News releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4/23/13

CONTACT: Katherine Esposito, 263-5615, kesposito@wisc.edu

CHORAL UNION, CHAMBER ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM KYR'S 'PASSION'

MADISON - In its 120 years of existence, the UW-Madison Choral Union has established a reputation for performing major choral compositions by well-known masters. Recent works presented include requiems by Brahms and Verdi, Mendelssohn's "Elijah," and works by Beethoven and Mozart. But the Choral Union has also presented contemporary compositions and will do so Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 when it performs Robert Kyr's "Passion According to Four Evangelists."

Born in 1952, Kyr is not yet a household name, but those familiar with his body of work expect his musical contributions to endure. A prolific composer, Kyr has written 12 symphonies and numerous concerti as well as pieces for vocal ensembles. He has received many commissions and his works have been performed around the world. He is currently professor of composition and theory at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance.

Kyr's "Passion According to Four Evangelists" is a large-scale work that requires a chorus, orchestra and four soloists. Written in 1995, it sounds at times both modern and ancient.

Beverly Taylor, professor and director of choral activities at UW-Madison's School of Music and leader of the Choral Union, is enthusiastic about Kyr's "Passion." She premiered it in Boston and again in Madison in 1998 with the Choral Union for its Midwest premier. "Kyr's sense of music comes from Renaissance-era traditions. He uses suspensions and long intertwining lines that have dissonances and resolutions. The passion is a common subject in older music and Kyr uses old styles to great success. It's a modern look at ancient traditions," says Taylor.

The work tells the story of the biblical passion, the gospel narrative of Jesus' suffering and death on the cross as told by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament. Soloists sing those roles as well as the roles of Mary, Mary Magdalene, Jesus and Pilate. The chorus sings the roles of a crowd, Daughters of Jerusalem, Women at the Cross, Soldiers, and Priests and Elders. "Kyr also treats the orchestra as a character of its own, independent of the chorus," says Taylor.

Kyr has written this about the work: "I decided to take a different path in terms of storytelling and musical dramatization. In writing the text, I began with the revised standard version of the gospels, and after interweaving the four stories together, I set about the task of editing the entire text. I distilled the stories into a poetic form, which has been created, not as literature, but as a text to be set to music."

Joining the Choral Union is the UW Chamber Orchestra. The soloists are UW-Madison School of Music professors James Doing and Paul Rowe, and School of Music alumnae Anna Slate and Jennifer D'Agostino.

For those hesitant about contemporary work, Taylor says there is no need to shy away. "The music is interesting and beautiful; it's a work everyone can enjoy," says Taylor. "There is nothing strange about it. It is accessible, tonal, engaging and filled with beauty and character - it's just not that old."

The concerts will take place Saturday, April 27 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Concert Hall in the Mosse Humanities Building, 455 N. Park St. Tickets, $15/general public and $8/students and seniors, are available online at www.arts.wisc.edu, and through the Box Office, 608-265-2787. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door.

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