Author: Niki

2006 European Tour Itinerary (2006)

Ensemble Gombert European Tour 20 Sep – 14 Oct 2006
SINGERS
Soprano: Deborah Summerbell, Carol Veldhoven, Fiona Seers, Maria Pisani, Claerwen Jones, Kathryn Pisani
Alto: Jennifer Mathers, Belinda Wong, Niki Ebacioni, Rebecca Woods
Tenor: Peter Campbell, Tim Van Nooten, Vaughan McAlley, Stuart Tennant
Bass: Philip Nicholls, Andrew Williams (1st half)/Andrew Fysh (2nd half), Tim Daly, Tom Reid
Tour Manager: Julie Drummond
Director: John O’Donnell
Tour Extras: Rob Kerr, Tony McCarthy, Lauren McCarthy, Simon Mustoe, Sadie Mustoe, Charlie Mustoe, Gregory Mathers
Tour Committee: Fiona Seers, Julie Drummond, Niki Ebacioni, Claerwen Jones, Vaughan McAlley, Maria Pisani, Deborah Summerbell

SCHEDULE
Final version
Wed 20 1320 Check-in Tullamarine Airport
1620 Melbourne – Bangkok (9 hours 20 mins arrive local time 2225) TG 982

Thu 21 0005 Depart Bangkok (11 hours 30 mins) TG 942
0635 Arrive Rome Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Term. C
0830-0930 Coach to hotel (with short city tour) Albergo Giusti
NB: check-in is at 1200 NB Hotel has a midnight curfew

Fri 22 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, D
Breakfast included at hotel Albergo Giusti
(1030 Vatican tour)
NB: Have lunch ready to take on bus, or eat before we go.
1200 Coach leaves hotel
1230 Coach picks up everyone else from outside Vatican
1600 Arrive at convent in Bucchianico (our accommodation) San Camillo Convent, Bucchianico
1630-1800 Rehearsal at the convent (first with Andrew Williams)
1900 Coach to church in Chieti
1945-2030 Rehearsal S. Domenico
2100 Concert Chieti S. Domenico
Post-concert dinner provided
Coach to convent San Camillo Convent, Bucchianico

Sat 23 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, L$, D
Breakfast provided by friars
0830-1530 Coach to Barberino Val d’Elsa (stop for lunch in Orvieto) Hotel Primavera, Barberino Val d’Elsa
1715 Coach to Sant’Appiano (in concert dress)
1730-1830 Rehearsal
1900 Concert Sant’Appiano Chiesa Sant’Appiano
Post-concert buffet at church
Coach to hotel Hotel Primavera, Barberino Val d’Elsa

Sun 24 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, D$
Breakfast included at hotel Hotel Primavera, Barberino Val d’Elsa
1000 Coach to outskirts of city for sightseeing (optional)
(1445 Academia tour)
1630 Coach to Florence for rehearsal
1730-1830 Rehearsal St Mark’s English Church
1900 Concert Florence St Mark’s English Church
Group dinner in Florence restaurant
Coach to hotel Hotel Primavera, Barberino Val d’Elsa

Mon 25 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, D
NB: Buses to Florence and Siena leave every half an hour
1915 Coach to Airdrie’s house
1930 Dinner at Airdrie’s, provided by Airdrie
Coach to hotel Hotel Primavera, Barberino Val d’Elsa

Tue 26 Meals provided/organised/en route: B
Free day Hotel Primavera, Barberino Val d’Elsa

Wed 27 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, L$
0830 Coach departs hotel
approx. 1130-1300 Stop for lunch in Parma
approx. 1700 Arrive Locarno, Switzerland Ostello per la gioventù “Palagiovani”

Thu 28 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, D
1300 Coach departs Locarno hotel
1800 Coach arrives in Payerne – meet billets Billeting

Fri 29 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, L$, D$
am Walking tour of Payerne organised by billets
Group Lunch
pm More sightseeing with billets
Back to billets’ homes
1900 Rehearsal Eglise de Ressudens
2000 Concert, Payerne Eglise de Ressudens
Post-concert group dinner with all billets
Return to billets’ homes

