The Chorale, which has been a part of the SSO since its 1944 inception, went silent following the retirement of longtime director Basil Fett after 2023. A new director, Kevin Wilson – no relation – was hired in 2024 and got right on it.
“This program grew out of my excitement at the return of the Chorale,” said Peter Stafford Wilson. “The ensemble has long been a very important part of the artistic fabric of the SSO, and we missed them last season.
“For their return, I wanted music that was strictly choral in nature, that is, no soloists. I was amazed at how few pieces exist with that configuration, but I came up with two stellar works: Sir John Rutter’s ‘Gloria’ and Igor Stravinsky’s ‘Symphony of Psalms.’
Peter Stafford Wilson said both works have very unique instrumental requirements, with Rutter’s including a brass choir of trumpets, trombones and tubas along with percussion and organ. Stravinsky’s has an orchestra of winds, brass, percussion and strings, minus violins, creating a very unique sound under the voices.
“The Rutter is one of the most joyful vocal works I know. It is fun to sing, play, conduct and listen to. The Stravinsky is one of the most satisfying works in all the literature. It represents astonishing genius that is as fun to analyze as it is to perform, and it has one of the most beautiful melodies in all the repertoire,” Peter Stafford Wilson said.
After he had those works established, he looked at nationalistic compatriots and added the stately “Cockaigne Overture (In London Town)” of Sir Edward Elgar and “the raucously fun” “Capriccio Espagnole” of Rimsky-Korsakov to cap the program and season.
More to come
Though this is the last show of the SSO’s 81st season, they won’t wait long to play again, continuing their streak of performing at every one of the Summer Arts Festivals with their annual slot on July 6.
Peter Stafford Wilson teased some of next season’s shows that will include Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, while guests including a young violinist and a member of the neighboring Cincinnati Symphony, the first Chopin piano concerto and the return of the Troupe Vertigo acrobatic group performing their version of the opera “Carmen.”
The Chorale will also return with the third “Mozart Requiem” in a slightly different light as Peter Stafford Wilson said Mozart didn’t finish the work before he died and many composers/musicologists have taken their turn at completing it and this will be the SSO’s take. The shows and dates will be officially released in the summer.
DETAILS ONLINE
Tickets cost $47-76 and are available online at www.springfieldsym.org.
About the Author