BACH IN THE CASTLE OF HEAVEN

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR

directed by

DOUGLAS LAWRENCE

Our Lady of Mount

Carmel, Middle Park Melbourne

Sunday 12 June 2016, 3pm

St Jude’s Bowral

Saturday 20 August 2016, 3.30pm

St Mary’s Cathedral

Sydney Sunday 21 August 2016, 2:30pm

Church of the Resurrection

Macedon Saturday 27 August 2016, 3pm

St Mary’s Basilica

Geelong Sunday 28 August 2016, 3pm

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Cover: Ceiling fresco of St Martin’s Church in Biberach Germany by Johannes Zick (c.1746). This church, known as a Simultaneum, has been shared between Catholic and Protestant congregations continuously since 1548. The artwork in the Lutheran area (top) depicts the life of Jesus. The frescoes in the Catholic area (bottom) depict the theme of the Church Triumphant, with a self-portrait of the artist standing on the stairs (bottom right). For a closer look, come with us to Europe in July 2017. You will be in heaven! (See page 14). 1. DAS BLUT JESU CHRISTI – Johann Michael Bach Baptised in Arnstadt, Germany, 9 August 1648; died in Gehren, Germany, 17 May 1694.

Johann Michael Bach has a special claim upon posterity’s notice, in that apart from his own compositions, he was the father of Johann Sebastian’s short-lived first wife, Maria Barbara (1684–1720). For most of his adulthood Johann Michael worked unobtrusively in Gehren, Thuringia, as organist and town clerk. His fellow municipal officers referred to him, in print, as ‘quiet, withdrawn and artistically well-versed.’ Stylistically he descended – as did his elder brother Johann Christoph – from Heinrich Schütz and Michael Praetorius, whose polychoral techniques and fondness for straightforward declamation he found congenial. Das Blut Jesu Christi (written for five-voice choir with basso continuo) is, through its subject-matter, squarely in the introspective tradition of seventeenth-century Lutheran Pietism, a tradition which also produced the much better known work by Buxtehude, Membra Jesu Nostri. Words are repeated a good deal in Johann Michael’s piece, but purely in order to intensify the drama, not to suit a pre-existing musical structure.

Das Blut Jesu Christi, des Sohnes Gottes, Machet uns rein von allen Sünden.

The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Makes us clean from all sins.

2. LOBET DEN HERRN ALLE HEIDEN – Johann Sebastian Bach BWV 230 Born in Eisenach, Germany, 31 March 1685; died in Leipzig, 28 July 1750.

Bach wrote at least six motets – the authenticity of a seventh is disputed – between 1723 and 1727. All were intended for the Thomaskirche (St Thomas’ Church), Leipzig, where he had been Cantor since 1723. The present motet differs from its companions in that it contains a separate part for continuo instruments, a part that does not simply duplicate what the singers are doing. Some critics – conscious of this singularity, and having failed to find in the piece the obviously funereal character prominent elsewhere in the motets – reckon that it dates from well before the other five. A few have questioned whether Bach even wrote it. Sir John Eliot Gardiner pooh-poohs such notions: ‘Most of these doubts,’ he writes, ‘may be dismissed. In the first place, the text (the whole of Psalm 117), while undeniably festive in character, would not have seemed out of place in a memorial service of Bach’s time. Typically a … sermon dwelt on the soul of the departed having

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reached its heavenly destination. This idea of death as a goal and joyful release from earthly problems was common in German literary and theological writings at the beginning of the eighteenth century and is a Leitmotiv that runs through Bach’s motets as well as several of his cantatas.’ Even by Bachian criteria the counterpoint is elaborate, double-fugue writing being almost commonplace.

Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, und preiset ihn, alle Völker! Denn seine Gnade und Wahrheit waltet über uns in Ewigkeit. Alleluja

Praise the Lord, all nations, And praise Him, all peoples! For His grace and truth Rule over us for eternity. Alleluja

3. LATIN MOTETS – Herbert Howells Born in Lydney, England, 17 October 1892; died in Putney, England, 23 February 1983.

Whilst Herbert Howells’s output is not vast, it is larger than anyone would suppose from the small proportion of it habitually performed. The same few works by him (A Spotless Rose, the Collegium Regale, the hymn tune Michael, a handful of the solo organ Psalm Preludes) are apt to be given performances repeatedly, while other productions no less significant lie forgotten. Inexplicably overlooked, on the whole, has been Howells’s music to Latin – as opposed to English – texts, of which these motets are important examples. During Howells’s youth, his great admiration for the conducting evangelism of Sir Richard Runciman Terry at Westminster Cathedral inspired him to write an entire setting of the Catholic liturgy (he called the result Mass in the Dorian Mode). The Latin motets in today’s concert – dating from 1914–-15 – likewise derive from his reverence towards Terry’s achievements, which included bringing the choral masterpieces of Byrd, Tallis, and Palestrina to a London public seldom familiar with them save as dutiful citations in textbooks. Howells described himself as being by artistic inclination a Tudor Englishman whom fate had somehow insisted upon placing in the twentieth century instead of the sixteenth; but no mere ye-olde-worlde pastiche marks these motets. (Nothing could be less redolent of sixteenth-century music than the frequent tempo changes demanded by Howells several times here – allargando un poco, a tempo e più vivo and what not – or, for that matter, the dramatic gradations of volume for which he also exhibits a distinct fondness.) It is the spirit of Renaissance polyphony, not the letter, that Howells invokes.

Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae: vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra salve. Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrymarum valle.

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.

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Eia ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us. And after this our exile, show unto us the most blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, o pious, o sweet Virgin Mary.

Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia. Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia, Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia. Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia.

Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia. The Son whom you merited to bear, alleluia, Has risen, as He said, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace: Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum: Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto, Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula seculorum. Amen.

Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of Thy people Israel. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

4. JESU, MEINE FREUDE, BWV227 – JS Bach

Of all Bach’s motets, Jesu, Meine Freude, for five-part choir – first sopranos, second sopranos, altos, tenors, basses – is the one most often performed as a free-standing piece without the others. Bach intended it for the funeral of a prominent Leipzig lady, Johanna Maria Käsin, whose husband was the city postmaster. The motet’s main chorale melody, which dominates the thematic argument, did not originate with Bach. It comes from a 1653 collection called Praxis pietatis melica, by an earlier Lutheran composer, Johann Crüger. Some of the words originate with mid-seventeenth-century German hymn-writer Johann Franck, for whose lyrics Bach had a special esteem, using them several times in his cantatas. The remaining words are adaptations of the eighth chapter from St Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, and would have been recognised as such by Bach’s original audience, given this epistle’s particular importance in Lutheran theology. Two versions exist of Bach’s score: one entirely unaccompanied, the other with instrumental ensemble. Francis Browne supplied the English version given below.

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1. Jesu, meine Freude, Meines Herzens Weide, Jesu, meine Zier, Ach wie lang, ach lange Ist dem Herzen bange Und verlangt nach dir! Gottes Lamm, mein Bräutigam, Ausser dir soll mir auf Erden Nichts sonst Liebers werden.

1. Jesus, my joy, pasture of my heart, Jesus, my adornment, ah how long, how long is my heart filled with anxiety and longing for you! Lamb of God, my bridegroom, apart from you on the earth there is nothing dearer to me

2. Es ist nun nichts, Nichts verdammliches an denen, Die in Christo Jesu sind. Die nicht nach dem Fleische wandeln, Sondern nach dem Geist.

2. Now there is nothing, Nothing damnable in those Who are in Christ Jesus Who do not walk after the way of the flesh, But after the way of the Spirit.

3. Unter deinem Schirmen Bin ich vor den Stürmen Aller Feinde frei. Lass den Satan wittern, Lass den Feind erbittern, Mir steht Jesus bei. Ob es itzt gleich kracht und blitzt, Ob gleich Sünd und Hölle schrecken: Jesus will mich decken.

