Daily Musical Reflections Through Holy Week
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.…”
As one of Pro Coro Canada’s signature performances, Good Friday at the Winspear is a beloved tradition in the Edmonton arts community. During these times of isolation and searching for comfort, we were saddened not to be able to offer our community the solace of a shared musical journey for this Easter season. We know that many of our patrons will be observing Holy Week in complete isolation for the first time in their lives.
In accordance with the directives issued by Alberta Health Services on large gatherings, Pro Coro Canada has elected to cancel the upcoming performance Good Friday at the Winspear. However, the spirit of Pro Coro Canada’s Holy Week celebration lives on:
Beginning Monday, April 6th 2020, Pro Coro Canada will present every day a curated musical reflection to accompany your journey through this year’s observance of Holy Week. For eight days, bring the voices of Edmonton’s professional choir into your own home as we open our performance archive to share musical experiences old and new; listen to live recordings from previous Good Friday at the Winspear concerts, featuring Bruckner, Praulins and Mealor, interweaving a contemplative journey to welcome Easter and the coming of Spring.
We can’t wait to return to the stage to present our voices to you in person. For now, we hope that the song of Pro Coro will bring you comfort and contemplation for this Easter season.
Pro Coro Canada
Reflection I - Monday, April 6th 2020
Anton Bruckner - Christus Factus Est
Recorded LIVE April 3rd, 2015 “Good Friday at the Winspear”
Michael Zaugg, Conductor
With Special Guests: The University of Alberta Madrigal Singers
Text Translation (Philippians: 8–9)
Christ became obedient for us unto death,
even to the death, death on the cross.
Therefore God exalted Him
and gave Him a name
which is above all names.
Reflection II - Tuesday, April 7th 2020
Stuart Beatch - Resurrectio
Recorded LIVE November 17, 2020 “Heaven and Hell”
Davide Fior, Pro Coro Canada Emerging Artist Conductor
Soli: Erin Craig, Nathan Boostma, Lynnea Bartel Nickel
Text Translation (text - John Donne [1572-1631]; 1 Corinthians 15:20 - 22 & 24-26; Hebrews 10:5-7)
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
SLEEP, sleep, old sun, thou canst not have repass’d,
As yet, the wound thou took’st on Friday last ;
Sleep then, and rest ; the world may bear thy stay ;
A better sun rose before thee to-day ;
Who—not content to enlighten all that dwell
On the earth’s face, as thou—enlighten’d hell,
And made the dark fires languish in that vale,
As at thy presence here our fires grow pale ;
Whose body, having walk’d on earth, and now
Hasting to heaven, would—that He might allow
Himself unto all stations, and fill all—
For these three days become a mineral.
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.’ ”
He was all gold when He lay down, but rose
All tincture, and doth not alone dispose
Leaden and iron wills to good, but is
Of power to make e’en sinful flesh like his.
Had one of those, whose credulous piety
Thought that a soul one might discern and see
Go from a body, at this sepulchre been,
And, issuing from the sheet, this body seen,
He would have justly thought this body a soul,
If not of any man, yet of the whole.
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Reflection III - Wednesday, April 8th 2020
Ugis Praulins - i. Lamentation; ii. O Quam Tristis, from Stabat Mater
Excerpt from the World Premiere of “Stabat Mater” Recorded LIVE April 19 2019 at the Winspear Centre for Music
Pro Coro Canada
Michael Zaugg, Conductor
Text and Translation (13th century Christian hymn )
I. Lamentation / Beside the Cross
The grieving Mother weeping,
stood beside the cross where
her Son was hanging.
Through her weeping soul,
compassionate and grieving,
a sword passed.
II. O Quam Tristis (O How Sad / Pious Mother )
O how sad and afflicted
was that blessed Mother
of the Only-begotten son.
Who mourned and grieved,
the pious Mother, looking at the
torment of her glorious Child.
From the Composer
Ugis Praulins
Pro Coro Canada Composer-In-Residence 2017-2019
Stabat Mater is a kaleidoscope of the 21st Century, in the presence of Einstein’s and Hawking’s contemporary world. It is nothing pleasant and nothing nice. There is ultimate deprivation, devastation, injustice, and the madness of an illiterate, and ignorant crowd. We witness the grief about the powerful nation’s playground in the middle east and everywhere, about the oil industry, and the bullies of the world today. Meanwhile, the mothers are grieving for their sons, their daughters, their children. They are the architects, the gardeners, the creators, and they see their beautiful work in ruins. The rest of humanity is going to churches where in comfort they enjoy the sufferings depicted in music and art.
My attitude is for Life, for the Reverence of Life (after Albert Schweitzer), and against the devastation of the nations, cultures, and at this very moment, the World. We have to be responsible, and take action before these possible acts will happen. We have to do this with our tools, in this case, with music. Sometimes we are winning, sometimes they are winning (Mstislav Rostropovich), but we cannot be silent. Our voice is needed here permanently, ceaselessly. But it is not necessarily efficient to revert to old rhetoric, it is not effective for today’s computer/ game/ gadget oriented minds. So many contemporary aesthetics have come into our society, and thus, new shapes and versions of these old ideas must be created.
