Musicians of the brand new oratorio, Lig van Waarheid, composed by South African composer, Franco Prinsloo talk about their experience bringing this brand new Christmas Oratorio to life.

In hierdie aflewering van Chatter Vox gesels die komponis, Franco Prinsloo met die orrelis, Isabelle van Rensburg oor haar ervaring om die splinternuwe kersfeesoratorium, Lig van Waarheid uit te voer. 

Vox Chamber Choir is going on tour to the beautiful Western Cape from 25 June 2022 to 03 July 2022!

In this episode, members of the choir describe their favourite works from our tour repertoire, and share their personal stories about being part of Vox Chamber Choir.

Visual artist, actor and word artist Stephanie Gericke (Nana Maria) in conversation with Chatter Vox about her recent collaboration with Vox Chamber Choir. Stephanie created the new album art for Franco Prinsloo and Vox Chamber Choir's release, Bly By My. A setting of the famous poem by South African poet, Antjie Krog. 

Guest: Artist, Stephanie Gericke
Visual art: Stephanie Gericke
Featured poem: Bly By My by Antjie Krog
Music composed by Franco Prinsloo
Performed by Vox Chamber Choir

Cantata “Modimo” - Composed by Franco Prinsloo (Text scored from Biblical texts)

In this cantata for mixed voices, composer Franco Prinsloo created a libretto from sections taken from the bible, addressing the preservation of our natural world through unity and love. This is a directive that humanity often outright rejects.

The cantata starts with the creation of the world, depicted in Genesis 1, the text taken from the seTswana bible. This is accompanied by piano only, in a strictly rhythmical style.

The second movement starts with the creation of humanity, narrated in isiZulu. This is followed by a musical setting of the same text in Latin:

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

A cello solo accompanies the flowing piano patterns, as if propelling life into existence. The audience is confronted with the first task, given by God to humanity. According to Genesis, God places humanity in the garden to safeguard and protect it. Rather than obeying this order, man defied it by the abuse of nature. This section is sung in Afrikaans.

The second movement flows directly into the third movement, “Egypt in desolation”, with a lonely cello solo developing into a pulsating minor ostinato pattern. The choir sings in Latin and underlines the destruction and innocent blood shed on the land of God. The tension of this movement is resolved in the finale as the music calms into a major movement of chords with a hopeful and uplifting plea for union and love. This is sung in both English and seTswana. The work ultimately ends in a triumphant “coming together of musical themes” signifying the plea for unity.

I. Modimo o thlola lobopo le motho | In the beginning God created the heaven and earth (Sung in SeTswana)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

II. Die Tuin | The Garden (Sung in isiZulu, Afrikaans and Latin)

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination.

Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.’

III. Aegiptus in Desolatione | Egypt, in desolation (Sung in Latin and SeTswana)

Egypt will become a waste, And Edom will become a desolate wilderness, Because of the violence done to the sons of Judah, In whose land they have shed innocent blood.

IV. Finale (Sung in English and seTswana)

Now I beseech you, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak with one voice,

so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction and love one another, for love is from God. and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

Guest: Magdalena de Vries, Marimba specialist and performer
Music composed by Franco Prinsloo
Performed by Vox Chamber Choir

Terrella: I. Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? -A choral chant composed by Franco Prinsloo on geomagnetic music composed by Amanda Cole and conceived by Michaela Gleave. (Artists from Australia)

Terrella is a self-generating music app that ‘plays’ the Earth’s magnetic field. Using live data from geomagnetic monitoring stations across the planet, the project tunes in to the frequencies of the Earth, ‘listening’ to fluctuations in the magnetic field and turning it into music.

This project is a collaboration between artist Michaela Gleave, composer Amanda Cole, and programmer Warren Armstrong. Graphic design by Olivia King. It was initially released as part of the Freestate Arts Festival, in three languages, English, Afrikaans and SeSotho.

Evocative of the scale and majesty of the natural world, Terrella looks to the core of the Earth and out to the very edge of space. Audible as a shifting mesh of sound, Terrella responds to fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field, generating an electrically charged soundscape reminiscent of this immense natural phenomenon. Increasing and decreasing in strength according to real-time changes in the Earth’s magnetic field,

Terrella operates by applying variations in three-dimensional vector data to scalable musical parameters. Referencing the flow of electrons and force of the solar wind, the sounds generated are sculpted by magnetic activity and intensity, ebbing and flowing across time and space.

