Our Macau Concert Tour, 2011

VISIT BY ST JOHN’S CATHEDRAL CHOIR TO MACAU – SEPTEMBER 2011

BACKGROUND

The idea for the trip came from our Choir Master, Raymond Fu. He had previously led a small group from within the SJC Choir to Macau and sang at the Morrison Chapel and also at St Mark’s. But that was about 20 years ago and since that time, he had wanted to take the choir again. The choir is now of a high standard where it can sing a large repertoire of cathedral music and is also, in the view of many musical outsiders, the best traditional liturgical cathedral/church choir in the Far East. This suggested to us that we should take our music to others, and not just restrict it to St John's. So as a start to other possible Choir visits what better first location than Macau, where the Sheng Kung Hui churches are actively growing and where there is a rich historical background to early church music. Since 1997 there have been closer links with Macau, and indeed, every week there are joint clergy meetings so the opportunity was ripe to develop a closer choral tie.

The other reason for the trip, as Father Hugh (our Choir Chaplain) explained, was to meet the request of our sister churches in Macau who were keen for our Choir Master and choir to give a choral workshop for their own choristers. Specifically, they were keen for us to help them master the Provincially adopted setting of the Eucharist by Margaret Rizza.

PLANNING

Both logistically and musically, there was a lot of preparatory work to be done. Having decided that the weekend would include

• A Musical Offering at The Catholic Cathedral
• A Choral Workshop at St Mark’s
• Sung Eucharist at The Morrison’s Chapel and finally
• Joint Sung Eucharist at St Mark’s with the local choristers

there was great support from the SJC Choir. 26 singers and 14 additional family members ‘signed up’ and then the challenge was to construct the choral programme.

The ‘Musical Offering’ used Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli as the backbone of the concert. Raymond also chose to appeal to more European and classical tastes and one of Peter Yue’s organ voluntaries was by Domenico Zipoli, an Italian composer, who was a Jesuit missionary.

Whilst the musical content was being finalized, there was also a huge amount of logistical work going on the background, to ensure that all the arrangements for the group ran like clockwork. Arranging ferry tickets, accommodation, coach travel between venues, time for rehearsals, meal breaks, potential relaxation time (watching the Macau Fireworks Display or even meandering through some of the Casino Halls!) was no mean feat. We have members of the SJC Choir Committee (particularly Herbert Au Yeung and Wendy Nesbitt) to thank for that.

THE MUSICAL OFFERING AT THE CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL

Having welcomed everyone to the Cathedral, Father Hugh said a few words (with subsequent translation into Cantonese by Margaret Sang) explaining how appropriate it was that we were singing at such a special holy place. On the same site, over 400 years ago, the first Catholic church was built within the Chinese land mass, which is now the People’s Republic of China. He continued that, “As Anglicans, we have so much in common in our Christian faith with our brother and sister Catholics. This is especially so in our heritage of sacred music, which transcends denominations and continues to inspire people. In singing parts of the Palestrina Mass, we remember that he was a famous Catholic composer of his day and wrote the Missa Papae Marcelli about the same time as the founding of the first Cathedral here in 1576. It is almost certain that the Catholic missionaries of that time would have sung Palestrina’s music in Macau, Beijing and other Chinese Catholic outposts”. This could have included the famous Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci, who died in China 400 years ago.

The sounds resonating around the Cathedral were amazing - ”I loved the extraordinary moment when we were all stunned by the glorious acoustic in the Catholic Cathedral” exclaimed one Soprano. It particularly suited most of the music we were singing, though the 3-second echo around the building did present a bit of a challenge for the very fast-moving ‘Every Time I Feel The Spirit’ [Bob Chilcott]!



 



WORSHIP AT THE MORRISON’S CHAPEL

It was very special for a small group within the Choir to join Sung Eucharist at The Morrison’s Chapel, particularly momentous as it was the first time we had sung at a service in Macau. The Chapel is a special holy and historic place, as there has been a church on the site since the early 1800s and, thus, a very early beacon of protestant faith in this vast country. Not only that, but it is believed to have been the first Anglican church in the world to have a woman priest – Florence Li Tim Oi, in 1944.

