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The Winnipeg Baroque Festival has been serving up a feast of musical treasures since March 30, and this Palm Sunday, audiences can expect one of its most profound offerings yet. At 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and the Winnipeg Singers will come together at St. Boniface Cathedral for a performance that ties into both the reflective spirit of Lent and the grandeur of the Baroque tradition.
The centrepiece of the program is The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross by Joseph Haydn, presented in its choral-orchestral incarnation. The concert also includes J.S. Bach’s Christ lag in Todesbanden BWV 4 and the motet The Righteous Perishes, once attributed to Bach but now credited to Johann Kuhnau—or possibly someone else entirely.
“We get the good force of singers”
For Maestro Yuri Klaz, who conducts both choirs, the collaboration is a natural fit.
“Well, you know, as I'm a conductor of both choirs, it's quite natural that sometimes we get together and sing together,” he said. “It's not the first time. Over the more—over 25 years, we've done several collaborations.”
He recalled his debut concert with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 2005, where both choirs joined forces to perform Bach’s Cantata No. 4. They’ve since tackled works like Rachmaninoff’s Vespers together. Klaz emphasized the musical benefit: “We get the good force of singers to offset the full force of orchestra.”
“There's no nightmare”
Despite the logistical challenge of coordinating two choirs, Glynis Corkal, past president of the Philharmonic’s board and a chorister herself, said the process went smoothly.
“I wouldn't say it's a nightmare. It certainly can be a challenge,” she said, citing differing rehearsal schedules. “However, we have administrative and board support on both ends and we communicate very well… Winnipeg is a choral community. It's a small community. We all cross paths.”
A structure of silence and sound
Haydn’s Seven Last Words is a unique work built around Christ’s final utterances on the cross. The choral-orchestral version contains ten movements, including instrumental interludes and spoken “words” sung a cappella.
“Haydn ends up the whole oratorio with the earthquake—El Terremoto,” said Klaz. “The actual seven words are structured in between those interludes.”
He prefers to have the quartet of soloists sing the a cappella sections: “It’s like very archaic old sound… motionless. It really a picture of a dying body.”
“We serve more as narrators”
Contralto Donnalynn Grills, who sings in the quartet, noted that the solo roles don’t follow the operatic style audiences might expect.
“I wouldn’t—it's not like some of the solo performances that I have done where you have a specific character role,” she explained. “We serve… more as narrators.”
She described the music as intimate and emotionally resonant: “We actually do sing the a cappella seven sentences, which is quite moving actually… and then there is an elaboration in each chorus.”
A powerful partnership with the WSO
The concert also includes a full orchestra, thanks to a long-standing partnership between the Philharmonic and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
“We started in 2012… and we do one concert with them once a year,” said Klaz. “Because of the calendar, we decided that for the Palm Sunday this work will be quite appropriate.”
Bach, but make it mysterious
Also on the program is Bach’s Christ lag in Todesbanden, which will be performed without soloists this time around.
“We’ve decided that we would go just with the chorus doing everything,” said Klaz. “It’s a smaller ensemble… if it’s a choir of 20, they just do it by baseline doing base part, the soprano and alto doing soprano and alto, etc. That’s how it’s built.”
As for the motet The Righteous Perishes, its authorship remains uncertain. Though often attributed to Kuhnau, some scholars aren’t so sure.
“It’s absolutely beautiful, serene,” said Klaz. “At the end of the day, we can actually see another interesting thing about this motet… some researchers saying that it's not really Kuhnau who wrote it. So it's a mystery.”
Looking forward to the earthquake
When asked what they’re most excited for, each guest had a favourite moment in mind. For Virtual, it’s Haydn’s dramatic finale.
“I'll be quite honest with you. The earthquake at the end is probably my favourite movement,” she said. “Then you can just calmly and very reflectively walk into Holy Week.”
Grills shared her joy at singing a full oratorio with an expanded ensemble: “It’s always fun to be able to do something that we may not normally be able to do as a smaller 24-voice choir.”
And for Klaz?
“This is my joy all the time—to conduct the large choir and the Symphony Orchestra,” he said. “I have in my hands, if I may, the 70-voice choir brilliantly singing and beautiful orchestra brilliantly playing… What could be better?”
Don’t miss this stirring musical journey through sorrow, reflection and hope. The Seven Last Words of Christ concert, presented by the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and the Winnipeg Singers. With powerful choral forces, a full symphony orchestra and a program steeped in the spirit of Holy Week, this is a Palm Sunday performance sure to leave a lasting impression
Concert Details
What: The Seven Last Words of Christ with Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and Winnipeg Singers
When: Sunday, April 13 at 3:00 p.m.
Where: St. Boniface Cathedral
Tickets & info: winnipegsingers.com, thephil.ca, or classic107.com
