The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) presents its second subscription concert in this season of magnificent choral works: Songs for Chamber Ensemble, Saturday, January 30, 2016, 8:00PM, at Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Avenue, Ottawa. A small ensemble of solo singers from the OBC will perform with pianist Frédéric Lacroix in an intimate setting. The concert will feature Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder, Debussy’s Trois chansons de Charles d’Orléans, Poulenc’s Un soir de neige, as well as works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Ottawa’s own Nicholas Piper, Schütz, Monteverdi, Pearsall, and more.

One of the main features of the evening will be Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder (“Gypsy Songs”). First performed in Berlin in 1898, the piece is a song cycle with texts based on Hungarian folk songs and originally written for solo singers. Although the origin of these songs is Hungarian, the entire cycle is sung in German; the original Hungarian text having been translated into German before the composition by Brahms. Another work of note is Poulenc’s Un soir de neige (“An evening of snow”). The work is another short cycle of sung poems describing the beauty and solitude of winter. This concert also features Deux chansons de la Belle Cordière by Ottawa’s very own Nicholas Piper. 

The Ottawa Bach Choir was founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton and offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods, featuring some of Canada’s top choristers. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best.

The OBC has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe; most recently returning from a two-week tour of Venice, Leipzig, Lübeck, Groningen, and Amsterdam. The choir had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, the Bachfest Leipzig 2014. The OBC also recently performed in the much-anticipated Apocalypsis by Canada’s own R. Murray Schafer at the Luminato Festival, Toronto in June 2015.

Ottawa Bach Choir

SONGS FOR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

Saturday, January 30, 2016, 8:00PM

Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Avenue, Ottawa

Tickets: Reserved $50, Adult $40, Senior $35, Student $15

Tickets are available online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca, by phone: 613-270-1015, or at the following outlets: The Leading Note, 370 Elgin Street, Ottawa; Compact Music, 206 & 785 1/2 Bank Street, Ottawa

Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca or 613-270-1015