A Feast of Carols
A Feast of Carols
Rebecca Farley, soprano
Edmund Milly, bass-baritone
December 16, 2023
4:00 p.m.
Princeton University Chapel
A Feast of Carols
Rebecca Farley, soprano
Edmund Milly, bass-baritone
December 16, 2023
4:00 p.m.
Princeton University Chapel
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It’s so good to be with you this afternoon! We’re delighted you’ve chosen to celebrate the holidays with us through music. Our program reaches back across the ages to some of the first melodies ever written down and presents them alongside familiar carols and the spirited Gloria of the one-and-only John Rutter. Though Finzi’s In Terra Pax includes the familiar story from the Book of Luke, the texts of the other pieces don’t precisely delineate the stories of the holidays so much as trace their outlines and highlight several moments and key themes: the yearning to be lifted out of darkness and gloom into light and hope, the joy of sharing good news, and the potential for renewal portended by a newborn (and latent in us all). These are touchstones for any ear and every era. I hope that some combination of word, melody, and space conjures for you a doorway into a realm of reflection, even reverie, where you can marvel at the beauty of music.
And while I hope you enjoy your experience as an individual listener, I hope you’ll also take a moment to appreciate the uniquely communal experience of attending a concert. Our contemporary, digital life comprises so much time apart and alone, necks craned to tiny screens, listening, at best, to digital signals buzzing the tiniest of metallic speakers. But here, today, the flesh of the human body resonates in harmony with profound sound emanating on human breath through brass and silver alloys forged from the densest elements on the periodic table, ricocheting round the rising ribs of the stone arches of this magnificent edifice. What a uniquely human treat to surrender to sound in such a way. It is in this spirit that our penultimate selection will remind us all how precious it is that music, like the holidays themselves, can bring us together in the present and give an occasion for future reunion. Auld Lang Syne bids us lean on one another, take a cup o’ kindness, and raise a glass for auld lang syne—for the sake of old times—while we turn toward the next chapter.
Thank you for choosing to join us this afternoon as we look back and look forward to our next time together.
“For there’s a trusty hand, my friend, and give me a hand o’ thine, for we’ll take a right good-will draught for auld lang syne.”
This program runs without intermission
| Gloria 1. Allegro vivace 2. Andante 3. Vivace e ritmicoIn Terra Pax Deck The Hall I Heard the Bells O Holy Night A Wreath of Carols Audience Carol: Away in a Manger I Saw Three Ships Festival First Nowell Auld Lang Syne Finale & Hallelujah |
John Rutter (b. 1945)
Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) Arr. Ryan James Brandau (b. 1981)
Adolphe Adam (1803-1856) Margaret Vardell Sandresky (b. 1921)
David Willcocks (1919-2015)
arr. Dan Forrest (b. 1978) |
Rebecca Farley, soprano, has been praised for her poise (Opera News), her "fine, flexible soprano" (Parterre Box), and her "filigree phrasing" (Scoop, New Zealand). She has appeared as a soloist in concert halls all over the world in repertoire from early Baroque to world premieres. At Carnegie Hall, she appeared with Ensemble Connect in Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and twice with The Cecilia Chorus of New York, first in Bach’s Magnificat and then in Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium. She was featured on an international concert tour with conductor Masaaki Suzuki singing two solo cantatas, Bach’s soprano arrangement of Ich habe genung and Handel’s Silete venti. Other concert highlights include Handel’s Laudate pueri dominum (HWV 236) on tour with Juilliard415, Handel’s Laudate pueri dominum (HWV 237) with St. George’s Choral Society, Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Paducah Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Greenwich Village Orchestra, and Brahms's Requiem with St. George’s Choral Society.
She made her west coast debut at the Granada Theatre as Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, conducted by James Conlon. This was closely followed by her debut as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte (Lyric Opera of Kansas City), conducted by musicologist and foremost Mozart expert Dame Jane Glover. She reprised the role a few months later in a fully staged concert with Maestro Ward Stare and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. She and Maestro Glover were reunited in 2022 when Rebecca appeared with Music of the Baroque as the soprano soloist in Haydn’s Creation Mass.
Hear Rebecca on the official recording of Thy Will Be Done, Angela Rice’s contemporary Easter oratorio. She has worked closely with Rice for over a decade and premiered the oratorio in New York at David Geffen Hall. Other notable premieres include Jonathan Breit’s concert scena Der Zippelfaggotist at Carnegie Hall and Sherry Wood's Mara: A Chamber Opera in collaboration with The Rubin Museum, New York.
Bass-Baritone Edmund Milly is sought after for his “perfect diction” (Los Angeles Times), distinctive “delicacy and personal warmth” (Boston Classical Review), and “rich and resonant” timbre (KC Metropolis). Upcoming solo engagements include Haydn’s Creation with the Washington Bach Consort, Britten’s War Requiem with the Yale Symphony, and Handel’s Messiah at Epiphany Seattle. A devoted interpreter of Bach, Edmund will perform cantatas this season with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem at Bachfest Leipzig, at Trinity Wall Street, as well as with Cantata Collective, Gamut Bach Ensemble, the Oklahoma Bach Choir, and Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity. Other recent solo credits include Carmina Burana with the University of South Carolina Symphony, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs with the New Jersey Choral Society, Bach cantatas with the American Classical Orchestra, and Brahms’ Requiem with the Thirteen. A consummate ensemble musician, Edmund has also recently sung with Seraphic Fire, Ensemble Altera, and TENET.
