Before 30 lucky members of Durango Choral Society head to Europe this summer for yet another tour of a lifetime, they’ll warm up on the locals.
“I wanted to give the entire Choral Society and our audience a chance to experience these works,” said DCS artistic director Linda Mack Berven.
Mack Berven will return to the Varna International Choral Orchestral Festival, where she conducted a performance of Mozart’s “Requiem” in 2010 in Prague. This time, she and the chosen few will head to four different countries where they will give several performances of the Fauré Requiem and Duruflé Requiem. The theme of the concerts is Soli Deo Gloria, Latin for “to the glory of God alone.”
The group will sing in Vienna and Salsberg, Austria, as well as at the Zagreb Cathedral in Croatia. Mack Berven said the latter has special meaning for her as her grandparents emigrated to the U.S. from Croatia.
“I grew up with Croatian spoken in my home and many relatives who spoke fondly of their native land,” Mack Berven said. “I will conduct the Croatian Chamber Orchestra, along with the Croatian choir Odak Cappella, in a concert that will feature the Choral Society singing in Croatian and English, along with the Fauré Requiem.”
The Choral Society borrowed “Soli Deo Gloria” from J.S. Bach, who inscribed the phrase in his manuscripts.
“I know that our audience will be moved and inspired by this passionate, yet serene set of pieces,” Mack Berven said.
ted@durangoherald.com
If you go
The Durango Choral Society will present “Soli Deo Gloria” at 7 p.m. today and 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Columba Catholic Church, 1830 East Second Ave. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $6 for children and students, available online at DurangoChoralSociety.org, by phone at (800) 838-3006, and at the door.