3. Beneath your protection I am free from the attacks of all my enemies. Let Satan track me down, let my enemy be exasperated – Jesus stands by me. Even if there is thunder and lightning, even if sin and hell spread terror: Jesus will protect me.

4. Denn das Gesetz des Geistes, Der da lebendig machet in Christo Jesu, Hat mich frei gemacht Von dem Gesetz der Sünde und des Todes.

5. Trotz dem alten Drachen, Trotz des Todes Rachen, Trotz der Furcht darzu! Tobe, Welt, und springe, Ich steh hier und singe In gar sichrer Ruh. Gottes Macht hält mich in acht; Erd und Abgrund muss verstummen, Ob sie noch so brummen.

4. For the law of the Spirit, which gives life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death

5. I defy the old dragon, I defy the jaws of death, I defy fear as well! Rage, world, and spring to attack, I stand here and sing in secure peace. God’s might takes care of me; earth and abyss must fall silent, however much they rumble on

6. Ihr aber seid nicht fleischlich, sondern geistlich, so anders Gottes Geist in euch wohnet. Wer aber Christi Geist nicht hat, der ist nicht sein.

7. Weg mit allen Schätzen!

6. You, however, are not of the flesh, but rather of the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives otherwise in you. Anyone however, who does not have Christ’s Spirit, is not His

7. Away with all treasures!

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Du bist mein Ergötzen, Jesu meine Lust! Weg ihr eitlen Ehren, Ich mag euch nicht hören, Bleibt mir unbewusst! Elend, Not, Kreuz, Schmach und Tod Soll mich, ob ich viel muss leiden, Nicht von Jesu scheiden.

8. So aber Christus in euch ist, so ist der Leib zwar tot um der Sünde willen; der Geist aber ist das Leben um der Gerrechtigkeit willen.

9. Gute Nacht, o Wesen, Das die Welt erlesen, Mir gefällst du nicht, Gute Nacht, ihr Sünden, Bleibet weit dahinten, Kommt nicht mehr ans Licht! Gute Nacht du Stolz und Pracht! Dir sei ganz, du Lasterleben, Gute Nacht gegeben.

10. So nun der Geist des, Der Jesum von den Toten auferwecket hat, in euch wohnet, So wird auch derselbige, der Christum von den Toten auferwecket hat, eurer sterblichen Leiber lebendig machen, Um des willen, Daß sein Geist in euch wohnet

11. Weicht ihr Trauergeister, Denn mein Freuden Meister

You are my delight, Jesus, my joy! Away with empty honours, I’m not going to listen to you, remain unknown to me! Misery, distress, affliction, disgrace and death, even if I must endure much suffering, will not separate me from Jesus.

8. However if Christ is in you, then the body is dead indeed for the sake of Sin; But the spirit is life For the sake of righteousness.

9. Good night, existence chosen by the world, you do not please me. Good night, you sins, stay far behind me. Come no more to the light! Good night, pride and splendour, once and for all, sinful existence, I bid you good night.

10. Therefore now since the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, Therefore that same spirit who raised Christ from the dead will make your mortal bodies living, for the sake of His spirit that dwells in you.

11. Go away, mournful spirits, for my joyful Master,

Jesus, tritt herein. Denen, die Gott lieben, Muss auch ihr Betrüben Lauter Zucker sein. Duld ich schon hier Spott und Hohn,

Dennoch bleibst du auch im Leide, Jesu, meine Freude.

Jesus, now enters in. For those who love God even their afflictions become pure sweetness. Even if here I endure shame and disgrace,

even in suffering remain, Jesus, my joy.

