Bangkok Music Society is holding "Reflect And Rejoice", a concert of music old and new where celestial beauty meets ceremonial joy, on Sunday at 6pm at Christ Church, Convent Road.
The BMS Choir under its director Margaret Young will perform pieces of stark contrasts in mood, style and era, demonstrating how music connects all of us to both the contemplation of life and the joy of living.
The repertoire includes Lux Aeterna (Eternal Light) by Morten Lauridsen, one of America's most loved living choral composers. He wrote it with the Latin words of the requiem mass as a tranquil, light-filled piece, rather than a lament for the departed.
It has been described by The Times as "a classic of new American choral writing where old world structures and new world spirit intertwine in a cunningly written score, at once sensuous and spare".
The haunting unaccompanied O Nata Lux translates as, "O light born of light / Jesus, redeemer of the world / deign in mercy to accept / the offering of praise and prayers". The mood is one of opulence and Lauridsen luxuriates in the power of the choral sound.
The choir will also sing Zadok The Priest, one of the resplendent and joyful musical pieces Handel wrote for the British monarch King George II in 1727. It has been performed at every British coronation since, including recently for King Charles III. Another of Handel's anthems on the programme will be The King Shall Rejoice.
To end the concert, the choir will turn to a pillar of the classical era, Franz Joseph Haydn. Often regarded as "the father of the symphony", Haydn's choral music was just as inventive and the Te Deum For The Empress Marie Therese (1799) is no exception, showing a varied mixture of musical expressions, including his well-known humour.
The choir will be joined by Morakot Cherdchoo-ngarm on pipe organ and an instrumental quartet.
Tickets 700 baht (300 baht for students) and can be purchased from ticketmelon.com.
