Coro Austral presents SPANISH GOLD with a FRENCH TWIST

*  A Spanish Mass inspired by a famous French battle!

*  Australian Joseph Twist’s work inspired by one of Spain’s greatest composers!

*  Spanish and Catalan choral works inspired by the events of Easter!

All of these and more will feature in Spanish Gold with a French Twist presented by Coro Austral at 2pm on Palm Sunday, 14 April, in St Augustine’s Church Hall, Balmain.

French Renaissance composer Clement Janequin’s flamboyant chanson La Guerre (The War), which uses vocal effects to graphically depict the famous French Battle of Marignon, was the inspiration for Spanish Renaissance composer Francisco Guerrero’s exquisite Missa de la Batalla Escoutez. Although Guerrero is not currently as well-known as some of his contemporaries, he was regarded in the Renaissance as the most remarkable of his time.

Today, Tomas Luis de Victoria is the best known Spanish composer of that time, and Australian composer Joseph Twist’s Three Motets after Victoria was commissioned in 2011 to commemorate the 400^th anniversary of his death. In these motets Twist pays homage to Victoria by drawing inspiration from his Lamentations and two of his Masses, as well as from compositional techniques of contemporary composers Steve Reich, Arvo Pärt and James MacMillan.

With the approach of Easter, Artistic Director Margot McLaughlin has also programmed fitting works from both Renaissance and contemporary Spanish composers, including settings of Nigra Sum by Catalan composers Bernat Vivancos and Pau (Pablo) Casals, as well as settings of O Vos Omnes by Casals and Victoria.

Since Margot McLaughlin formed Coro Austral in 2010, it has gained an excellent reputation for the skilled and authentic presentation of Spanish and Latin American choral works as well as music from other traditions worldwide.

Refreshments and wine will be available after the performance.