Supertonic presents Joy - Vivaldi’s Gloria and songs of celebration

Alan Gibbs Centre, Wellington College

Saturday 15 October 2022, 7:30pm

Supertonic is thrilled to announce its second concert for 2022: Joy. With the uplifting Gloria in D Major by Antonio Vivaldi as the opener followed by a feast of feel-good choral works, Joy will send you dancing into spring with a collection of choral arrangements overflowing with festive cheer.

Divided into 12 brief movements, the well-known Gloria is a joyful hymn of praise and worship that takes the listener on a journey of rejoicing to profound sadness and back again. Its distinctive opening chorus will be familiar to many, leading into a mixture of gorgeous soprano solos and duets, still and solemn movements and Vivaldi’s masterful instrumental countermelodies that feature throughout. Rich and rewarding, the Gloria is as enjoyable to sing as it is to experience in the audience.

From Sweden to Samoa, the second half of the concert will take us dancing around the world through a suite of fun and festive contemporary music, starting with Verde Mar de Navegar, a maracatú-style song in Portuguese celebrating Carnival. The most popular festival in Brazil, Carnival is formed from European, indigenous, and Afro-Brazilian cultural influences and is known around the world for its parades, costumes, music and dance traditions.

Water Fountain by Merrill Garbus (tUnE-yArDs) is a catchy, rhythmic number that employs a unique combination puzzling lyrics and harmonies. Drawing inspiration from the politics of drought and dancehall reggae, the choral arrangement transposes the song’s layers of contrasting rhythms and sounds into harmonious vocals and thrilling hand-claps and drums.

Some familiar favourites from past concerts will reappear, and catchy tunes from the worlds of jazz, rock and pop will close out the concert.

Supertonic’s 2022 music director Virginie Pacheco is delighted to be bringing her second concert to Wellington. “We wanted to end the year with a feeling of celebration. In 2022, singing
together feels like more of a privilege than ever, and this concert is a reminder to pause and celebrate our successes, the people around us and the important moments in life.” says Pacheco.

Supertonic is a 50-strong SATB Wellington choir that takes pride in presenting a diverse range of music. Past concerts cover everything from traditional choral repertoires of early music through to modern works, strongly themed presentations such as music written solely in endangered and extinct languages, through to rock, pop and jazz extravaganzas celebrating the greatest music of the 20th and 21st centuries.