Stravinsky’s “Les Noces” Performed at this Year’s Candlelight Concert

The following blog entry  was written by CFA Intern Lucy Strother ’11”

This Saturday at 8:30pm, Angel Gil-Ordoñez will lead the Wesleyan Ensemble Singers in Crowell Concert Hall for the annual Candlelight Concert. The performance will be the culmination of a thrilling and highly challenging project for the choir.

Angel describes the program in greater detail, stating “The Wesleyan Ensemble Singers will perform one of the most exciting vocal pieces of the 20th Century: Les Noces (The Wedding) by Igor Stravinsky. Inspired by Russian wedding and liturgical songs in the folk tradition, the work is written for choral ensemble, four vocal soloists, four pianos, and five percussion players.” This particular instrumentation gives the piece an extraordinarily distinctive and moving sound. The piece was originally written as a ballet, first performed in 1923 by the Ballets Russe.

The concert features the campus acapella group Slavei, as well as teachers and students from the music department and will be a unique opportunity to see a remarkable work performed right here on campus. I congratulate the choir for taking on such a colossal piece!

Candlelight Concert
Saturday, December 4, 8:30pm, 
Crowell Concert Hall, 
Free Admission.