JOIN USThe India National Youth Orchestra and Vienna University Choir, in collaboration with Madrigals, Etc, put up an impressive show in the City recently. The programme was held at St Andrew’s Church.
The evening began with the Madrigals, Etc performing Mozart’s ‘O Magnum Mysterium’.
Neecia Majolly, who led the choir, was more than delighted to be a part of the collaboration. She observes that it was nothing short of a privilege to sing with one of the world’s best choirs.
Neecia says, “We were all very excited and made sure that we prepared the music well in advance so that we would not waste time.” She adds, “The conductor himself was most impressed with the initial video we sent him, which is why he said yes to us collaborating.”
Madrigals, Etc also performed the, ‘The Messiah Choruses’ and ‘Ave Verum’ among other
popular western classical compositions. Dressed in their black and red uniform, the members of the Vienna University Choir, led by Vijay Upadhyaya, began the evening with composer Sergei Rachaminov’s ‘Bogoroditse Devo’ followed by ‘Abendlied’ and ‘Ave Maria’. The professionalism and discipline of the group was evident.
“Normally, a choir has four parts. But here, they have been divided into an eight-part harmony. This gives a rich blend and a bolder rendition,” explains Vijay, an Indian who moved from Lucknow to Austria in the late 1980s to pursue his love for music at the Vienna University. “It’s been a great journey thus far. Back home, we are 650 in number. I have eight assistants and together we train and prepare the choir for every performance,” adds Vijay.
He clarifies, “A lot of people misunderstand us to be a church choir. We are a university choir and strive to sing in as many languages as possible. During our Indian concert tour, the choir has sung in Tamil, Malayalam and Konkani. The pronunciation is a bit of a problem but the choir members spend hours perfecting it.”
Vijay handpicked all the songs that the choir performed during its Indian tour. The other songs that they sang were ‘Blue Danube Waltz’, ‘Vienna, City of my Dreams’ and ‘Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho’, to mention a few. The evening concluded with both the choirs singing the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus and a couple of other popular classical compositions such as Handel’s ‘Surely He Hath Borne Our Grief’ and ‘The Messiah’.
Those who came for the concert were keen followers of western classical music. Andrew Thomas, a music lover, says, “One could realise the strength of their voices by hearing them sing the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus. They sounded like one voice.” Susan Jacob, a student of music, feels, “The City has witnessed so many performers from across the country. This choir rendered some of the choicest of western classical compositions.”