Sat 30 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, L$
1000 Drop off by billets
1030 Coach to Lucerne via Bern and Interlaken (lunch en route)
1700 Rehearsal Sankt Martins Kirche
1800 Service, Adligenswil Roman Catholic Eucharist
post-service Concert, Adligenswil Sankt Martins Kirche (take stand home with you)
Meet billets/Go to B&B Lucerne B&B or billeting

OCTOBER
Sun 1 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, D$
0900 Rehearsal (bring concert gear to leave in church)
0930 Service at Lucerne Matthauskirche
Swiss Reformed Protestant
1600 Meet at church
1700 Concert Lucerne Matthauskirche
post-concert Choir dinner (Farewell dinner for AW)
Back to billets/B&B Lucerne hotel or billeting
Mon 2 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, D
0830 Meet in central location tbc
0900-1000 Coach to Engelberg Hotel Terrace, Engelberg
NB: hotel check-in is not until 4pm
Buffet dinner at hotel included in room tariff

Tue 3 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, D
Free day Hotel Terrace, Engelberg
Buffet dinner at hotel included in room tariff

Wed 4 Meals provided/organised/en route: B
0830-1030 Coach to Solothurn, drop off at church Kloster Namen Jesu Wander around town (NB: we can’t check into hotel until after rehearsal)
1400-1600 Rehearsal (first with Andrew Fysh) Kloster Namen Jesu
1600 Walk to hotel and check-in (10 minute walk) Genossenschaft Kreuz, Solothurn
NB: hotel is in a pedestrian zone
1715 Walk to church
1730 Concert, Solothurn Kloster Namen Jesu
post-concert Walk to hotel

Thu 5 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, D
0830-1300 Coach to Crema hotel (with food stop, via Gotthard Pass) Palace Hotel, Crema
1430-1500 Coach to Lodi for sightseeing (take concert clothing)
1930-2030 Rehearsal San Agnese Church, Lodi
2100 Concert, Lodi San Agnese Church, Lodi
post-concert Buffet organised by Associazione Quartieri St Augustin (ex-convent)
Coach to hotel in Crema Palace Hotel, Crema

Fri 6 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, L (15 Euro), D
1200 tbc Lunch at an agritourismo – celebrate John’s Birthday!
1600 tbc Joint sightseeing around Crema and surrounding area (in our coach)
tbc Welcome at Municipality Palace Municipality Palace
1930 Rehearsal in church San Benedetto Church, Crema
2100 Concert, Crema San Benedetto Church, Crema
post-concert Buffet organised by Municipality of Crema
Coach to hotel Palace Hotel, Crema

Sat 7 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, supper
0800-1130 Coach to Levanto hotel Ostello Ospitalia del Mar, Levanto
1915 Walk to church with your own stand (500 metres)
1930-2030 Rehearsal Sant Andrea
2115 Concert, Levanto Sant Andrea
post-concert Supper in church hall
Walk to hotel (with stands)

Sun 8 Meals provided/organised/en route: B
1500 tbc Coach to Pisa (1.25 hours) Albergo Moderno, Pisa

Mon 9 Meals provided/organised/en route: B
0720 Coach to Pisa airport
0810 Check-in Pisa airport
1010 Depart Pisa RyanAir Flight 585
1125 Arrive London Stansted
Train to Cambridge
Meet billets in Cambridge

Tue 10 Meals provided/organised/en route: B, D$
Free day in Cambridge
Punting trip for Peter’s Birthday!
(on the river Cam along the backs of the colleges with champagne and strawberries!)
1830-1915 Rehearsal EUR Church, Cambridge
1930 Concert, Cambridge Emmanuel United Reformed Church
Cambridge – billeting
Wed 11 Meals provided/organised/en route: B
am Train to London and tube to King’s College
(We can leave our luggage at the college for the day)
1800-1900 Rehearsal King’s College Chapel
1930 Concert, London King’s College Chapel
Disperse to billets London billets

Thu 12 1400 tbc Rehearsal in Song School Westminster Abbey
1600 Verger will run through ceremony; rehearse in Quire
1700 Vespers Westminster Abbey
Post-service Farewell Dinner, venue tbc London
Disperse to billets

