Chronicle Herald Story on Saint Matthew Passion

The Halifax Chronicle Herald interviewed Paul Halley about Saint Matthew Passion. You can read the cached article at the Herald's website here.

CBC Mainstreet Interview with Paul Halley and David Greenberg

CBC's Mainstreet program will feature an interview with Paul Halley and David Greenberg this Friday, April 15 at 3:55pm. You can live-stream the show here and Nova Scotians can check here for your local frequency.

Halifax Magazine: Interview with Paul Halley and David Greenberg

Halifax Magazine has posted a fun interview with Paul Halley and David Greenberg. You can read the interview by clicking the link here.

Interview with countertenor Andrew Pickett

Below is an interview between countertenor Andrew Pickett and Cheryl Bell.

Andrew Pickett received his Master of Music in Literature and Performance from the University of Western Ontario, then proceeded to the Royal College of Music, London where he earned a graduate diploma, studying with Ashley Stafford. He has learned with such notable experts in the vocal Baroque as Dame Emma Kirkby, James Bowman, Michael Chance and Daniel Taylor, and has performed major roles in operas by Monteverdi, Alessandro Scarlatti, Hasse, Handel, Purcell and Jonathan Dove, and been a soloist in works by Purcell, Charpentier, Handel, Orff, Britten, and Bach (Mass in B Minor and St. John Passion) in the UK, Europe, and Canada.
His London-based vocal quartet, The 1607 Ensemble, for which he writes pieces and arrangements as well as editions of early works, has performed all over Britain as well as France, Italy and the Netherlands. His work in 2011 will include solo recitals of Bach and Handel, as well as Handel's Judas Maccabeus, Bach's St Matthew Passion, and Purcell's Fairy Queen.  Andrew was a Britten-Pears Young Artist, and a Brighton Early Music Festival Young Artist. He is a vocal coach for the King's College Chapel Choir, and will serve as the resident vocal consultant this summer at the New Brunswick Early Music Festival.
(bio from andrewpickett.com)

CB:  How would you define and describe the countertenor voice to someone who is unfamiliar with it?

AP: Without getting into too much of the history, defining the voice is pretty easy—it’s a man singing in falsetto, simple as that. There are countertenors out there who would rather be called altos, and a few high early music tenors who say that they are the true countertenors and falsettists aren’t, but that’s really a question of semantics. I use the same vocal production as Alfred Deller, James Bowman, Andreas Scholl, Daniel Taylor… that’s what being a countertenor means to me.
Describing it  is harder. It’s a high voice, but it’s not a woman’s voice—there can be an unearthly quality to it, that’s the word I often hear. Some people find it unsettling to hear such high notes coming from a man; others find it really attractive for the same reason. And of course every countertenor has his own unique qualities.

CB: What role do you sing in the Saint Matthew Passion? Is it the first time you have sung the role?

AP: The Matthew Passion does has characters like Pilate and Jesus, especially in the recitatives, but the arias are for unnamed solo voices, for soprano, alto, tenor and bass. There are two choirs, so there are soloists associated with each choir—I’ll be singing four of the eight alto arias, and Maude Brunet, a mezzo-soprano, will be singing the other four.
CB: What sort of demands does the role place on you and your voice?
AP: Bach is always challenging for any singer—it’s intensely musical and specific and unforgiving. It’s as if Bach is saying “Just sing exactly these notes, in this exact order, with complete and rigorous accuracy, and above all, relax.” The other problem, for me, is that the arias are so magnificently beautiful that it’s intimidating to work on them. It’s like being asked to retouch a priceless Baroque painting—what if your hand slips, and mars its perfection?

CB: Why is it important that this role be sung by a countertenor?

It’s not, really—as I said, some of the arias are being sung by a mezzo, and that’s great. As far as historically informed performance goes, there’s a good chance that these arias were sung by a senior boy in Bach’s own choir, but there aren’t many 14-year-olds boys around these days who are willing to sing classical music at all, let alone tackle the challenges of a Bach aria. Although happily now there’s Nick Halley’s Capella Regalis boys’ choir, who are joining us for the Passion—who knows what some of those kids will be able to accomplish down the road! But this is one of those situations where there’s no real right answer—you just use the best of what you have available, which after all is exactly what Bach would have done. Besides, I think it will be really interesting for the audience to hear how the two voice types, male and female, are going to sound, side by side.

CB:  Is singing this role a high point in your career—a bit like “playing the Dane” for an actor?

Yes, a bit. The Matthew Passion is a pièce de résistance, by a master of masters, and it’s impossible to ignore. But most classical singers do a variety of work—opera, as well as concerts like this, and usually teaching on the side—and we usually have favourite works in each area. So ask me again after I’ve sung Oberon in Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream!

Introducing: Hélène Brunet, Soprano

Soprano Hélène Brunet has just completed a masters degree in early music at the University of Montreal, under the supervision of Suzie Leblanc, Alexander Weimann and Catherine Sévigny. She is currently studying with Daniel Taylor at the Music Conservatory of Montreal.