Father Hugh gave a poignant sermon and reflected on Robert Morrison himself. “He was a man who said yes to God, coming to Macau to live, but suffered in very difficult conditions with family tragedies. He only managed one trip home in 27 years, faced many hostile situations and illnesses. Yet he pursued his goal for God and before he died at the age of 54 had completed translating the Bible into Chinese”. Father Hugh went on to say how much he loved Morrison’s modesty and his trust in God, illustrated in that well know exchange when someone asked Morrison, “Will you have any spiritual impact on the Chinese?” His reply, “No sir, but I expect God will.”

The Chapel was packed to the rafters and we sung with a most appreciative congregation. But with a very tight schedule to keep to, we couldn’t linger after the service, so there was a quick sprint through the old cobbled back streets of Macau, with Choir robes flowing, to reach St Marks in time for our final musical collaboration.

THE WORKSHOP AND SUNG EUCHARIST WITH RIZZA AT ST MARKS

The previous evening, at Reverend Odette Pun’s invitation, we had joined together with a dozen or so choristers from the Macau Diocese and under our Choir Master’s expert tuition, practiced singing the Rizza setting for the Eucharist. Whilst for some this may have been quite challenging, it was certainly demanding for others in the SJC Choir, as we were singing in Cantonese! It was a thoroughly enjoyable session and a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to the local choir, who were particularly enthusiastic and welcoming.

So at the Sung Eucharist, the choir mingled and sat together in parts, putting into practice what we had rehearsed together the previous day. It was a very uplifting and inspiring occasion, with the added benefit of a very full congregation. Feedback from the choir included one member who said “I treasured the morning Eucharist at St Marks when we mixed ourselves among their Choir to sing the Margaret Rizza setting. It brought a unique and special integration, even warmth, to be able to share this with them!”

AT THE END OF THE DAY…..

After the Sung Eucharist, and to round off our weekend, we were all happy to spend an hour or two relaxing over lunch at a Chinese restaurant with our families and new-found friends of the Macau clergy, before travelling back to Hong Kong.



All of the Choir who attended were thrilled to be part of the Tour. As Ruth Phillipson said to m“What a joy it was to sing music written when Macau was in its early Portuguese days. And what a contrast to seeing people at 7.15am in The Venetian still at the gaming tables, as we snatched a quick breakfast at Starbucks before setting off for The Morrison Chapel. The other benefit of the weekend was an extended time of us being all together and sharing a weekend that we will all remember with great affection!”

Of the many comments about the weekend, it was of particular note that our Choir Master was extremely pleased with our performances, making the visit very worthwhile. “There was great support from a large number of the choir, the quality of the singing was very high and it was not an easy schedule for us. The Dean, as always, was extremely supportive of the programme, as were the local clergy. My thanks go to everyone who helped contribute to such a successful tour”.

The Morrison Chapel

SO WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE CHOIR?

Well, St John’s Cathedral has a very close relationship with The Holy Trinity Church in Shanghai and there are currently some discussions about the Choir possibly visiting there in 2012, so that would certainly be a very exciting opportunity.

In the meantime, we are getting used to singing in the traditional collegiate layout of cantoris and decani style on the north and south sides of the chancel (as written about in the last edition of St John’s Review). We have been taking (informal) recordings of ourselves to learn how we can enhance our sound, as we are keen to undertake some more professional recordings over the next year or so.

The Choir Master is always keen to attract new talent into the Choir so if any reader would be interested in finding out more about how to join, please do email him on ykf@spc.edu.hk

Now that we are in Advent, and Christmas is just around the corner, we are all looking forward to the many delightful offerings of seasonal music that we will be presenting. Of course there will be the favourite Christmas carols (and plenty of Rutter and Willcocks arrangements!), but do also listen out for more Palestrina, Handel and Britten amongst other composers. And the wonder of the Midnight Mass (to be broadcast on RTHK) will surely be enhanced by not only the full Choir, but a full Orchestra and 4 local soloists – one of the musical highlights of the year.

DVM

4 December 2011