Edmund’s musical education began with cello lessons at age 3 and continued at the American Boychoir School, where he amassed formative musical experiences under the batons of Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Mazur, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and André Previn. Edmund holds degrees from McGill University and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where he studied with James Taylor. In his Lincoln Center debut with Yale Schola Cantorum directed by Masaaki Suzuki, Edmund portrayed an "authoritative and confident" Jesus in Bach's St. John Passion (Seen and Heard International). He has since sung the role with Trinity Wall Street and the Oregon Bach Festival, and performed over 80 of Bach’s cantatas.
A veteran of the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Edmund has been a soloist at the White House, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has amassed solo credits on the BBC and CBC, and appears on several GRAMMY-nominated albums. Edmund often has the pleasure of performing with his wife, mezzo-soprano Sylvia Leith, notably in their work with vocal quartet the Polyphonists. For a full calendar of upcoming performances, see www.edmundmilly.com.
Gloria
John Rutter
| Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te, gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam, Domine Deus, Rex cælestis, Deus Pater omnipotens. Domine Fili Unigenite, Iesu Christe, Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis; qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu: in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. |
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. |
In Terra Pax
Gerald Finzi
Baritone Solo
A frosty Christmas Eve
when the stars were shining
Fared I forth alone
where westward falls the hill.
And from many a village
in the water’d valley
Distant music reach’d me
peals of bells aringing
The constellated sounds
ran sprinkling on earth’s floor
As the dark vault above
with stars was spangled o’er.
Then sped my thoughts to keep
that first Christmas of all
When the shepherds watching
by their folds ere the dawn
Heard music in the fields
and marveling could not tell
Whether it were angels
or the bright stars singing.
Chorus
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them:
Soprano Solo
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Chorus
And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Baritone Solo
But to me heard afar
it was starry music
Angels’ song, comforting
as the comfort of Christ
When he spake tenderly
to his sorrowful flock:
The old words came to me
by the riches of time
Mellow’d and transfigured
as I stood on the hil
Heark’ning in the aspect
of th’eternal silence.
Chorus
And on earth peace, good will toward men.
Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913
Robert Bridges (Text for In Terra Pax by Gerald Finzi)
Deck The Hall
Arr. Ryan James Brandau
Deck the hall with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la la la la la!
‘Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la ...
Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la ...
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la…
See the blazing yule before us, Fa la ...
Strike the harp and join the chorus, Fa la…
Follow me in merry measure, Fa la ...
While I tell of Yuletide treasure, Fa la…
Fast away the old year passes, Fa la…
Hail the new, you lads and lasses, Fa la…
Sing we joyous all together! Fa la…
Heedless of the wind or weather, Fa la la la la la la la la!
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
I heard the bells on Christmas Day,
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet, the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th’unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”
O Holy Night
Adolphe Adam
O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the Wise Men from Orient land
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is Peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
Away in a Manager
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.
I Saw Three Ships
I saw three ships come sailing in,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day in the morning.
And what was in those ships all three?
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
And what was in those ships all three?
On Christmas Day in the morning.
Our Savior Christ and His Lady,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
Our Savior Christ and His Lady,
On Christmas Day in the morning.
Pray whither sailed those ships all three?
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
Pray whither sailed those ships all three?
On Christmas Day in the morning.
Oh they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
Oh they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the angels in heav’n shall sing
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
And all the angels in heav’n shall sing
On Christmas Day in the morning.
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
On Christmas Day in the morning.
Then let us all rejoice, amain,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day,
Then let us all rejoice, amain,
On Christmas Day in the morning
Festival First Noel
Arr. Dan Forrest
The First Nowell the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they, lay keeping their sheep,:
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
Born is the King of Israel!
Women only, Choir and Audience
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far;
Men only, Choir and Audience
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Choir Only
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
Born is the King of Israel!
Choir and Audience
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and earth of nought,
And with his blood mankind hath bought;
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
Born is the King of Israel!
Nowell Nowell Nowell Nowell
Born is the King of Israel!
Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind,
Should auld acquaintance before,
For auld Lang Syne.
Chorus:
For Auld Lang Syne ma dear,
For Auld Lang Syne,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For Auld Lang Syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup,
And surely I’ll buy mine,
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For Auld Lang Syne. Chorus
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
but seas between us broad have roared,
since Auld Lang Syne. Chorus
And there’s a trusty hand my friend!
And give me a hand o’ thine!
We’ll take a right good will draught,
For Auld Lang Syne. Chorus
Joy to the World / We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let Earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare him room.
And Heaven and nature sing!
Hallelujah!
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!
Hallelujah!
The kingdom of this world is become
the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ!
And He shall reign forever and ever!
King of Kings and Lord of Lords -
Hallelujah!
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of his love,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
And a happy New Year!
We wish you a merry Christmas,
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin.
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year!
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns;
Let us our songs employ,
While field and floods
Rocks hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy!
| Soprano
Blessing Agunwamba |
Alto
LaVerna Albury |
| Tenor
Paul Batsel
|
Bass
Charles Appel |
| French Horn Karl Kramer- Johansen Sarah Boxmeyer Nathanael Udell Aleks OzolinsTrumpet Brad Siroky Charles Bumcrot Chris Bubolz Mike Green Trombone Tuba |
Timpani William Trigg Percussion Harp Organ Piano Personnel Manager |
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New Jersey State Council on the Arts
Princeton Area Community Foundation
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