An ode to the patron saint of music

Photo: Marco Borggreve

Christina Landshamer

In the late 17th century, English musicians celebrated St. Cecilia as the patron saint of music with special concerts and church services every year on November 22. With his Ode for St. Cecilia's Day Handel revived the tradition of these festivities in 1732. His work is a joyful praise of music: festive choruses frame five charming arias, in each of which an instrument is introduced as a soloist and assigned to different emotions in the Baroque style.

During the performance with the Zurich Singing Academy and Orchestra La Scintilla The solo parts are sung by the internationally acclaimed voices of Christina Landshamer and Werner Güra.

Photo: Marco Borggreve

Werner Güra

Benjamin Britten - himself born on November 22 - wrote his work A Hymn for St. Cecilia for choir a cappella under adverse circumstances during the Second World War. The work therefore not only became a homage to the well-known baroque cecilia odes, but also to his much-missed homeland of England.

The concert program is framed by Henry Purcell's festive overture from the work Hail! Bright Cecilia as well as a contemporary piece by Anders Hillborg for choir a cappella with the fantastic title Muoaeyiywoum. Sounds and rhythms emerge in space as if from nowhere, deforming, merging and dissolving again. As it says in the very first movement of Handel's Ode: "From harmony, from heavenly harmony, this universal frame began ..."

The joint concert series of these two top-class ensembles has set itself the task of creating exciting concert programs. Both great masterpieces and unknown gems of music history are performed, with interesting bridges to the present day.