"Return of the Light"

Contemporary choral and instrumental works by Pärt,

Gorecki, Gjeilo and Giannini in celebration of Spring

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Artistic Director: Jean-Sébastien Lévesque

(www.jeansebastienlevesque.com)

March 11, 2023 @ 7:00 pm

and

March 12, 2023 @ 2:00 pm

All Saints by-the-Sea Anglican Church, Salt Spring Island

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Bach on the Rock’s early spring concert features some stunningly beautiful music from composers of modern day and the last century.

Most audiences will not be intimately familiar with the pieces, but the entire program chosen by our artistic director Jean-Sébastien Lévesque is guaranteed to be pleasing, moving and unforgettable.

Two of the selections are for chamber orchestra only: the Concerto Grosso by Vittorio Giannini, composed in 1946; and Three Pieces in Old Style by Polish composer Henryk Gorecki, which debuted in 1963.

Dark and Luminous Night is a set of songs for choir and orchestra by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. Choral works by Gjeilo, who has lived in the United States since 2001, are among the most frequently performed worldwide in recent years.

The second half of the concert consists of Arvo Part’s Berliner Messe, first performed in 1990 for the 90th German Catholic Days event in Berlin in May of that year. It was the first such event held after the Berlin Wall fell the previous year. The mass for choir and orchestra is said to exude “quiet dignity and a profound sense of joy.”

As a note of trivia, the Kyrie of the Messe was featured in the 2015 superhero film Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Two concerts are scheduled at All Saints by-the-Sea, with its intimate setting and wonderful acoustics: Saturday, March 11 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 12 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for youth, available in advance online and at the door by cash, cheque or card.