Fri 13 Meals provided/organised/en route: B
Free day Stay with London billets

Sat 14 0930 Check in at Heathrow Terminal 3
1230 London – Bangkok (11 hours 35 mins) TG 911

Sun 15 0810 Bangkok – Melbourne
(11 hours 45 mins via Sydney) TG 993
2255 Arrive Melbourne Tullamarine, Terminal 2

Tour repertoire: 2006 European tour (2006)

Ensemble Gombert Tour Repertoire, Europe 20 Sep – 14 Oct 2006

SINGERS
Soprano: Deborah Summerbell, Carol Veldhoven, Fiona Seers, Maria Pisani, Claerwen Jones, Kathryn Pisani
Alto: Jennifer Mathers, Belinda Wong, Niki Ebacioni, Rebecca Woods
Tenor: Peter Campbell, Tim Van Nooten, Vaughan McAlley, Stuart Tennant
Bass: Philip Nicholls, Andrew Williams (1st half)/Andrew Fysh (2nd half), Tim Daly, Tom Reid

Josquin Desprez                                  Praeter rerum seriem
Jean Richafort                                     Philomena praevia
Nicolas Gombert                                 Missa Philomena praevia
Thomas Tallis                                      Incipit lamentatio Jeremiae & Jesu salvator saeculi
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina      Laudate pueri
Michael Praetorius                              Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah
Johann Hermann Schein                    Das ist mir lieb
Johann Sebastian Bach                       Jesu, meine Freude
Johannes Brahms                                Fest- und Gedenksprüche
Gustav Holst                                         Nunc Dimitis
Frank Martin                                       Mass for double choir
Herbert Howells                                  Take him, earth, for cherishing
Edmund Rubbra                                 Lauda Sion
Vaughan McAlley                               De Profundis

Chieti

Thomas Tallis                                    Incipit lamentatio Jeremiae

Josquin Desprez                                Praeter rerum seriem

Jean Richafort                                     Philomena praevia

Nicolas Gombert                               Missa Philomena praevia

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina    Laudate pueri

Michael Praetorius                            Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah

Sant’Appiano

Thomas Tallis                                   Jesu salvator saeculi

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina   Laudate pueri
Michael Praetorius                          Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah

Herbert Howells                              Take him, earth, for cherishing

Gustav Holst                                     Nunc dimittis

Johann Sebastian Bach                     Jesu, meine Freude

Florence

Josquin Desprez                               Praeter rerum seriem

Jean Richafort                                   Philomena praevia

Nicolas Gombert                              Missa Philomena praevia

Vaughan McAlley                            De profundis

Edmund Rubbra                              Lauda Sion

Johannes Brahms                              Fest- und Gedenksprüche

Solothurn

Thomas Tallis                                    Incipit lamentatio Jeremiae

Jean Richafort                                     Philomena praevia

Herbert Howells                                Take him, earth, for cherishing

Johann Sebastian Bach                      Jesu, meine Freude

Luzern
Program included the Frank Martin Mass for Double Choir

Lodi

Thomas Tallis                                    Incipit lamentatio Jeremiae

Josquin Desprez                                Praeter rerum seriem

Vaughan McAlley                             De profundis

Herbert Howells                                Take him, earth, for cherishing

Johann Sebastian Bach                      Jesu, meine Freude

Crema

Thomas Tallis                                    Incipit lamentatio Jeremiae

Josquin Desprez                                Praeter rerum seriem

Jean Richafort                                     Philomena praevia

Nicolas Gombert from                      Missa Philomena praevia
 Kyrie – Gloria

Vaughan McAlley                             De profundis

Domenico Scarlatti                            Sonata (K 417)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart            Fantasia (K 594)

Johann Sebastian Bach                     Jesu, meine Freude

Levanto

Thomas Tallis                                   Incipit lamentatio Jeremiae

Josquin Desprez                               Praeter rerum seriem

Vaughan McAlley                            De profundis

Jean Richafort                                   Philomena praevia

Nicolas Gombert                              Missa Philomena praevia

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina   Laudate pueri

Payerne

Thomas Tallis                                   Jesu salvator saeculi

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina   Laudate pueri

Michael Praetorius                          Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah

