Christmas Festival. Riga Cathedral Boys Choir. The Most Beautiful Christmas Melodies

Performers: Elīna Šimkus (soprano), Ilze Reine (organ), Riga Cathedral Boys Choir, conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns

Programme:

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1765–1791)
Veni Sancte

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1765–1791)
Laudate Dominum

Franz SCHUBERT (1797–1828)
Ave Maria

Urmas SISASK (1960)
Ave Maria

Ola GJEILO (1978)
Northern lights

Rihards DUBRA (1964)
Beata es virgo Maria

Knut NYSTEDT (1915-2014)
Laudate 

Bob CHILCOTT (1955)
Shepherd’s carol

Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976)
Te Deum in C

Jay ROUSE (1949)
What child is this?

 

Adolphe ADAM (1803-1856)
O, holy night

Katherine K. DAVIS (1892-1980)
Little Drummer Boy

Trad. English Carol, J. Pachelbel's canon, arr. M. Clawson
The First Noel

César FRANCK (1822-1890)
Panis Angelicus

Trad. Christmas song, arr. M. Clawson
What child is this?

Andrew Lloyd WEBBER (1948)
Pie Jesu

John Francis WADE (1711-1786), arr. C. Thiel
Adeste Fideles

Franz Xaver GRUBER (1787-1863)
Silent Night

Concert length: approx. 1h20min (without intermission)

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

ILZE REINE, organ

Ilze Reine attended the piano class at the Music College in Cesis, at the same time studying organ with L.Krastina. She continued her organ studies at the Latvian Music Academy with doc. L.Bulava (received bachelor's degree in 1997, and master's degree in 1999), at the High School for Church Music in Herford (Germany), and attending master classes held by J.Laukwick, H.Vogel, B. van Oosten and E.Kooiman. The young musician has goven concerts in Latvia, Germany and Hungary.

Ilze Reine has worked as an organist of the Evengelic Lutheran parish in Rauna, but since 1997 she is the organist and the church choir leader of St.John's Church in Riga, being also responsible for the musical musical life of the parish.

RIGA CATHEDRAL BOYS CHOIR 

Riga Cathedral Boys Choir is a unit of young and talented musicians, rich in ways, popular in Latvia and abroad, that is able to express themselves in whole spectrum of music field and always the choir’s performances are of high quality. The choir was first established in Latvia in 1950. It consists of a very well musically educated treble singers and a professional male group. Since 1994 the boys have been a part of the Riga Choir School. It consists of 45 treble singers (SA) and 15 professional male singers (TB). Concert staff minimum- 40 singers SATB.

In 2001 the choir received the Great Music Award. In 2009 the choir was nominated again for the Great Music Award for the performance J. S. Bach “Christmas Oratorium” in December 2008. In March 2010 the musical performance - oratorio “Joan of Arc at the Stake” by A. Honegger, where the boys choir participates, also received the Great Music Award.

On the 6th of June 2010 Riga Cathedral Boys choir under conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns performed in the White House in honour of renovation of Ford Theatre where the President Barack Obama and the first lady Michelle Obama organised the reception.

MĀRTIŅŠ KLIŠĀNS, conductor

Graduated from Emīls Dārziņš Music School and conducting class at Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music under Prof. Imants Kokars. Improved his vocal skills at the Stuttgart Bach Academy under Prof. Bruce Abel. Sang in Riga Vocal Group and chamber choir Ave Sol. As a vocalist, participated in several Baroque opera and oratorio plays, including G. F. Handel’s Messiah, J. S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, H. Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, as well as Dido and Aeneas. For the last one, he received the Grand Music Award. In 2009, he received his Master’s degree at the Latvian Academy of Music, in the conducting department. Works as a lecturer in JVLAM.

Klišāns has worked as a conductor for the mixed choir Juventus of the University of Latvia, mixed choir Beverīna and the winner of International competitions - chamber choir Sacrum. Elected as the general conductor of the XXIV and XXV Latvian Song Festival.

Since 1998, Mārtiņš Klišāns is the conductor and artistic director of Riga Dome Boys’ Choir. The last eighteen RDBC CDs were recorded under the leadership of M. Klišāns. During the active participation of M. Klišāns, RDBC received the Grand Music Award; the choir was nominated several times, as well as its records have been nominated for the Annual Music Recording Award.