Punch Howarth
Te Deum, a massive choral work for orchestra, soloists and chorus will be a featured work on the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra’s April concerts conducted by Linus Lerner. The massive refers to the full tutti parts especially with brass. However there are numerous relief passages of sublime beauty and passion. Scored for a normal early romantic period orchestra of woodwinds in pairs – four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba in brass – timpani – strings- organ ad lib- soprano, alto, tenor, bass soloists – SATB chorus. The work is in five parts with minimal pause between movements.
Movement 1, Te Deum, is fast and features full forces with intermittent reprise from soloists and chorus. In a moderate tempo, Movement 2, Te ergo, is quite short and subdued but is followed by full forces in again a short fast Movement 3, Aeterna fac. Salvum fac, Movement 4, is moderate in tempo and scoring for the first half when a fast full force interruption enters. The music becomes very held back with a quiet ending. The Final Movement, In te Domine speravi, has four contrasting parts with the first three in four time. They are: agitated, a fugue in strict time, fast and a very fast grand finale in two time of all the participants in a fury of sound.
Also on this program are Goodnight Moon for Strings and Harp by Whitacre featuring Christi Amonson as soloist, Eternal Regret of Lin’ An by He Zhanhao with Larry Leung soloist on the Chinese string instrument Zuzheng and a concerto movement by the winner of the Dorothy Vanek Youth Concerto Competition which is not available at press time. There will be three performances; Friday, April 1 in Green Valley at Valley Presbyterian Church at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, April 2 at DesertView Performing Arts Auditorium in SaddleBrooke at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 3 in Oro Valley at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church at 3:00 p.m. Look in on SASO at www.sasomusic.org for tickets and other orchestra information.