CONTEMPORARY CHORAL MUSIC IN EUROPE - 1
San Candido (BZ), Joseph Resch Hall 28th June - 2nd July 2000

Programme

Renato Dionisi DOMINE JESU CHRISTE
Giammartino Durighello GAUDENS GAUDEBO
Michel Corboz LAUDATE DOMINUM
Marco Maniero L'ORA DELLA SERA
Otto Olson JESU CORONA CELSIOR
Bruno Zagni MADONNA NON SO FAR TANTE PAROLE
Folk Rabe RONDE
Pietro Clausetti SALTAVAN NINFE
Thomas Jennefelt SALUT DE LA VEILLES DES O
Javier Busto O SACRUM CONVIVIUM
Michael Waldenby EXULTATE DEO
Lorenzo Donati PATER NOSTER

During the three-day workshop that took place at the spacious J. Resch Hall, San Candido, with two lessons a day, M° Graden, starting from the main themes of contemporary music (i.e. repertory, choir arrangement and conducting, style and performing techniques), tackled the problems concerning choir precise intonation, voice balancing and conductor gesture. Some conductors had their choirs actively participate in the seminar, first by conducting them themselves and then by having their choirs conducted by other conductors as well as by Maestro Graden. This brought about a friendly atmosphere that Maestro Graden enjoyed and appreciated a lot. Such a working method which had already been successfully experienced by Maestro Bartolucci in 1999 was very instructive and satisfying for both conductors and members of the choirs.

The work carried out on the programmed pieces tackled the following themes:

• Choir conducting techniques: the condutor's gesture aims to save on gestures, useful for both the choir's attention and its following performance.
• Aspects and techniques of choir singing, particularly intonation, voice balancing and vocal technique. By listening to overtones it is possible to improve the choir's intonation, expression and sonority.
• Improvisation, a fundamental element of choral singing, through which several different expressive and performing possibilities can be explored.

Choir conductors and Italian and foreign choirs participated to the lessons.

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2000

Morning
The participants met the "Roma Cantat" choir conducted by M° Ermanno Testi. The choir performed Corboz "Laudate Dominum". Graden laid particular stress on the intonation of a short passage. He pointed out the precision of an interval of a fourth and the importance of the exact relation among the notes.
He invited the singers to practise some vocal exercises aimed to stress the overtones, also in relation to the vowel uttered. He placed the accent on the difference between natural intonation which is possible with the voice, and piano-tempered intonation. The morning ended with participants listening to choral music.

Afternoon
While the participants to the seminar and the singers were shuffling in, Graden put in the background Hillborg "Mouayiyoum", performed by the Armonic Choir under the conducting of David Hykes. This greatly contributed the the creation of a pleasant and attentive atmosphere and it gave him the opportunity to introduce the theme of minimalism in choral music, which allows amateur choirs to perform many modern and interesting pieces without too much difficulty. The "Josquin Desprez" choir, from Varese, performed Jennefelt "Salut de la veille des O". The evening ended with the performance of Terry Riley's "To begin", a composition rich in several different performing possibilities. Specifically, the different sections of the choir distributed themselves in the space available and held a canon performance. In this way, they contributed to the creation of a stimulating and evocative atmosphere.


FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2000

Morning
Participants trained their hearing with overtones played at the piano. A half-low note was repeated for a few minutes and little by little the overtones ccould be perceived by everybody. The "Ipavska" choir, Slovenia, performed O. Olson "Jesu corona celsior". Graden made the choir practise a series of exercises on the vocal overtones. Specifically he worked with men, insisting on falsetto, a vocal technique which in Graden's opinion is neither too much practised nor too much appreciated. The best technique - he said - is to take a middle course between head and chest voice.

Afternoon
The lesson was especially held for conductors: participants to the workshop took turns in conducting the "Vocal Ensemble '900" from Turin. First it was the turn of Martin Berger, followed by Corrado Margutti conducting one of his compositions, a Berceuse, on lyric by F. García Lorca, and then by Teresa Sappa who conducted "Sagastipean". Finally, Maestro Carlo Pavese made the ensemble perform some pieces by Wilhelm Stenhammer.


SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2000

Morning
As is his habit M° Graden received the participants to his lessons with some music in the background: his choice was Bach mottetti. The guest choir was the "Franco Prompicai" choir from Pinerolo. The usual exercises on the harmonic sounds were used as warming-up: the singers practised exercises on pauses, vocalises on scales of a modal fifth, on fixed sounds with vowel change, tone and fifth note glissandos. Men listened to women and viceversa so as to better get to perceive overtones. Men practised some singing in falsetto with descendent vocalises in a sharp register.
The guest choir performed M. Majero "L'ora della sera". Problems concerning precise intonation were analysed in depth. Maestro Graden insisted on chords, notes, intervals, and placed particular attention on the perception of sonority. Again, problems with natural and tempered tuning were dealt with. Participants were given photocopies on the differences between natural, pitagorical and tempered scales. The morning ended with the participants listening to an excerpt from M. Haydn "Requiem".

Afternoon
During the last lesson, M° Graden summarised the principle subjects of the workshop: the practice with the harmonic sounds as warming-up exercise; its application to the performance of the piece for intonation, uniform timbre in vowel utterance and in matching the music sentence with the right breathing. In this context he laid the accent again on the importance of conductor's work on gesture, rhythm, dynamics and expression.
The "Accademia corale di Lecco" performed R. Dionisi "Missa Brevis".
The evening ended with participants listening to Wallemby "Exultate Deo", L. Donati "Pater noster", Steve Dobrogosz "Pater Noster" and Jan Sandstrom "Biegga Luothe".


Giordana Castillett
Guido Masini