INTERVAL

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Bach Magnificat (BWV 243) with the Melbourne Baroque Orchestra

Sinfonia from the Cantata Wir danken dir Gott (BWV 29) for obligato organ The Cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (BWV 147)

buy your tickets today our box office staff will be pleased to help you

Macedon Church of the Resurrection Saturday 12 November at 3pm Melbourne Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 210 Richardson St, Middle Park

Sunday 13 November at 3pm

5. MISERERE – Gregorio Allegri Born probably in Rome, 1582; died in Rome, 17 February 1652.

Like so many other ‘one-hit wonders’, more varied in his total output than most people would ever imagine, the priest-composer Allegri made his way into the history books on the strength of this Miserere. He had been appointed to the Sistine Chapel choir by Pope Urban VIII in 1629, and remained there till his death. It is not clear exactly why this particular piece – and not any of Allegri’s other works, or any works by other composers associated with pontifical music-making – became associated with a cult of secrecy. Nonetheless, once the association started, it endured long after Allegri’s own death. The Vatican decreed that any Catholic who published, or merely copied out, the Miserere would incur excommunication. Not till 1770 did the ban lapse. During that year, the fourteen-year-old Mozart visited Rome; heard (on two separate occasions) the work sung; notated it from memory, without making a single mistake; and allowed English historian Charles Burney to print the result. Instead of being excommunicated, Mozart received a papal knighthood. Making the whole story even more bizarre is the fact that Allegri’s original omits the most famous and most eccentric section: the abrupt switch (one authority calls it a ‘trucker’s gear change’) from G minor to an

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unexpected C minor, with the solo soprano’s top C followed by a descending scale. This passage, unknown to Mozart – or, for that matter, to Mendelssohn, who also heard the Miserere at the Vatican during his youth – first appeared in the 1880s, and apparently derived from no more exalted motive than a copyist’s mistake. Would that more mistakes were so memorable.

1. Miserere mei, Deus: secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.

2. Et secundum multitudinem miserationum tuarum, dele iniquitatem meam. 3. Amplius lava me ab iniquitate mea: et a peccato meo munda me. 4. Quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco: et peccatum meum contra me est semper. 5. Tibi soli peccavi, et malum coram te feci: ut justificeris in sermonibus tuis, et vincas cum judicaris. 6. Ecce enim in iniquitatibus conceptus sum: et in peccatis concepit me mater mea. 7. Ecce enim veritatem dilexisti: incerta et occulta sapientiae tuae manifestasti mihi. 8. Asperges me hysopo, et mundabor: lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor. 9. Audi tui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam: et exsultabunt ossa humiliata. 10. Averte faciem tuam a peccatis meis: et omnes iniquitates meas dele. 11. Cor mundum crea in me, Deus: et spiritum rectum innova in visceribus meis. 12. Ne proiicias me a facie tua: et spiritum sanctum tuum ne auferas a me. 13. Redde mihi laetitiam salutaris tui: et spiritu principali confirma me. 14. Docebo iniquos vias tuas: et impii ad te convertentur. 15. Libera me de sanguinibus,

1. Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness,

2. According to the multitude of Thy mercies do away mine offences. 3. Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness: and cleanse me from my sin. 4. For I acknowledge my faults: and my sin is ever before me. 5. Against Thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified in Thy saying, and clear when Thou art judged. 6. Behold, I was shapen in wickedness: and in sin hath my mother conceived me. 7. But lo, Thou requirest truth in the inward parts: and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly. 8. Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 9. Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness: that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice. 10. Turn Thy face from my sins: and put out all my misdeeds. 11. Make me a clean heart, O God: renew a right spirit within me. 12. Cast me not away from Thy presence: and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. 13. O give me the comfort of Thy help again: and stablish me with Thy free Spirit. 14. Then shall I teach Thy ways unto the wicked: and sinners shall be converted unto Thee. 15. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness,

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Deus, Deus salutis meae: et exsultabit lingua mea justitiam tuam. 16. Domine, labia mea aperies: et os meum annuntiabit laudem tuam. 17. Quoniam si voluisses sacrificium, dedissem utique: holocaustis non delectaberis. 18. Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus: cor contritum, et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies. 19. Benigne fac, Domine, in bona voluntate tua Sion: ut aedificentur muri Ierusalem. 20. Tunc acceptabis sacrificium justitiae, oblationes, et holocausta: tunc imponent super altare tuum vitulos.

