The Coro Solvay Ensemble, conducted by Juan José del Valle, participated on 15 March at 20:00 in the XXII Conferences on Religious Choral Music 2024, at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Torrelavega.
The Choir Solvay Ensemble tackled a very ambitious repertoire, focusing especially on contemporary composers -Withbourn, Leavitt, Jenkins and Gjeilo- although classical pieces by Mozart and Haydn were also included. This is a very special concert that the Solvay Ensemble, conducted by Juan José del Valle, has prepared with great care and enthusiasm. A varied cast of soloists and instrumentalists accompanied the choir, adding elegance and colour to the final result, which promised to be truly spectacular.
The Choir Solvay Ensemble also featured the collaboration of the String Quartet In C, the clarinet and saxophone of Daniel Pérez and the guitar of Andrés Herrera, as well as the piano and organ of Maite Alcalde, who is part of the group. As for the solo voices, the soprano Noemí López, the baritone Manuel Gandarillas, and the choir director himself, Juan José del Valle, who is also an excellent baritone. As special guests and adding a visual note to the sound ensemble, a group of students from the Gloria Rueda Dance School also performed in one of the pieces.
The concert was divided into four blocks. The first block opened with the Kyrie from the Misa Son of God by Withbourn -with organ and soprano saxophone accompaniment- followed by two Sanctus, the one from the Misa Festiva by John Leavitt and the one from the Mass The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins, both with string quartet and piano accompaniment and the last of them also with percussion.
In the second block, the more classical pieces were addressed: Laudate Dominum, by Mozart -with piano, string quartet and solo soprano accompaniment- the Duo of Adam and Eve from The Creation by Haydn -with string quartet, clarinet, percussion and solo singers- and the Ave Maria by Caccini by V. Vavilov -with piano, string quartet and soloist.
As for the third block, it consisted exclusively of works by the Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo: Ecce Novum -with piano and string quartet-, Ubi Caritas -with piano-, Evening prayer -with saxophone and piano-, Northern lights -with piano- and The lake isle -with guitar, string quartet and piano.
The last block included two pieces from the mass Son of God by Withbourn -Agnus Dei and Amen-, both accompanied by organ and soprano saxophone-. The concert concluded with the beautiful Requiem In paradisum by Karl Jenkins, accompanied by organ, string quartet and clarinet.
The Coro Solvay Ensemble collaborates each year in the organisation of the International Choral Cycle Town Hall of Polanco and has participated in the main choral cycles of Cantabria. It has also travelled outside our community to participate in various meetings: Musical Days of Medina de Pomar, Arandino Polyphonic Autumn, Choral Days of León, Choral Cycle at the Monastery of Irache, Sacred Music Cycle Ars Viva of Bilbao… Furthermore, it has had the opportunity to perform concerts in the cathedrals of Seville and Palencia, as well as in historic and emblematic temples, such as the Church of Santa María Magdalena in Salamanca and the Church of San Millán in Segovia.
In 2014, the Coro Solvay Ensemble created the Memorial Federico Ceballos, which performs each Christmas the Creole Mass by Ariel Ramírez, in a participatory concert that includes Andean instruments. The purpose of this Memorial is to pay tribute to Federico Ceballos, a beloved teacher and musician, who was linked to choral music for many years and passed away prematurely.
In March 2017, on the occasion of the Holy Lebaniego Year, the Solvay Ensemble recorded the CD Our Glory Lord is Your Cross, Lebaniego Liturgical Songbook, composed by D. Juan Jáuregui Castelo. In September of that year, it participated in the Liturgy of the Mass at Santo Toribio de Liébana, on the occasion of the Jubilee Year, broadcast by RTVE 2. It also participated in the Closing Mass of that Jubilee Year, in April 2018, as well as in the Opening Mass of the new jubilee year in 2023.
The repertoire of the Solvay Ensemble Choir includes works by composers from different eras, such as Gustavino, Franz Bielb, Bernard André, Gabriel Fauré, Orlando di Lasso, Vivaldi, Handel, J. Sebastian Bach, Dante Andreo, Duruflé, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Miguel Angel Samperio, Ola Gjeilo, John Rutter, Charpentier, Eriks Esenvalds, Jenkins, Withbourn etc.
The Choir Solvay Ensemble, was born in 2007, the result of the union of a group of people with extensive musical knowledge, both educationally and interpretatively. In its beginnings, it was composed of around twenty voices from different places in the region and with great choral experience. During these seventeen years of journey, the choir has had the masterful direction of Juan José del Valle and the invaluable collaboration of the pianist Maite Alcalde. During this time, the Solvay Ensemble has grown considerably, doubling the initial number of choristers. However, what has remained unchanged is the objective that unites all its members: to explore, learn, enrich themselves and convey the beauty of choral Music.
Share it
Media
