Concert features premiere of ‘Credo’

The symphony’s 80-member chorale will raise a voice on Saturday with “Sounds of the Continent.”

The Midland-Odessa Symphony Chorale will present their spring concert, “Sounds of the Continent” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Sanctuary of Midland’s First Presbyterian Church.

The Chorale will be accompanied by members of the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra. The concert will feature the North American premiere of the Antonio Vivaldi “Credo”; Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy” for solo piano, chorus, and orchestra, played by Chorale accompanist Shari Santorelli; three songs of the American West and works by Purcell and Copland.

The Midland-Odessa Symphony Chorale is the principal choral ensemble of the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 1962, the 80-member ensemble enjoys performing annually with the MOSC orchestra for a holiday concert as well as other performances.

The Chorale has performed under the baton of conductor Gregory M. Pysh since 2010, performing in Europe, Austria, Germany, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.

The Chorale toured Italy in June 2016, which included singing for high mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Choral Fantasy in C Minor, Op. 80, is a composition for orchestra, chorus, and solo piano by Ludwig van Beethoven that premiered in Vienna on Dec. 22, 1808, together with his Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 6.

Choral Fantasy was composed as a grand finale to the mammoth concert of Dec. 22 (which, in addition to the debuted works, included a concert aria, two movements from Mass in C Major, and Piano Concerto No. 4), and its unusual scoring arose from the requirements of the other pieces on the program.

Many scholars have pointed out a resemblance between this work and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, known as the Choral Symphony, which premiered in 1824. Indeed, there are strong similarities between the two works’ principal melodies, information from Britannica.com details. Another parallel lies in the philosophies expounded by the two texts. The symphony, based on a poem by Friedrich Schiller, praises the brotherhood and goodwill that arise from shared joy. Similarly, the text of Choral Fantasy proclaims in its concluding measures, “When love and power unite, God’s grace descends on all mankind.”

“Sounds of the Continent” is sponsored by Midland Symphony Guild and Dee and Susan Carter.

General admission is $15, students are free. Purchase tickets at the door. For more information visit mosc.org

If You Go
  • What: MOSC Choral Series “Sounds of the Continent.”
  • When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
  • Where: First Presbyterian Church of Midland, 800 W. Texas Ave.
  • Tickets: mosc.org