O God, Thou that art the God of my health: and my tongue shall sing of Thy righteousness. 16. Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord: and my mouth shall show Thy praise. 17. For Thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it Thee: but Thou delightest not in burnt-offerings. 18. The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt Thou not despise. 19. O be favourable and gracious unto Sion: build Thou the walls of Jerusalem. 20. Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations: then shall they lay calves upon Your altar.

6. O SACRUM CONVIVIUM – Olivier Messiaen Born in Avignon, 10 December 1908; died in Paris, 27 April 1992.

Dating from 1937, this is an early work of Messiaen’s; yet early does not mean atypical. Already his lush harmonic voice – which could not be mistaken for any other composer’s – is apparent, as is his rejection of conventional Western metre (the score contains no time-signature). O Sacrum Convivium provides an unusual instance of its creator setting an extract from the Catholic rite, rather than conveying his irrepressible religious faith in the concert hall and the organ loft. While Messiaen makes provision for an organ discreetly doubling the vocal parts, the piece is usually performed a cappella.

O sacrum convivium! In quo Christus sumitur: Recolitur memoria passionis ejus: Mens impletur gratia: Et futurae gloriae Nobis pignus datur. Alleluia!

O sacred banquet! In which Christ is received, The memory of His passion is recalled, The mind is filled with grace, And the pledge of future of glory Is given to us. Alleluia!

7. SINGET DEM HERREN EIN NEUES LIED BWV 225 – JS Bach

This motet derives its words partly from Psalms 149 and 150 in the Lutheran Bible, and partly from a hymn by the sixteenth-century Protestant writer Johannes Poliander (alias Johann Graumann). We do not know the precise occasion for which Bach envisaged the piece, but it has been conjectured that he meant it – despite its joyous sound, most obvious in the exuberant setting of words like ‘Reigen [dances]’ – for, of all things, a royal funeral. Christiane, Queen of Poland, died (at

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Pretzsch, Saxony) in 1727, having refused to renounce her original Lutheranism even when her husband, King Augustus II, cynically sought to appease the Poles by ostentatiously proclaiming himself to be a Catholic. As elsewhere in his canonical motets, so here, Bach allowed for (but did not insist on) instrumental accompaniment. The work became a special favourite of Mozart, who might well have had its counterpoint in mind when he wrote the Jupiter Symphony. Note the curious – and much discussed, although accidental – resemblance between the melody which Bach employs for the words ‘Wie sich ein Vater erbarmet,’ and the melody which English-speaking church-goers will recognise as The Old Hundredth.

1. Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, Die Gemeine der Heiligen sollen ihn loben. Israel freue sich des, der ihn gemacht hat. Die Kinder Zion sei’n fröhlich über ihrem Könige, Sie sollen loben seinen Namen im Reigen; mit Pauken und mit Harfen sollen sie ihm spielen.

Aria Choir 2. Wie sich ein Vater erbarmet Über seine junge Kinderlein, So tut der Herr uns allen, So wir ihn kindlich fürchten rein. Er kennt das arm Gemächte, Gott weiss, wir sind nur Staub, Gleichwie das Gras vom Rechen, Ein Blum und fallend Laub. Der Wind nur drüber wehet, So ist es nicht mehr da, Also der Mensch vergehet, Sein End, das ist ihm nah.

Aria Quartet 2. Gott, nimm dich ferner unser an, Denn ohne dich ist nichts getan Mit allen unsern Sachen. Drum sei du unser Schirm und Licht, Und trügt uns unsre Hoffnung nicht, So wirst du’s ferner machen. Wohl dem, der sich nur steif und fest Auf dich und deine Huld verlässt.

3. Lobet den Herrn in seinen Taten, lobet ihn in seiner grossen Herrlichkeit!

1. Sing ye the Lord a new song; the assembly of saints should be telling His praises. Israel, be joyful in Him who hath made thee. Let Zion’s children rejoice in Him who is their mighty king; let them be praising His name’s honour in dances; with timbrels and with psalteries unto Him be playing.