Herbert Howells                              Take him, earth, for cherishing

Gustav Holst                                     Nunc dimittis

Johann Sebastian Bach                     Jesu, meine Freude

Brahms                                                Fest-und Gedenkspruche (encore)

Cambridge

Josquin Desprez                               Praeter rerum seriem

Jean Richafort                                   Philomena praevia

Nicolas Gombert                              Missa Philomena praevia

Vaughan McAlley                            De profundis

Edmund Rubbra                              Lauda Sion

Johannes Brahms                              Fest- und Gedenksprüche

London

Josquin Desprez                               Praeter rerum seriem

Jean Richafort                                   Philomena praevia

Nicolas Gombert                              Missa Philomena praevia
 Kyrie – Gloria

Vaughan McAlley                            De profundis

Michael Praetorius                          Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah

Edmund Rubbra                              Lauda Sion

Johannes Brahms                              Fest- und Gedenksprüche

Westminster Abbey

Orlande de Lassus                              Te Deum laudamus

Nicolas Gombert                                 Magnificat primi toni

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina          Iste Confessor

plus responses, psalms and antiphons

 

German Baroque Masterpieces (2006)

Saturday, 9 September 2006, 8pm
Xavier College Chapel, Barkers Road, Kew

Subscription Concert 4

Michael Praetorius was of the opinion that music had reached its perfection in his day amongst Protestant German composers (presumably himself included). This program allows us to consider his claim as we experience one of his most brilliant double-choir chorales along with settings of Psalm 116 by two of his contemporaries. These works are followed by two undisputed masterpieces, Schütz’s remarkable Musicalische Exequien, a German Requiem pre-dating Brahms’ by over two centuries, and Bach’s much-loved motet Jesu, meine Freude.

Program
Johann Hermann Schein Das ist mir lieb
Christoph Demantius Das ist mir lieb
Michael Praetorius Jesaia dem Propheten das geschah
Heinrich Schütz Musicalische Exequien
Johann Sebastian Bach Jesu, meine Freude

SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS
Deborah Summerbell Jennifer Mathers Peter Campbell Alexander Roose
Carol Veldhoven Belinda Wong Tim Van Nooten Philip Nicholls
Fiona Seers Niki Ebacioni Vaughan McAlley Tom Reid
Kathryn Pisani Rebecca Woods Stuart Tennant Tim Daly
Maria Pisani
Claerwen Jones

 

REVIEWS

Tuesday, 15 September 2006, The Age [Melbourne], page 15.
German Baroque goes a cappella as Mozart continues to please
Clive O’Connell

THIS week, the Ensemble Gombert leaves on its second tour of Europe and Saturday night’s recital served as
a fair illustration of the a cappella ensemble’s current state of practice. In a program of German Baroque
music, the singers were put through some difficult paces by director John O’Donnell, really extended in the
Musicalishe Exequien by Schutz: a far-ranging compendium of texts about death, set with imaginative
freedom and breadth.
These exequies conclude with a chordal motet and a short fusing of the Song of Simeon with verses from the
Apocalypse and the Book of Wisdom. The main part is a lengthy concerto alternating full choir and solo
voices, which showed off some of the Gomberts as individuals. Not all were uniformly successful in exposed
roles but these interpolated sentences for small groups achieved the composer’s aim of using the concerto
format – opposing small groups with large mass – and O’Donnell kept the work moving rapidly and sustained
the high standards of vocal colour, balance and security that distinguish this body.
The program began with a psalm setting by Schein, an idiosyncratic Sanctus by Praetorius, and ended with
Bach’s famous five-voice motet, Jesu, meine Freude, notable for a crystal-clear account of the central fugue,
here handled with telling sprightliness. […]
Clive O’Connell/Courtesy of The Age

Wangaratta Cathedral Concert Series (2006)

