Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Will Perform Two Australian Premieres and Carmina Burana

Join Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for their most kaleidoscopic presentation of the year, opening with the long-awaited mainstage launch of two new Australian works, followed by Carl Orff’s much-loved Carmina Burana. Don’t miss it. One concert only, 2pm Saturday September 9, Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is the blockbuster of the choral world, the kind of music that will keep you on the edge of your seat with its rousing choruses and wicked humour. But before setting off down that illustrious path, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs are delighted to premiere two new Australian works, commissioned as part of their 2020 Centenary celebrations.

Written in the style of traditional Aboriginal verses and performed in Yuwaalaraay, James Henry’s Murrgumurrgu, is a tribute to the native Australian bird, the ibis.

 

Many Sydneysiders are familiar with these long-beaked birds, commonly found in the city’s parks and beaches, but are likely unaware that for thousands of years ibis have been sacred to Indigenous communities in in the Narran Wetlands in the north-west of New South Wales; and are also recognised as important indicators of the country’s wetlands’ health.

 

Presented as an example of what might be possible by bringing traditional Aboriginal songs to new ears, via new genres and arrangements, Henry’s work for voice and orchestra, Murrgumurrgu, takes its title from the local Yuwaalaraay name for this sacred bird species.

 

Frequently in demand for his unique contribution to Australian music, this First Nations composer, sound designer, singer and musician’s compositions are informed by years spent working with communities, reviving their languages through song.

 

One of Australia’s foremost and most prolific contemporary composers, Elena Kats-Chernin's distinctive music has reached millions worldwide, and earned her numerous prizes including Helpmann, Limelight, Sounds Australian and Sydney Theatre Awards, the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award and the 2022 Australian Women in Music Award for Artistic Excellence.

 

In 2020 Sydney Philharmonia Choirs commissioned Kats-Chernin to create a major work, honouring the rich legacy of Australia’s migrant history.

 

Written in collaboration with librettist Tamara-Anna Cislowska, Human Waves is a celebration of diversity, captured in a series of stories charting the struggles and successes of real-life Australian immigrants in the 1900s and early 2000s.

 

Presented live on stage for the first time with full orchestration, this heartfelt work is sure to engage and entertain – with its well-researched tales, alongside an ode to Vegemite called ‘Ode to the Salty Paste’, a celebration of landscape and a pledge of loyalty.

 

And so on to Orff’s Carmina Burana, with its worldly – and occasionally naughty – texts, one of the most popular concert experiences of the 20th and 21st Centuries.

 

The lyrics for the work are based on a collection of poems and songs assembled by mediæval monks – a celebration of the fickleness of fortune, the circle of life, the joys of wine, gambling, love, lust and passion, but its flamboyant music is barely a century old.

 

From the instantly recognisable opening roar of O Fortuna! to gentle lullabies and rousing drinking songs, it’s a wild musical ride for your senses. Joining the Choirs on stage for this ultimate performance are guest soloists soprano Lorina Gore, tenor Kanen Breen – reviving his unforgettable 2021 performance as the roasting swan –and baritone Hadleigh Adams.

 

Book now for this incredible concert, 2pm Saturday September 9, at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Tickets from $45/ $41 concession, sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/concerts/2023season/carmina/

Your ticket also includes a free pre-concert talk in the Northern Foyer, commencing at 1.15pm by Fine Music Sydney 102.5 FM presenter and SPC Chorister Peter Poole.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs is supported by Create NSW.

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