Thai Art Exhibition

A Baroque Christmas Concert in Bangkok

Mahidol University Baroque Choir and Soloists
Mahidol University Baroque Orchestra
Henri Pompidor, Conductor

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
&
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
at 8.00pm
Chulalongkorn University Auditorium
(CU Cultural Building)
Bangkok


The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Embassy of France proudly present A baroque Christmas concert with Marc Antoine Charpentier and Johann Sebastian Bach on Tuesday, December 21st & Wednesday 22nd, 2010 at the Chulalongkorn Auditorium (CU Cultural Building) in Bangkok at 8.00pm.

Under the baton of Henri Pompidor, the choral director at Mahidol University, the concert will feature the Mahidol University Baroque Choir and Orchestra performing three famous choral baroque pieces, including Charpentiers Te Deum and two Bach Cantatas for the Advent and Christmas period.

The concert will first take us to the Grand Sicle of Louis XIV in Versailles. With Marc Antoine Charpentier and his well-known Te Deum (H146), we have the unique opportunity to taste the great music of the Chapelle royale de Versailles at the end of the 17th century in France. This piece for choir, soloists and instrumental ensemble (with very famous fanfare in the opening)
traces a sacred link uniting the King and all his people. It represents one of the best spotlights on the French baroque musical language, whose archaic and modern style of writing and vocal and instrumental colors are always written with brightness and elegance.

The second part of the concert takes us to Christmas under Bach's musical rule, yet the glorious feeling is quite similar. The two Bach Cantatas introduces Christmas time with two feasting pieces which give joy and happiness to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140) is set as a call to ask the Christian to be ready ("Hey, wake up, the voice
calls to us One of the characteristics of this cantata is the personification of characters sung by solo singers interacting together in a musical dialogue follows a long tradition in European music history.

The second cantata Christen, รคtzet diesen Tag (BWV 63), is also exceptional because of its own different structure with a complete lack of chorale, the traditional Lutheran hymn. Built in symmetrical and pyramidal structure, this cantata shows a wonderful vocal music with soloist, chorus and orchestra. In this piece, Christmas does not represent only the birth of the Jesus Christ, but a period of transition for everyone, a hope for the people who suffer in the
world they can find comfort and support.

Tickets are available for 300 THB and 150 THB (for students). Due to the expected high demand, advance booking is highly recommended!

For more information about the concert and tickets reservation, please Email
gisela.lerdmaleewong@diplo.de