Saturday, 12 August 2006
Wangaratta Anglican Cathedral

PROGRAM

Thomas Tallis (c.1505–1585) If ye love me
Thomas Tallis Incipit lamentatio Jeremiae
Thomas Tallis Jesu salvator saeculi
Gaspar van Weerbeke (c.1445–after 1517) Stabat mater
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525–1594)  Laudate pueri
Herbert Howells (1892–1983) Take him, earth, for cherishing
Edmund Rubbra (1901–1986) Lauda Sion
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Jesu, meine Freude
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) Fest- und Gedenksprüche

SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS
Deborah Summerbell Belinda Wong Peter Campbell Alexander Roose
Carol Veldhoven Jennifer Mathers Tim van Nooten Philip Nicholls
Fiona Seers Niki Ebacioni Vaughan McAlley Tom Reid
Maria Pisani Rebecca Woods Stuart Tennant Tim Daly
Claerwen Jones
Kathryn Pisani

Monash Winter Concert Series (2006)

Sunday, 16 July 2005, 2pm
City of Monash Offices, Kingsway, Glen Waverly

City of Monash: Winter Concert Series

PROGRAM

Thomas Tallis If ye love me
Thomas Tallis Incipit lamentatio Jeremiae
Thomas Tallis Jesu salvator saeculi
Gaspar van Weerbeke Stabat mater
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Laudate pueri
Herbert Howells Take him, earth, for cherishing
Edmund Rubbra Lauda Sion
Johann Sebastian Bach Jesu, meine Freude
Johannes Brahms Fest- und Gedenksprüche

SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS
Deborah Summerbell Jennifer Mathers Peter Campbell Alexander Roose
Carol Veldhoven Belinda Wong Tim Van Nooten Philip Nicholls
Fiona Seers Niki Ebacioni Vaughan McAlley Tom Reid
Kathryn Pisani Rebecca Woods Stuart Tennant Tim Daly
Maria Pisani
Claerwen Jones

Tour Fundraising Concert (2006)

Saturday, 24 June 2006, 2 pm
St Mark’s Anglican Church, Fitzroy
PROGRAM

Costanzo Festa  Ave Regina caelorum
Thomas Tallis Jesu, salvator saeculi
Thomas Weelkes Gloria in excelsis Deo
Giovanni Bassano Dic nobis Maria
Herbert Howells Take him, earth, for cherishing
Gustav Holst  Nunc dimittis
Johann Sebastian Bach  Jesu, meine Freude

SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS
Deborah Summerbell Belinda Wong Tim Van Nooten Alexander Roose
Carol Veldhoven Jennifer Mathers Vaughan McAlley Philip Nicholls
Fiona Seers Niki Ebacioni Stuart Tennant Tom Reid
Maria Pisani Rebecca Woods Tim Daly
Claerwen Jones
Kathryn Pisani

Gems from Renaissance Italy (2006)

Saturday, 10 June 2006, 7.30 pm
Sunday, 10 June 2006, 7.30 pm
St Ambrose Church, Urquart Street, Woodend

Woodend Winter Arts Festival

PROGRAM

Constanzo Festa Ave Regina caelorum
Josquin Desprez Inviolata, integra, et casta es
Constanzo Festa Inviolata, integra, et casta es
Giovanni Bassano Dic nobis Maria
Andrea Gabrieli O sacrum convivium
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Missa Assumpta est Maria

 

SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS
Deborah Summerbell Jennifer Mathers Peter Campbell Alexander Roose
Carol Veldhoven Belinda Wong Tim Van Nooten Philip Nicholls
Fiona Seers Niki Ebacioni Vaughan McAlley Tom Reid
Kathryn Pisani Rebecca Woods Stuart Tennant Tim Daly
Maria Pisani
Claerwen Jones

Media Vita (2006)

Saturday, 13 May 2006, 8pm
Xavier College Chapel, Barkers Road, Kew

Subscription Concert 3

“In the midst of life we are in death …” Thus the Book of Common Prayer translates the opening words of the anonymous eleventh-century antiphon Media vita, which has continued to hold a place in the Dominican breviary
alone. Its beautiful plainsong melody, which opens our program, inspired polyphonic settings from many composers, among them Gombert, Lassus, Sheppard and Philips, whose motets complete part one of our concert. Part two is devoted to one of Gombert’s finest Masses, Missa de Media vita, based on his motet derived from the plainsong.

