“The choir is a great school of relationships, of generosity and humility”: words of Gabriele Maradirector of “Laus Deo” Polyphonic Choir of Busto Arsizio who celebrates his birthday this year 50 years of activity. And which, for the occasion, invites all citizens to attend a great event concert celebratory Saturday 22 Juneat 9pm, in the Basilica of San Giovanni Battista.
Laus Deo, a story of love for sacred polyphony
Since its establishment in 1974, the “Laus Deo” Choir has wanted to bring together the heritage of sacred polyphonya heritage of inestimable value born from the Church and to which it returns revitalized by the faith experience of its children, addressing with particular interest the Renaissance, Baroque and nineteenth-century polyphony. Strengthened by appreciated technique and interpretative ability, also refined thanks to specialization courses with masters of the caliber of Silvia Bianchera Bettinelli, Franco Monego and E. Volk, the choir performed large and complex traditional pieces such as “Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore” and the “Coronation Mass” by WA Mozart, the “Carmina Burana” by C. Orff, the “Christus” op. 97 by F. Mendelssohn, Cantata N° 10 by JS Bach.
One of the most memorable events in the history of the choir was the performance of “Membra Jesu Nostri” by Buxtehude at the Trappist monastery of Our Lady of Valserena, on the occasion of the ninth centenary of the foundation of the Cistercian Order, in front of the bishops of Pisa and Volterra and numerous abbots of Cistercian monasteries. Also important are the collaborations with important organists such as Maestro G. Parodi, S. Paolini and the Maestro Isaiah Ravelli, current titular organist and composer of the Sanctuary of Lourdes, as well as performances in prestigious musical festivals including “Primavera in S Marco” and “Avvento in S. Ambrogio” in Milan, “Sacred Music at the Abbey of Chiaravalle” and “Voci from the lake” in Porto Ceresio. The Laus Deo Choir also has recorded a CD entirely dedicated to the works of F. Mendelssohn, the “Coronation Mass” by WA Mozart and the “Membra Jesu Nostri” by D. Buxtehude.
The choir, a relational experience
Why do we sing in choir? “It is surprising to think that hundreds of people – it is a ‘disease’ widespread almost everywhere – dedicate themselves to choral music in polyphonic, parish, opera, popular, Gospel choirs, etc. The sing in choir it is a reality deeply rooted in social and ecclesial culture, full of strong feelings, unpredictable outcomes, ambitious projects, exhilarating moments as well as profound crises that sometimes even compromise friendships between people” comments the director Gabriele Mara. Born in Busto Arsizio in 1953, graduated in Medicine and Surgery, Mara simultaneously cultivated a deep passion for music. After studying piano and organ, he specialized in Gregorian chant, obtaining the Magisterium of Gregorian Chant. Since 1990 he has taught vocalism and Gregorian chant at the Trappist Monastery of Nostra Signora di Valserena (Pisa), and for years he has collaborated in the revision and composition of the monastic repertoire.
“It is curious to think how often the same institutions dismiss singing in choirs as a “pastime” which, upon closer inspection, turns out to be the icon, the synthesis and the most evident manifestation ofrelational needs of the person. Singing in a choir is a journey that brings people together and places them in close relationships. A choir is not a collection of voices, but of people, therefore with different sensitivities and stories: strengths and limitations, a spirit of sacrifice and vainglory, a spirit of service or pure personal satisfaction, humility and narcissism, sharing and envy come together. The first ideal of a choir is not artistic, but human, of relationships.
And what, from this perspective, is the role of those who manage? Mara explains that “the director, who must be a sort of guardian of the group, cannot avoid becoming a ‘fisherman’ in a certain sense: do you like singing? The singer who ‘takes the bait’ doesn’t know what awaits him… From a necessarily somewhat vague, sincere but full of question marks, a path is born based on human relationships that slowly leads to the sharing of a work.
This aspect of sharing is what really makes the choir and each singer mature. You get used to ‘sharing an innate protagonism’, to being together in the right way, actively participating but without overdoing it, without exaggerating. The choir is a great school of relationship, of generosity and humility. The choir is the mirror of our good human, cultural, artistic and religious talents, but it is also the merciless photograph of our relational limits.
Whoever engages in a serious experience of this kind he does not do it to escape from problems but to give meaning, a meaning that transcends everyday life and that does not deny it, but, in a certain way, transfigures it by assuming it in full. It’s like being invited to a party, with one joy that only those who sing can fully enjoy. What a joy for a choir director to hear his singers say: ‘I’m only sorry that I can’t explain, as I would like, to those who listen to us, the emotion it feels to sing these things. They don’t know what they’re missing.”
Appointment on June 22nd
The concert of June 22ndby title “On the strings of the soul”represents a very important moment for the Laus Deo Choir, an opportunity to celebrate together with the public the path traveled in these 50 years. Accompanied byLaus Deo orchestra, the voices will sing songs by GP Palestrina, M. Monteverdi, D. Buxtehude, J. Kuhnau. Among the singers are the soprano Diane Rama, the mezzo-soprano Chiara Guglielmi, the tenor Beniamino Paolo Borciani and the bass Filippo Maria Tuccimei. The appointment is in the Basilica of San Giovanni at 9.00 pm.