2. As does a father mercy show To his own little children dear, So doth the Lord to all of us, If as pure children we Him fear. He sees our feeble powers, God knows we are but dust; Just as the grass in cutting, Or bud and falling leaf, If wind but o’er it bloweth, It is no longer there, Even so is man’s life passing, His end to him is near.

2. God take us For, lacking Thee, nought shall we gain From all of our endeavours. So be Thou our true shield and light, And if our hope betray us not, Thou wilt thus henceforth help us. Blest be he whose hope, both strong and firm, On Thee and on Thy grace can rest

3. Praise ye the Lord in all His doings, praise ye Him in all His might and majesty!

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Alles, was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn Halleluja!

All things which have breath, praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah!

Programme notes © R. J. Stove, 2011–16 Douglas Lawrence established the AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER CHOIR in 2007 and in July 2017 will celebrate ten years. The choir has undertaken five concert tours of Europe, with 82 concerts in Germany, Denmark, Poland, France and Switzerland. In 2017, the ensemble will add Italy and Austria to the list of countries visited. Following their concert in Copenhagen in 2015 a review in the Dagbladet was headlined ‘Australian Choir in the Super League’. Accolades such as this in the mainstream press across five countries attest to the high standing of this choir in the international arena. The choir has released five CDs and given concerts in Canberra, Sydney, regional NSW and throughout Victoria. During 2016 and 2017, while maintaining our commitment to concerts in regional Victoria, the choir aims to establish a more regular program of visits to NSW. To take this next leap will require an increase in funds.

The singers were Soprano 1: Erika Tandiono*, Alex Hedt, Megan Oldmeadow Soprano 2: Ailsa Webb*, Elizabeth Lieschke, Ellen Walker (cello) Alto 1: Hannah Sprachlan-Holl, Ria Angelika Polo (organ) Alto 2: Elizabeth Anderson*, Isobel Todd Tenor 1: Leighton Triplow, Linton Roe Tenor 2: Alastair Cooper-Golec, Jacob Lawrence* Bass 1: Matthew Tng, Luke Hutton Bass 2: Steve Hodgson*, Nicholas Retter *denotes soloist

Would you like more information? We suggest … Subscribe to our eNewsletter: Give your email address to our front of house staff on the form provided (page 8) or go to www.auschoir.org/subscribe-to-newsletter Visit our website: www.AusChoir.org Visit our new YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/AuschoirOrg Like us on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/AusChoir

We are delighted to be able to be able to inviteyoutojoinusonourtourofEuropein2017.Thetour begins in Rome on 30th June 2017. Pacingourselves carefully tobreathe theair andabsorbthe atmosphere, we have three nights each inRome,ViennaandLindauand twonightseach inFlorenceandLeipzig.Nearlyalloursight-seeingis

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scheduled to takeplaceafter youhave checked in to yourhotel,whichmeansthatyouhavefullflexibilitytochoosetotakepart inasmuchoras littleoftheorganisedprogramasyoulike. OnourfirstdayinRomeweofferyouahalf-dayprivate tour to theSistineChapel,VaticanMuseumandSt Peter'sBasilica.Weplan to get to the Sistine Chapel earlyin order to enjoyMichelangelo's ceilingbeforethecrowdsarrive.

The choir has confirmed concerts inRome,Villach,Vienna, Innsbruck,WangenandTübingen.Youare invitedtoaccompanyusas farasLeipzig,wherewewillsing a service in Bach's church on Sunday 16 July and have dinner togetherafterwards.

InadditiontoalltheACC’sconcerts,wehavearrangedforyoutobeinVeronaonaneveningwhenthereisaperformanceofVerdi'sAidaintheArena,whichyouarewelcometoaddtoyouritinerary.

