For their final concert of the season, the San Francisco City Chorus and orchestra will perform a program called “Spiritual…not religious,” consisting of three very different masterworks that use sacred texts in unique ways.
Schubert’s beloved Mass No. 2 in G is a warm and lyrical setting of the mass that often has the feel of an extended art song, rather than a more typical large choral work of its era. Scored for chorus, string orchestra, and a trio of soloists, it is one of the most understated and tuneful settings in the classical repertoire.
Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb is based on a colorful and bizarre text, using it to fashion a work of stunning variety with exciting shifts of mood and style. It will feature the talents of our gifted organist John Walko, maximizing the variety and grandeur of Calvary’s 6,000-pipe organ.
The Chorus will round out the program with a modern classic, Norwegian American composer Ola Gjeilo’s gorgeous Sunrise Mass. Like a hug for the soul, Gjeilo’s music wraps the listener in comforting layers of shimmering sound.