PROGRAM

Plainchant Media vita
Nicolas Gombert Media vita (à 6)
Orlande de Lassus Media vita (à 6)
John Sheppard Media vita (à 6)
Peter Philips Media vita (à 5)
Nicolas Gombert Missa de Media vita (à 5)


SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS
Deborah Summerbell Jennifer Mathers Peter Campbell Alexander Roose
Fiona Seers Belinda Wong Tim Van Nooten Philip Nicholls
Maria Pisani Niki Ebacioni Vaughan McAlley Tom Reid
Claerwen Jones Rebecca Woods Stuart Tennant Tim Daly
Kathryn Pisani

Lamentations, Responsories & Miserere (2006)

Saturday, 8 April 2006, 8pm
Xavier College Chapel, Barkers Road, Kew

Subscription Concert 2

When Ensemble Gombert performed the complete Responsoria of Gesualdo in a single concert in 1998 it was recognized as a tour de force, but perhaps too much of a good thing for singers and listeners alike. We now plan to perform the three sets of nine Responsories over three years, each set in company with Lassus’s three Lamentation settings for the same day, ending each program with a setting of Miserere. This year’s program thus constitutes a Maundy Thursday Tenebrae, to be complemented in 2007 and 2008 by Good Friday and Holy Saturday Tenebrae.

PROGRAM

Orlande de Lassus Lamentatione prima, Prima diei
Carlo Gesualdo Responsoria (Feria quinta) 1-3
Orlande de Lassus Lamentatione secunda, Prima diei
Carlo Gesualdo Responsoria (Feria quinta) 4-6
Orlande de Lassus Lamentatione tertia, Prima diei
Carlo Gesualdo Responsoria (Feria quinta) 7-9
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Miserere mei, Deus


SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS
Deborah Summerbell Jennifer Mathers Peter Campbell Thomas Drent
Carol Veldhoven Belinda Wong Tim Van Nooten Philip Nicholls
Fiona Seers Niki Ebacioni Vaughan McAlley Tom Reid
Kathryn Pisani Rebecca Woods Stuart Tennant Tim Daly
Maria Pisani Jenny George Frank Prain
Helen Gagliano Adrian Palmer

 

 



Sacred Gems of the 20th Century (2006)

Saturday, 4 March 2006, 8pm
Xavier College Chapel, Barkers Road, Kew

Subscription Concert 1
ABC Classic FM Direct Broadcast

In recent years Ensemble Gombert has presented several of the major a cappella works of the 20th century, notably the Australian première of Pärt’s Canon of Repentance in 2005. We open our 2006 season with an exploration of a cappella music from a variety of traditions. The program includes miniatures by Stravinsky, Holst, Duruflé and Messiaen as well as works of larger dimensions, including Rubbra’s double-choir Te Deum, of which we gave the first Australian performance in 1992. We believe that Distler’s Totentanz will be receiving its Australian première in this concert.

PROGRAM

Igor Stravinsky Pater noster
Olivier Messiaen O sacrum convivium
Francis Poulenc Messe en Sol Majeur
Maurice Duruflé Quatre motets sur des thèmes grégoriens
Hugo Distler Totentanz
Arvo Pärt Magnificat
Gustav Holst Nunc dimittis
Herbert Howells Take him, earth, for cherishing
Edmund Rubbra Te Deum

SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS
Deborah Summerbell Jennifer Mathers Peter Campbell Alexander Roose
Carol Veldhoven Belinda Wong Tim Van Nooten Philip Nicholls
Fiona Seers Niki Ebacioni Vaughan McAlley Tom Reid
Kathryn Pisani Rebecca Woods Stuart Tennant Tim Daly
Maria Pisani
Claerwen Jones

