Phoenix Boys Choir to Perform 'Vision For Peace,' 3/4-5

The Phoenix Boys Choir invites you to contemplate how music unites us all, from commemorating the tragedies of war to planting the seeds of universal harmony, in a pair of concerts, "Vision For Peace," March 4th and 5th.

At the heart of the music presented in "Vision For Peace" are the fears, hopes and dreams of a better world for the young, and a wish that peace can be shared through art, rather than war. These hopes are heard in a diverse array of works, including Haydn's majestic Timpani Mass, written about his war ravaged homeland of Austria. The work combines the distant beat of war-symbolized by the timpani drums pounding through the piece-and its later optimism for victory.

Hadyn's traditional mass is contrasted with excerpts from Charles Davidson's 1968 soaring choral cycle I Never Saw Another Butterfly. Davidson's pieces bring to stunning life the poetry of Jewish children imprisoned in concentration camps during World War II. Both a remembrance of those who have died, and testament to the courage of children, the songs weave lyrical beauty and aching pain in a timeless memorial.
One of the highlights will be the wonderful and famous solo "Hear my Prayer, Lord" by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. A standard in British choirs, this is a wonderful setting of Psalm 55 with a triumphant Soprano Solo sung by one of the Phoenix Boys Choir soloists.

Also presented is Verleih uns Frieden (Grant Us Peace) by renowned choirmaster Heinrich Schütz. Called the most important German composer of his generation, Schütz' work is based on the Martin Luther's supplication for protection. Blending the poetry of prayer and the majestic tones of Gregorian chant, Verleih uns Frieden asks God to intercede for the good of the world.

Join the Phoenix Boys Choir in the joy and beauty of "Vision For Peace," and celebrate a world where peace is possible.

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