LOOKING UP: ARS CELEBRATES THE WONDER AND BEAUTY OF THE COSMOS

From the dawn of civilization, people have gazed skyward at the vast unknown and pondered our place in it. The universe — as an idea and a reality — conjures both boundless possibility as well as the limits of human knowledge. This spring, the Arizona Repertory Singers (ARS) consider this poetic paradox in Sun, Moon, and Stars, a globe-spanning program drawing from a wide array of lullabies, evening songs, sacred music, and contemporary classics.

Covering more than six centuries and including over a dozen choral pieces, Sun, Moon, and Stars explores and contemplates our relationship with the cosmos from early times through today. The oldest piece is Monteverdi’s “Ecco Mormorar L’onde,” a Renaissance madrigal that navigates various moods from serene to bright, as enjoyable today as when it was written in 1590.

More recent compositions will be more readily recognizable to audience members. “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton, arranged here in seven parts by Craig Hella Johnson and performed with recorder accompaniment, creates a layered tapestry of sound that honors the original while charting a new choral direction. “Fly Me to the Moon” — familiar to Tony Bennett fans and also covered by Miss Piggy — is sure to have listeners singing along and swaying in their seats; this modern standard was composed by Bart Howard and arranged by Robert Page.

Moving through musical history, two German pieces evoke a nineteenth-century world of retiring with the sun and appreciating the splendor of the night sky. Josef Rheinberger’s sacred motet, “Abendlied” (or “Evening Song”), borrows New Testament text to welcome the darkness as a time of peace and rest. On the other hand, “O Schöne Nacht! (Oh Lovely Night!)” by Johannes Brahms with text from poet Georg Friedrich Daumer and accompanied by piano, captures the romance of the night — the moon’s luminosity, the stippled stars, the nightingale’s song — when lovers meet under cover of darkness.

The program also features two selections from American composer, conductor, and ARS favorite Eric Whitacre. “The Seal Lullaby,” composed to a poem by Rudyard Kipling, is a rhythmic incantation, summoning slumber with its soothing sounds. The simply titled “Sleep,” with lyrics by American poet and lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri, recognizes the obstacles to seeking rest — namely, incessant thoughts — and somehow tucks them in and puts them to bed in a single song.

Also among the selections is Canadian composer Sarah Quartel’s “Sing, My Child,” a mixed-meter piece accompanied by djembe and originally composed for a choir of 700; it calls on us to embrace all children, every new generation, as a promise for a new day. A longer, more atmospheric work, “Nocturne” by Black American composer Adolphus Hailstork, immerses listeners in the wondrous sights and sounds of nature, each line an inquiry and invitation to share in “the beauty of a summer night.”

Combining the traditional and contemporary, light and dark, collective experience and personal impression, Sun, Moon, and Stars offers a multi-faceted choral journey through the universe. Says ARS music director Ryan Phillips, “This is a performance inspired not only by musical beauty, but by poetry as well. It promises to be an enriching and captivating afternoon for all.”

CONCERT SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 26
3:00 pm
Christ Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Saturday, May 3
3:00 pm
Christ Church United Methodist, 666 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson

Sunday, May 4
4:00 pm
St. Mark Catholic Church, 2727 W. Tangerine Road, Oro Valley

Tickets are available in advance at arsingers.org. Prices are $22 in advance and $25 at the door. Students are admitted free with ID.

Founded in 1984, the Arizona Repertory Singers is an ensemble of nearly 50 singers from greater Tucson. Over the decades, the choir has developed an extensive musical archive and prides itself on presenting high-quality performances of both standard repertoire and new music. Its singers, selected through a rigorous audition process, represent a variety of work life careers in business, education, engineering, information technology, law, medicine, social service, science, and the arts. For more details, see arsingers.org.