Over the past few years, Hélène has had the opportunity to study with highly regarded musicians in the early music scene, most notably Luc Beauséjour, Charles Daniels, Emma Kirkby and Margaret Little. In July 2010, she performed the role of Maddalena in Handel’s La Resurrezione, conducted by American Bach Soloists’ Jeffrey Thomas in San Francisco. Last fall, she joined Montreal’s early music ensembles SMAM (Christopher Jackson) in Biber’s Vespers and Les Voix Baroques (Alexander Weimann) in Oratorios by Carissimi.

Hélène sang in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the Montreal Music Conservatory Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Raffi Armenian, as well as in Bach’s Easter Oratorio, conducted by Louis Lavigueur in March. She will be heard in the role of Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and will also have the pleasure of performing Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate with Orchestre de la Francophonie at Palais Montcalm in Quebec City next July.

Below, you can watch a video of  Hélène performing Claudio Monteverdi's Lamento Della Ninfa.

Paul Halley and David Greenberg on CBC

Chapel Choir Director Paul Halley and David Greenberg will be featured on the CBC Radio 2 Programme Connections on Saturday April 9. The show airs from 10am - 11am and can be streamed here. Please click here to find the radio frequency in your area.

Saint Matthew Passion: A Local History

Anyone who takes on the Saint Matthew Passion knows what a commitment it is in time, money and manpower.  It is a monumental undertaking and one not taken lightly, particularly not in a city the size of Halifax where the pool of talent is relatively small. Yet, despite its size and complexity, the Saint Matthew Passion has been performed several times in the last 40 years. While this brief history attempts to envelop as much of the local history as possible, it is by no means complete. We welcome memories and submissions from any and all fans of the Saint Matthew Passion.
 - compiled by Cheryl Bell




1975
Directed by Klaro Mizerit, conductor of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, 1968-1977
Italian-born Klaro Mizerit was the first permanent conductor of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. He also founded the Atlantic Choir to complement the orchestra in major choral works. With the orchestra and the choir, plus additional players, he was able to perform the Saint Matthew Passion and other masterworks.

1978
Directed by Dr Walter Kemp, chair of the Dalhousie University Music Department and director of the Dalhousie Chorale
Performed in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
For this performance of the complete score, which was sung in English, the 200-strong Dalhousie Chorale was divided into two separate choirs across the Rebecca Cohn auditorium and faced the audience. Dalhousie Cultural Affairs hired the Atlantic Symphony to play. Dr Kemp invited the John W MacLeod Elementary School Choir, under the direction of Riet Vink, to sing the cantus firmus lines. The Evangelist was the Canadian Opera Company tenor Mark Dubois in his first performance of this role.

1983 - 1985
Directed by Paul Murray, director of music at St Matthew’s United Church
Both performances featured a professional orchestra from what was by then Symphony Nova Scotia. The Toronto tenor Albert Greer was the Evangelist on both occasions, which were sung in English. The 1985 performance was stretched over an afternoon and evening, with “Bach’s Lunches” provided, following the example of the Royal Festival Hall concerts by Sir David Willcocks and the London Bach Choir. The 1985 performance was a complete presentation in honour of the Bach birthday anniversary year.

1987 - 1989
Directed by Dr Walter Kemp
Performed in St Paul’s Anglican Church
For this performance, the 30 or so St Paul’s Singers were divided into two groups, which faced each other in the choir stalls on either side of the chancel. Members of Symphony Nova Scotia made up the orchestra. Brian Roberts from Memorial University was the Evangelist in the 1987 performance and Ken Beale of Toronto performed the role in 1989. These concerts were sung in German.

1993
Directed by Dr Walter Kemp
Performed in Pope John XXIII Roman Catholic Church, Cole Harbour
The Georgian Singers (formerly the St Paul’s Singers) and the Dalhousie Chamber Choir formed the two choirs and members of Symphony Nova Scotia made up the orchestra. The Evangelist was Henry Ingram of Toronto.  Sung in German.

1999
Directed by John Hudson
Performed at St Matthew’s United Church
This performance of the Saint Matthew Passion was held to mark the “250th  year in the life of the congregation of Saint Matthew’s United Church.” The church choir was supplemented with a number of ‘friends’ and the Elementary School Choir of Sacred Heart School, under the direction of Diane Ashworth. The 15-member orchestra was drawn from Symphony Nova Scotia, with Anne Rapson as concertmaster.  The Evangelist was Tim Matthews and Stephen Hartlen performed the role of Jesus.

2002  
Directed by Dr Walter Kemp
Performed in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
The Walter Kemp singers (formerly the Georgian Singers) and the Dalhousie Chamber Choir were choirs I and II, while the Dalhousie Chorale sang the Chorales and joined in the opening and closing choruses. The Dalhousie Orchestra provided the instrumentalists. Blaine Hendsbee (Dalhousie graduate and professor of music at the University of Lethbridge) sang the part of the Evangelist. Sung in German. 

 Below are pages from the 1999 program. Many thanks to Margaret Arklie for this valuable contribution. Please click images to enlarge.