THE GREATER FREEPORT COMMUNITY CHORUS, led by Virgil Bozeman, will present “Un Natale Barocco (A Baroque Christmas)” in performances Dec. 9 and 10 in Yarmouth and Brunswick.
The concert will feature the 60-voice chorus, accompanied by a 10-piece chamber orchestra, singing Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and Francesco Durante’s “Magnificat in B-flat Major.” Performances are set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at Sacred Heart Church, 326 Main St., Yarmouth, and Sunday, Dec. 10, at 2:30 p.m. at First Parish Church, 9 Cleaveland St., Brunswick. The group is directed by Virgil Bozeman and accompanied by pianist Kellie Moody.
The setting of “Gloria” that the chorus and orchestra will be performing is Vivaldi’s most popular choral work. The Italian composer, who was also an ordained priest, wrote many of his sacred vocal works while he was employed at an orphanage for girls, and so the pieces lack tenor and bass solos. Accordingly, “Gloria” has three soprano and two alto solo parts. Each of the composition’s 12 movements is based on just one or two lines of text.
Durante, who wrote the concert’s other featured work, the six-movement “Magnificat,” was a native of Naples. Interestingly, the “Magnificat,” like a number of other sacred and instrumental works of the period, was for years mis-attributed to one of Durante’s students, Giovanni Pergolesi.
The performance will also include other works from the Baroque and pre- Classical periods, as well as Italian Christmas carols.
Residents of 15 Midcoast towns make up the Greater Freeport Community Chorus, and the orchestra of strings, trumpet and oboe accompanying these concerts will also consist of local musicians.
Concert admission is $10 for adults, with free admission to anyone younger than 18. Tickets may be purchased at the door. Visit the chorus on Facebook or at www.gfccsings.org.
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