In Vienna, the choir performs in the Augustinerkirche, built by the Habsburgfamily in 1330 next door to theirWinter Palace, or Hofburg.Many importantweddingshavetakenplacehere, includingthatofArchduchessMarieLouise in1810 toNapoleonBonaparteof France. The church remains at the centreof afunctioningmonasteryofAugustinianfriars.

SlightlyofftheusualtouristmapisthestunningRomanislandcityofLindauonLake Constance, near the meeting point of the Austrian, German and Swissborders. From here, we will explore Germany’s most famous castle,Neuschwanstein(Bavaria),visittheRiegerorganbuildingfactoryinAustriaforanexclusive guided tour and lunch and attend thechoir’s concert in the nearby historic Germantown of Wangen. If you would like to see thatceiling inBiberach (front cover),perhapswecanstop by on our way from Lindau to the ancientuniversitytownofTübingen.

In Tübingen, we are the guests of Prof AndreLupas,HeadofProteinEvolutionattheMaxPlankInstitute and his wife, Janice for a post-concertsupper. We have included at least four eveningmeals with the choir.

Ifyouenjoysinging,wehaveorganisedthreeFriendsChoirrehearsals.This isanon-compulsory, just-for-fun opportunity to sing with members of the ACC.Cathy Sullivan, the managing director of Eastern Hill Travel, accompanied ourFriendsTourin2015andislookingforwardtodoingsoagainin2017.Ifyouhave

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anyquestionsforCathy,shewillbeinthefoyerduringtheintervalatourMiddleParkandMacedonconcerts.Orjustgiveheracallonthenumberbelow.

Aswedidin2015,wewill limitthenumberoftravellersontheFriendsTourtothirty.Our2017FriendsTourPackageincludes•Dedicatedair-conditionedcoachtransport(includingallferryconnectionsandtoll-bridges)

•FerryridesontheRiverDanubeandLakeConstance,StockerkahnrideinTübingen

•Englishspeakingtourguide,qualifiedforallsightsvisited•Extensivesight-seeingprogram.Feelfreetojoininoroptout.Takeitatyourownpace

•Allaccommodation(4****twinsharebasis)andbuffetbreakfasteveryday•Porterage•Foureveningmealswiththechoir(beveragesnotincluded)•a"FriendsChoir"forthosewhoareinterested.Wehavescheduled3sessions.Notcompulsory. Justforfun!

•AdmissiontoallAustralianChamberChoirconcerts•RiegerOrganFactorytourandbarbeque•AdmittancetotheVaticanMuseum,SistineChapel,StPeter'sRome,SchönbrunnPalace,NeuschwansteinCastle,BachMuseum,MendelssohnHouse

•CathySullivan,theManagingDirectorofEasternHillTravelwillaccompanytheFriendsTour.

LAND-ONLYCOST:$7,848(twin-share)SINGLESUPPLEMENT: $1,900TheabovepackageismanagedbyEasternHillTravelincooperationwithPegasusandMissingItalia.

EasternHillTravelwillbehappytoarrangecompetitivelypricedreturnairfaresandadditionaltravelonrequest.

BookingsandenquiriesEasternHillTravel50BrunswickSt,Fitzroy,Victoria,3065Tel.94174320paul@easternhilltravel.com.au

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Elizabeth Anderson

plays

JS Bach’s

GOLDBERG VARIATIONS

“Elizabeth Anderson’s Goldbergs ... are an event. Like a knowledgeable, enthusiastic guide,

Anderson lovingly shepherds the listener across the huge musical canvas”. THE AGE

FRIDAY JUNE 17 at 8PMSt John’s, Southbank

$40 Adults/Seniors, $30 Pensioners, $10 StudentsBook at TryBooking

https://new.trybooking.com/LJFQ

All profits to the Assylum Seeker Resource Centre.

