Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, A Choral Atlas: “Nations United”

The finale of our Choral Atlas season sees us come together with a children’s chorus specially recruited from area school, public and private, for two rarely heard but quite engaging works. The first, Voices for Today, was commissioned by the United Nations from British composer, Benjamin Britten, who created a libretto drawn from a wide range of sources, both cultural and historic. This ‘mini cantata’ calls upon mankind to hear the cry for peace that all of us utter; two generations of performers – young & old – sing from different areas of the auditorium, coalescing for the appeal – “if you have ears to hear, then hear!”

The other collaborative piece was conceived for the Chamber Chorus & a children’s choir some years ago by the Haitian-American composer, Sydney Guillaume. Alleluia, Amen, sung in French, again unites the performers in their quest for “light and peace.”

Complementing these major works is an ecstatic cry for all to join their voices in singing – “Let all the world in every corner sing” – by the British composer, Herbert Howells, and he is joined by his lifelong friend, Vaughan Williams, in an optimistic appeal for the future – The New Commonwealth. Closer to home, the Chorus sings delightful American part-songs by Susan LaBarr and Noble Cain. Finally, the assembled voices divide into multiple choruses for two representations of “Nations United,” hailing the Creator who has given mankind its unique gifts, heard in music from Giovanni Gabrieli and Ludwig van Beethoven.

For such repertoire the theater at John Burroughs School is the ideal venue, with its clear sight lines and pure acoustics. The school offers ample parking and all the facilities that modern audiences expect.