But, while we are talking right now, the Mother is already standing there, in the battlefield or in the undertaker’s comfortable office.
Stabat Mater
i. Lamentation/Juxta Crucem: this opening moment is hectic, chaotic, a mess. Many voices are talking, preaching, shouting, moaning: all of us take part in this scene. Some declare their faith, some declare their ideal mother, their truth, or interests, or belief system. And the Mother is standing in the middle. Why is she doing this? Suddenly, there is crying. Is she crying? And again, chaos in so many languages, like in Babylon, proclaiming, fighting, arguing, ...
ii. O Quam Tristis/Pia Mater: a grownup man is crying for his mother and a child is crying for her mother. We are begging forgiveness of the mother of the enemy soldier. Mother (Mary), what did you think when you saw the angel appearing, what did he look like and what did he say? What made you believe, you married woman?
iii. In Tormentis/Crucifixion: the shells of soldiers’ spirits, warfields, trenches, dreary winds, cold rain, and apathy. For a moment – reminiscing – the mother as a child, a young girl, with no suffering, playing. Then the lifting up and disappearing of the spirit of the child.
iv. Eja, Mater/Stabat Mater: a hymn of love. The enlightenment in the form of the holy spirit or an angel, a indescribable feeling and consequent action of love. It is wonderful that Jesus spoke and thought about the almighty love. This is the hymn of love, with a question: would you bring us another child, would you do this again for us? Was this the right thing? You, most beautiful Lady, would you do this again?
v. Mater, Fons Amoris/Amen: meanwhile life is going on ceaselessly in the world: car horns, jets taking off, trains squealing, and in cinemas, we watch in comfort actors play the drama, the comedy and the war.
And the mother is standing there, not knowing why.
Reflection IV - Maundy Thursday, April 9 2020
Arturs Maskats - Let My Prayer Arise
Recorded LIVE January 31st 2016, “Ancient Echoes”
Pro Coro Canada, Michael Zaugg - Director; and Luminous Voices, Timothy Shantz - Director
Michael Zaugg, Conductor
Soprano Solo: Dawn Bailey
Bass Solo: Michael Kurschat
Bass Drum: Timothy Shantz
Text Translation - Psalm 141
Let my prayer arise
in Thy sight as incense:
and let the lifting up of my hands
be an evening sacrifice.
Lord, I call upon Thee, hear me:
receive the voice of my prayer,
when I call upon Thee.
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth:
and keep watch over the door of my lips.
Incline not my heart to evil words,
nor to make excuses for sins.
Reflection V - Good Friday, April 10 2020
Paul Mealor: A Musical Meditation for Good Friday
“As the whole world enters into a lockdown and state of real emergency, many of us are turning this way and that for answers. Many feel completely lost. It is in these moments that some of us turn to our faith and the Easter message of hope in despair, of light in the darkness and of love in pain. “
2015-2017 Composer-In-Residence Paul Mealor pens a special Good Friday message for Pro Coro Canada
Reflection VI - Easter Vigil, April 11 2020
Dmytro Bortniansky - Let God Arise
Recorded LIVE April 2nd 2016
Sung by Ukrainian male choir consortium: (Pro Coro Canada, the Boyan Ensemble of Kyiv, the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus, the Axios Men's Ensemble of Edmonton and others)
Michael Zaugg, Conductor
Text Translation (Psalm 68)
May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
May you blow them away like smoke
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
Reflection VII - Easter Sunday, April 12 2020
Ugis Praulins - Laudibus in Sanctis
Recorded LIVE February 2nd 2014, Koerner Hall (Toronto)
Pro Coro Canada - Michael Zaugg, Conductor
Text Translation (Paraphrase of Psalm 150)
Celebrate the Lord most high in holy praises:
let the firmament echo the glorious deeds of God.
Sing ye the glorious deeds of God, and with holy voice
sound forth oft the power of his mighty hand.
Let the warlike trumpet sing the great name of the Lord:
celebrate the Lord with Pierian lyre.
Let resounding timbrels ring to the praise of the most-high God,
lofty organs peal to the praise of the holy God.
Him let melodious psalteries sing with fine string,
him let joyful dance praise with nimble foot.
Let hollow cymbals pour forth divine praises,
sweet-sounding cymbals filled with the praise of God.
Let everything in the world that feeds upon the air of heaven
sing Alleluia to God for evermore.
Reflection VIII - Easter Monday, April 13th 2020
Michael Zaugg: An Easter Monday Reflection
“I know that these past three days, from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, were for many an important time in their personal Faith journey, and that with the restrictions on gatherings, the impossibility of celebrating with and among the community was highlighted in a stark manner. It was a quiet weekend for most, I assume, and certainly in this household, reflection and gratitude led the journey. “
Thank You for Joining Us!
It has been our pleasure to bring you music for every day of Holy Week! We hope you will join us for our next edition of Musical Reflections COMING SOON
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This is a challenging time for Pro Coro Canada. We are a strong organization with a committed choir of the best singers in Edmonton, and our purpose is to enrich the lives of our community. With your support, we are determined to keep our operations at full capacity and continue to pioneer new and exciting ways to bring music into your life, in the world or in the comfort of your own home.