South African composer Franco Prinsloo collaborated with artist Michaela Gleave and composer Amanda Cole by juxtaposing a newly composed choral chant with the live generated sound-world of Terrella. The composer uses the title of a famous painting by French artist Paul Gauguin Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (French: D'où venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Où allons-nous?) to create a meditative, slow chant of clusters, inviting the audience to contemplate the philosophical nature of the text within the soundscape of Terrella. The sound presented in this performance is generated in real time by the Terrella Application based on data observed at the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory located near Pretoria, South Africa.

Composer: Amanda Cole
Composer: Franco Prinsloo
Visual Artist: Michaela Gleave
Programmer: Warren Armstrong

Voice over artists: Chris Vale
Performed by Vox Chamber Choir.

Walvisnota - Composed by Franco Prinsloo (Poetry: René Bohnen)

This piece was the prescribed work for the 2017 ATKV Applous competition for Advanced Mixed High School Choirs. The work opens with the choir imitating the song of a whale. Creating shimmering textures using only basic vowels. The notes glide and slide from one to the other creating this haunting whale song effect. The main theme is slowed down and its voicing divided within the groups creating an oceanic soundscape by slowly manipulating and changing between vowels. This striking whale effect is followed by a setting of Rene Bohnen’s poem where the listener experiences an encounter with language and the vividness of words by comparing the endless possibilities of language to the mystic song of a whale.

walvisnota

‘n woordeboek is soos ’n walvislied
daar skuil korale in die klank van troglodiet
dis mistiek soos wilde oesters wat juwele bied
geheim soos grotte op die meerminweë
’n woordeboek is soos ’n walvislied
blou stemme vloei uit ’n waterstalagtiet
luister hoe fluister rotse by die see
daar skuil korale in die klank van troglodiet
in die geborgenheid wat sirkels bied
waar wit slangsterre sandbodems vee
is ’n woordeboek soos ’n walvislied
daar skuil korale in die klank van troglodiet
deel wolke en die wintermaan jou mee
’n woordeboek is soos ’n walvislied
 

Whale note (Translated by the poet) 

a dictionary is like a whale song
c(h)orals hide within the sounds of troglodyte
mystical like wild oysters offering fine jewels
secret like caves on the routes of mermaids
a dictionary is like a whale song
blue voices flow from a water stalactite
listen how rocks whisper by the sea
c(h)orals hide within the sounds of troglodyte
in the sanctuary that circles give
where a serpent starfish sweeps sandbeds
a dictionary is like a whale song
c(h)orals hide within the sounds of troglodyte
the clouds and wintermoon confide in you
a dictionary is like a whale song.

Guest: Poet René Bohnen
Featured poem: Walvisnota (Whale note) by René Bohnenn
Music composed by Franco Prinsloo
Performed by Vox Chamber Choir

RED LIST: AB-AF - Composed by Franco Prinsloo (Text: South African Red List of Critically Endangered Flora)

“RED LIST: “AB-AF" is an Alphabetical list of the first fifty critically endangered South African plant species for mixed choir and percussion composed by Franco Prinsloo. The work was commissioned by marimba and percussion specialist, Magdalena de Vries.

The fifty scientific names of critically endangered local plant species are listed vocally by the choir. In this work, each plant is enumerated in the form of a lamentation, creating a dreamlike dance or lullaby. The sound of cracking of dead leaves are incorporated in the composition, and wooden percussion instruments underscore the fragility of life. The repetitive nature of the work hopes to compel the listener to enter an introspective meditation, honouring each plant name. The meditative qualities develop towards the conclusion of the work, where it ends as an urgent, rhythmic, primordial chant.

As a composer Prinsloo hopes that audiences and the performers can experience an emotional connection with the subject matter, urging change in our attitude towards our natural heritage. We hold the brittle fate of life in our hands. Let our ignorance and selfish behaviour not lead to the loss of our indigeneous natural treasures.

Album Art: Simone du Plessis
Voice over artist: Grant Towers
Music composed by Franco Prinsloo
Performed by Vox Chamber Choir