ADVENT DIALOGUES

Vita Kalnciema (organ)
Mārtiņš Circenis (clarinet)
Riga Cathedral Girls’ Choir TIARA
Aira Birziņa (conductor)

Programme: D. Buxtehude, S. Barber, A. Pärt, A. Copland, R. Dubra (premiere)

ADVENT DIALOGUES with the world premiere of Rihards Dubra a cappella cycle for girls’ choir “The Seven “O” Antiphons.”

During the last seven days before the birth of Christ the canonical hours of the Roman rite – now known as the Liturgy of the Hours – offer a particularly rich collection of hymns, the most well-known of which are the O Antiphons. Mentioned in as early as the 5th century scripts, the metaphorical antiphons complement the evangelical hymn The Magnificat which is sung during the Vespers of the last seven days of Advent. The promised Saviour is addressed in various epithets from the Holy Scripts of the Old Testament – O Sapientia (O wisdom), O Adonai (O Our Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Dawn of the East), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations), O Emmanuel (O Emmanuel). Each antiphon includes the plea “Come!”. These Rihards Dubra’s  antiphons will be complemented by distinct quasi improvisational performances for solo clarinet, thus building a sound-coloured dialogue between the instrument’s timbre and girls’ voices.