Performers:

Taurus Consort

Tatu Erkkilä, conductor

Luciano Berio and Daniel-Lesur approached the same goal from completely opposite perspectives – as Italians and the French often do. For both composers, it was important that their music be genuinely touching and speak to all listeners regardless of their backgrounds. Berio often worked with abstract and microscopic details, creating works that commented on history, the present, the future, other arts, and popular culture. Lesur, on the other hand, drew his inspiration from mysticism and the French tradition, focusing on humane and touching expression.

At the core of both, however, is the human voice and shared breath. In the Cry of Cries, Song of Songs concert, we will hear Berio's a cappella works and Daniel-Lesur's 12-voice Le Cantique des Cantiques to the texts of the Song of Songs. Shining on stage is Taurus Consort, comprised of Finland's top ensemble singers, led by Tatu Erkkilä.

Cries of London is a cult classic, with texts based on the famous cries of London street vendors from centuries ago. On offer is the most diverse array of products from garlic to clothes – and much more, if you listen closely. The cries echo like the voices of ghosts in ancient archways and against the brick walls of narrow alleys. Sometimes the voices merge like a Greek chorus, sometimes scattering into a kaleidoscopic cacophony – as in the final movement of the work, Cries of Cries.

In the early decades of the 20th century, a wave of neoclassicism rose in France. This "return to order," however, triggered young French composers Olivier Messiaen, André Jolivet, and Daniel-Lesur – they, and the La Jeune France movement they founded, defended humanity, spirituality, and the richness of emotional expression as a stark contrast to straight lines and sterile purism. Le Cantique des Cantiques is a prime example of this counter-reaction: it is an emotionally flowing, monumental work that draws strength from the ambiguity, sensuality, and spirituality of the texts, demanding extreme virtuosity from its singers.

Program:

• Luciano Berio: There is no tune (1994)

• Luciano Berio: Cries of London (1974)

• Luciano Berio: E si fussi pisci (for choir)

• Daniel-Lesur: Le Cantique des Cantiques, pour chœur à douze voix mixtes (1952)

Duration

Approx. 50 min, no intermission.

Tickets

35 / 32 / 15 € + order fees (from 1.50 € + 0.65% of the order via www.lippu.fi)