For the Distler
Der Tod (Death): John O’Donnell
Der Kaiser (The Emperor): Alexander Roose
Der Bischof (The Bishop): Tim Daly
Der Edelmann (The Nobleman): Philip Nicholls
Der Arzt (The Physician): Jennifer Mathers
Der Kaufmann (The Merchant): Tim van Nooten
Der Landsknecht (The Mercenary): Niki Ebacioni
Der Schiffer (The Sailor): Belinda Wong
Der Klausner (The Hermit): Vaughan McAlley
Der Bauer (The Farmer): Tom Reid
Die Jungfrau (The Young Woman): Claerwen Jones
Der Greis (The Old Man): Stuart Tennant
Das Kind (The Child): Carol Veldhoven

REVIEWS

Tuesday, 7 March 2006, The Age [Melbourne], page 20.
Janson shows passion; Distler haunted by death
Clive O’Connell

[…]
CONFINING themselves to 20th-century music, the Ensemble Gombert put in a mighty effort on Saturday evening, beginning with the emotionally static Pater noster by Stravinsky and concluding two hours later by revisiting Rubbra’s stately Te Deum, which the group premiered here in 1992.
John O’Donnell took his singers through a Messiaen motet, an uneven reading of Poulenc’s Mass in G, then finished the night’s French section with the Four Motets on Gregorian Themes by Durufle, pages that speak
of a warm Christian devotion and contrasting neatly with Arvo Part’s frieze-panel setting of the Magnificat -one of the night’s simply expressed successes.
The program’s interest came in the Totentanz by Hugo Distler, a German composer who was unable to cope with the pressures of life in Berlin under the Nazi regime. This work alternates choral sections with spoken
dialogue in which Death commands various figures to enter into his dance.
While Distler’s music mines a number of veins, including medieval and Renaissance/Baroque techniques and passages of unexpected harmonic novelty, his language sings in a clear and not over-adventurous voice,
nearly all the sung aphorisms concluding in a rich, well-spaced common chord.
With the Gombert singers taking on the lines of the work’s characters and O’Donnell reading Death, alongside some persuasive and atmospheric singing we also heard some uneasy spoken German.
Still, the occasion gave a welcome Australian exposure to Distler’s masterwork – the moving relic of an honest artist living through an awful time.
Clive O’Connell/Courtesy of The Age

Friday, 10 March 2006, Herald-Sun [Melbourne], page 90.
ENSEMBLE GOMBERT
Xenia Hanusiak

MELBOURNE’S Ensemble Gombert is noted for its mastery of early music repertoire.
The choir has built its reputation on being able to conjugate the flowing nuances of plainsong on the one hand and the complexities of polyphonic music on the other.
No wonder that when it comes to 20th-century repertoire, they have a headstart.
Recent popular composers such as Part, Gorecki and other minimalists have taken up plainsong and in turn drawn attention.
Plainsong has a humble religious attachment to austerity, and the seemingly unending musical phrase arouses a feeling of timelessness — a simplicity attractive to the overloaded modern listener.
On the other side of the scale, Gombert’s polyphonic practice keeps the choir ready for the heady chromaticism of composers such as Messiaen.
So, with this armoury in position, Gombert traversed the stylistic gamut in their opening concert this year, Sacred Gems of the 20th Century.
The repertoire was not only diverse but also exhausting for the listener. Stravinsky, Messiaen, Poulenc, Duruflé, Distler, Part, Holst, Howells and Rubbra were a lot to take in on one sitting.
Of particular interest was a theatrical gem by little-known composer Hugo Distler, who took his own life at age 34. One of these is the Totentanz (Dance of Death). In this work, 14 musical sayings interpolate conversations with Death.
Death (recited by John O’Donnell) knocks at the door of an emperor, a bishop, a nobleman, a physician, a merchant, a farmer, a mercenary, a sailor, a virgin, an old man and a child (recited by Gombert members).
With exemplary German pronunciation, this beautifully executed work was a revelation.
Elsewhere, Gombert reached dynamic ecstasy in the climaxes of Part’s Magnificat and Rubbra’s Te Deum, created eerie, glassy textures in Messiaen’s O Sacrum convivium and removed austerity in Stravinsky’s Pater noster.
Though I was aurally overloaded, the concert created an interesting journey into this repertoire.