Sydney Chamber Choir Presents In Paradisum

Sydney Chamber Choir invites you to In Paradisum, a concert of rare beauty and intensity that offers reflection, consolation and light.

This rich tapestry of choral music performed in the warm acoustic of St James’ King St, is designed to let the sounds of Estonian, Nordic and Australian composers unfold with beautiful resonance.

At the heart of the concert is Galina Grigorjeva’s In Paradisum, music of luminous simplicity whose floating lines seem to suspend time itself. Sacred reflections continue in Edvard Grieg’s Ave Maris Stella, radiant and gently lyrical, and Knut Nystedt’s profound Stabat Mater, a work of stark intensity and quiet anguish. From Arvo Pärt, the choir performs Bogoroditse Dyevo — music of crystalline clarity that distils ancient texts into moments of piercing stillness.

Northern voices are also heard in Jan Sandström’s Det är en Ros Utsprungen (Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming), where traditional melody is suspended inside glowing modern harmonies, and Sven-David Sandström’s Four Songs of Love, a tender exploration of love in its many forms. The program turns to nature and memory in Veljo Tormis’s Autumn Landscapes, music that feels elemental and rooted in the rhythms of the land. Urmas Sisask’s Benedictio brings a sense of celestial wonder, while contemporary Australian voices are represented by Anne Cawrse’s The Greatest of These and Joe Twist’s Lament — each offering a distinct and deeply personal response to themes of loss, tenderness and hope.

For the Nystedt and Twist, the choir is delighted to be joined by acclaimed cellist Julian Smiles.

Bookings

This program will also be presented in Goulburn, at the Hume Conservatorium of Music on 23 May.