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Thank you to all who support the choir, including our friends and sponsors: Warren and Iris Anderson, Jörg and Elisabeth Bahner, Vicki and Peter Balabanski, James and Barbara Barber, Robin Batterham,

Heather Bayston, David Beauchamp, Carmel Behan, Maggie Bell, Jennifer Bellsham-Revell, Naomi Bleeser, Rhys Boak, Anna Bohn, Robert Boelen, Richard Bolitho, Roger Boyce, Barbara Braistead, David Brand, Susan Bray, Eleanor Bridger, Sally Brown, Harold Burge, Elizabeth Burns, Margaret Callinan, Bernard Carter, Ann Cebon-Glass, Lois Cooke, Greg Coldicutt, Sally Cordell, Tony and Madge Correll, Christine Cronin, Kim Dahl, Felicity Demediuk, Michael Dolan, Patricia Duke, Gregory Eccleston, Michael Edgeloe, Rod and Deb Edwards, Michael Elligate, Priyanka Erasmus, Ken Falconer, Hellen Fersch, Jennie Smith and Bruce Fethers, Barry and Nola Firth, Cameron Forbes, Anne Gilby, Hunt, Ann and Reuben Glass, Rosemary Gleeson, Roland Godfrey, Dianne Gome and the late David Gome, John and Bernie Griffiths, Tom Griffiths, Ian and Heather Gunn, Thorry Gunnersen, Alan Gunther, Herb and Eve Hahn, Stuart Hamilton, Ponch Hawkes, the late Bob Henderson, Tom Henry, Catherine Herrick, Ferdi Hillen, Trang Hoang, Geoff Hone, Richard Hoy, Arwen Hur, Thomas Hurley, John and Cheryl Iser, Susan Jackson, Patrick Johnston, Ivan Kapitonov, David and Rosemary Kellam, Ozlem Keskin, Barry and Judith Kilmartin, Peter Kingsbury, Judy Kiraly, Jerry Koliha, Barbara Kristof, Alan Larwill, Margaret Lawrence Bequest, the late Neil Lawrence, George and Ann Littlewood, Pamela Lloyd, Lordies, Heather Low, Catherine Lowy, Janice and Andrei Lupas, Sue Lyons, Monica MacCallum, Lenore Macdonald, the late Hector Maclean, Penelope Maddick, Sarah and Peter Martin, Dubravka Martin-Hanson, Chris Maxwell, Campbell and Noreen McAdam, Kate McBride, Davina McClure, Mary McGivern-Shaw, Gwenlyn McIntosh, Hilary McPhee, Lorraine Meldrum, Catherine and Barry Michael, Philippa Miller, Alana Mitchell, Mobiquity Inc, Rosemary and Bruce Morey, Adam Morris, Evelyn Mortimer, Mary Muirhead, the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, Max Griffiths and Merrilyn Murnane, Malcolm Nagorcka, Susan Nelson, Christine Newman, Margaret Newman, Tony Nicol, Paul Nisselle, MJ and RM Norton, Julianna O’Bryan, Jenny O’Donnell, Margaret O’Dowd, Ian Phillips, Margaret Price, The Ian Potter Foundation, Elizabeth Powell, Margaret Price, Chris Pushson, Jennifer and Bill Raper, Rosalie Richards, David Ritchie, Joan Roberts, Annette Robinson, Nola Rogers, Lars Rolner, John Rowe, Alma Ryrie-Jones, The Robert Salzer Foundation, Ken Sargeant, Muharrem Sari, Janet Schapper, Mark Schapper, Geoff Scollary, Cathy Scott, Stephen Shanassy, David and Lorelle Skewes, Avril Skumik, Patrick Slattery, Nicole Spicer, Lynne Star, Leonore Stephens, Eric Stokes, Rob Stove, Brian Swinn, Ross Telfer, Pauline Tointon, Andrew Turner, Elsie Valmorbida, Chris van Rompaey, Alison Waller, Mel Waters, Margaret and Dilhan Webb, Dianna Wells Design, Angela Were, Rodney Wetherell, Ron Whitmore, Patricia Wilkinson, Carolyn Williams, Charles Williams, Harry Williams, Glen Witham, Marni Wodak, Robert Wright, Jenny and Wallace Young, Margaret Zammit, Harriet Ziegler and anonymous donors.