“This concert features music from the golden age of Scandinavian choral music, which, due to skillful text setting and outstanding vocal lines, compares favorably to music from the age of Palestrina,” says Lyn Ransom, music director of VOICES Chorale, which presents “Northern Lights,” an evening of Scandinavian music on Friday, May 20, at Pennington Presbyterian Church. “Scandinavian choral music was, in a sense, discovered by Lloyd Pfautsch and others and popularized by the famous Swedish choral conductors Eric Ericson and Stephen Parkman.”
On the program are: Sibelius’ “Finlandia”; romantic music for men’s chorus by Edvard Grieg and Hugo Alfven (“Aftonen” and “A Maiden is in A Ring”); “Saul,” a contemporary composition by Egil Hovland; three choral ballads by Wilhelm Stenhammar; a folksong arranged by Swedish jazz musician Bengt Hallberg; and Ola Gjeilo’s “Northern Lights,” which premiered at the National Gallery in Washington, DC, in January, 2008. The chamber group Sotto Voce will perform music by Neils Gade and Sven-Eric Johanson. Soprano Jennifer Brader solos, and Kathleen Connolly Milly plays piano and organ.
Northern Lights of Scandinavia Concert, Voices Chorale, Pennington Presbyterian Church, 13 South Main Street, Pennington. Friday, May 20, 8 p.m. Music from Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark features works by Sibelius, Grieg, Hovland, Stenhammar, and Hallberg. $20; $10 children age 12 and under. Check website for special discounts offered by Pennington area restaurants on May 20. 609-637-9383 or www.voiceschorale.org.
Also, Sunday, May 22, 3 p.m., Anchor Presbyterian Church, 980 Durham Road (Route 413), Wrightstown, PA.
