Spirit of Sunrise: Cascade Quartet performs with Great Falls Symphonic Choir

The Great Falls Symphonic Choir and Cascade Quartet are proud to present, "Spirit of Sunrise," Sunday, January 29th, 3:00 pm at the First United Methodist Church, 610 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls.

Come experience the hauntingly beautiful composition, “Sunrise: Symphonic Mass for Choir and String Orchestra” by Norwegian composer, Ola Gjeilo. Traveling from beginning to end, we experience the journey from the starry Heaven to Earth, from darkness to solid, warm life. Gjeilo’s Mass creates a stunning journey in which “The self, having experienced each movement in the work, now has the perspective and understanding to peacefully contain everything it has gone through.”

Working in collaboration with the Cascade Quartet and select string musicians from the Great Falls Symphony, the Great Falls Symphonic Choir takes us through this journey in four movements:

The Spheres—Kyrie

Gjeilo often creates a visual component to the music he writes. The Spheres envokes an atmosphere that sounds like ‘floating in space, in deep silence, between stars and planets.’

Sunrise—Gloria

Gloria begins quietly, slowly growing into a spectacular and joyful section. We can sense the rising of the sun in all its glory as the music blossoms.

The City—Credo

The City is constructed with relentless drive. This movement is akin to the bustle and activity one would experience in a large city.

Identitiy & The Ground—Sanctus & Agnus Dei

The Mass begins in the stars during the Kyrie. In the Sanctus, it circles back to the same material to symbolize the individual, incorporating a delicate, warm-colored violin solo above the choral line. The Ground is the place of absolute pace, tranquility and relief. Gjeilo writes, “The music of the Sunrise Mass goes from dark and dreamlike, to more emotional and dramatic, and eventually warm and grounded.”

The concert will also include works by Haydn, Debussy, and Jennifer Higdon performed by the Cascade Quartet.

To purchase tickets, you can call the Great Falls Symphony office at 406-453-4102, buy online here or you can purchase tickets at the door.