Poulenc Gloria with the Résonance Festival Choir

Prepare to be swept away as over 200 musicians — uniting a 170-voice masterwork choir with a consort of instrumentalists from the Omaha Symphony, Omaha Conservatory of Music artist-faculty, and rising young artists under the baton of A. Barron Breland — take the stage for a transcendent, one-night-only event. From the sensuous, shimmering atmosphere of Vaughan Williams’ Flos Campi, a wordless symphonic poem inspired by the Song of Solomon, to Francis Poulenc’s Gloria, a masterpiece blending cheeky, dance-like vitality with soaring operatic majesty, this performance bridges sacred praise and human connection in a monumental wall of sound celebrating a legacy of artistic collaboration.

 

ARTISTS

Karina Brazas, soprano

Thomas Kluge, viola

Résonance Festival Choir  

Résonance Consort Orchestra

with

River City Mixed Chorus

Midland University Choir

Barron Breland, conductor

PROGRAM 

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Flos Campi

FRANCIS POULENC: Gloria

Length of program approximately 90 minutes.

 

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Flos Campi (Latin for “Flower of the Field”) is a sensuous and enigmatic suite for solo viola, orchestra and wordless chorus. Drawing inspiration from the biblical Song of Solomon, each of its six movements is prefaced by a verse of erotic and spiritual longing. Unlike traditional choral works, the choir here acts as a lush orchestral texture, singing entirely without text to create a shimmering, “otherworldly” atmosphere. The piece is a hallmark of English Impressionism, balancing the raw, primal beauty of nature with a sophisticated, modal harmonic language.

Commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation and premiered in Boston in 1961, Poulenc’s Gloria is one of the most celebrated choral-orchestral works of the 20th century. Poulenc, known for his unique blend of “monk and guttersnipe,” combines deeply pious liturgical devotion with “cheeky,” dance-like rhythms and exuberant orchestration. The work moves seamlessly between soaring operatic soprano solos and jagged, Stravinsky-esque syncopations in the chorus. It stands as a brilliant testament to American patronage and the enduring transatlantic musical friendship between France and the United States. 

The performance is sponsored in part by Countryside Community Church, River City Mixed Chorus, the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

13130 Faith Plaza
Omaha NE, NEbraska 68144
United States