The Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Music Director Grant Gershon and fresh from its triumphant European tour with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, spotlights the English choral tradition and the distinctive harmonies of France with four works by British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and French composer Francis Poulenc, both of whom wrote for voices with unparalleled grace and beauty, on Sunday, April 14, 2013, 7 pm, at Disney Hall.  The chorus performs Vaughan Williams’ richly harmonic Mass in G minor, inspired by the Tudor music of William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, and Five Mystical Songs, described by Gershon as “drop dead gorgeous.”  They are bookended by Poulenc’s exquisite Salve Regina and his towering masterwork Figure humaine, which, written during the Nazi occupation and last performed by the Chorale in 2005, ends with the word “Liberté” sung quadruple forte in three octaves to profound effect.  The concert features 60 singers, soloists from the Chorale and organ.

 

The soloists include soprano Hayden Eberhart, mezzo soprano Michele Hemmings, tenor Michael Lichtenauer, bass Scott Lehmkuhl and baritone Abdiel Gonzalez.