I Cantori’s A Romantic Christmas celebrates music that transcends beliefs with choral gems by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Josef Gabriel Rheinberger, Engelbert Humperdinck and Max Bruch. The program weaves big romantic melodies with texts revering the birth of Christ that deliver a universal message about the power of love, offering respite from a world marked by conflict. The program features I Cantori’s chorus and orchestra directed by Daniel Henriks and soloists Jayne Diliberto, soprano, Max Potter, mezzo soprano and Daniel Cilli, baritone.
“This Fairytale Christmas concert consists of richly orchestrated choral music of the Romantic era. Both Bruch’s Greeting to the Holy Night and Rheinberger’s The Star of Bethlehem transport us to a picture-book alpine landscape where children await the arrival of baby Jesus in innocent anticipation. For a special treat, we have added scenes from the quintessential Christmas opera Hansel and Gretel which will showcase our fantastic soloists and wonderful orchestra” Music Director Daniel Henriks says. “In Mendelssohn’s masterwork Like as the hart our souls crying for God is a metaphor for our hearts longing for peace, a place where we feel sheltered, where we belong, and where we are loved.”
“In our last piece of the evening, we perform a gorgeous rendition by Mendelssohn of the famous Christmas hymn From Heaven on high, which we have performed for our audiences in one form or another in every holiday concert since I began my work with I Cantori,” Henriks continues. “No matter what your holiday traditions may be, this music takes us to a place where we feel comforted and encompassed by joy, giving us a feeling of safety and warmth in a chaotic world.”