations of Jeremiah of Thomas Tallis, a masterpiece of Tudor polyphony and a deeply spiritual meditation for Good Friday. Few works have a more interesting history than the famous Miserere by Gregori Allegri. Banned from publication for centuries by the Vatican, the soaring solo vocal line was originally sung by the famous castrati of the Papal Choir but is now a virtuoso showpiece for the soprano as well as an awe-inspiring test of technique, stamina and musicianship.


Also in the program is a little-known gem from the French Baroque period, the Stabat Mater by Sebastien de Brossard. Better known as the creator and compiler of the first French Music Dictionary in 1703, the Stabat Mater is an exquisite setting of the mediaeval text that reflects upon the Passion of the Christ on the Cross and the suffering of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This motet has become a favourite amongst audiences and singers fortunate enough to have heard of or performed this beautiful work.


This concert will feature plain chant sung by the Consort and superb organ music by Bach, De Grigny and Tournemire performed by Dominic Perissinotto that reflect both the agony of Christ’s Passion and the joy of the Resurrection.

The Song of Songs

Saturday, November 21, 7:30pm at Guildford Grammar School Chapel, Terrace Road


Works include: Benjamin Britten Rejoice in the lamb, Hubert Parry Blest pair of sirens, William Walton Set me as a seal


Music inspired by the poetic imagery of King Solomon's 'Song of Songs' by composers such as Palestrina, Britten, Walton and Parry.