78TH SEASON OF

CONCERTS

national gallery of art | december 15, 2019
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PROGRAM

Calmus Vocal Ensemble

Anja Pöche, soprano 

Sebastian Krause, countertenor 

Tobias Pöche, tenor 

Ludwig Böhme, baritone 

Manuel Helmeke, bass

December 15, 2019 | 3:30 p.m.

West Building, West Garden Court

Ancient and Contemporary Motets and Songs 

Traditional, 11th century

Arr. Günther Raphael (1903 – 1960)

“Sis willekommen, Herre Kerst”

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina 

(1525 – 1594)

“Gloria” from Missa O Admirabile 

Commercium

Traditional, 19th century

Arr. Ludwig Böhme (b. 1979)

“Maria durch ein Dornwald ging”

Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839 – 1901)

Benedicta es tu from Motet, op. 163, no. 5

Traditional, 17th century

Arr. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)

“O Jesulein zart”

Traditional

Arr. Gunnar Eriksson (b. 1936)

“Kristallen den fina”

John Tavener (1944 – 2013)

“A Cradle Song”

“Today the Virgin”

Hugo Distler (1908 – 1942)

Singet frisch und wohlgemut, 

op. 12, no. 4 

Bob Chilcott (b. 1955)

“Nova! Nova!”

Intermission

Calmus Vocal Ensemble, photo by Marco Borggreve
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Christmas Carols from around the World

Jean de Brébeuf (1593 – 1649)

Arr. Calmus

“Huron Carol” (Canada)

Gustav Holst (1874 – 1934)

Lyrics, a poem by Christina Rossetti (1830 – 1894)

“In the Bleak Midwinter” (Great Britain)

Gustaf Nordqvist (1886 – 1949) 

Lyrics by Edvard Evers (1853 – 1919)

“Jul, jul, strålande jul” (Sweden)

Irving Berlin (1888 – 1989)

Arr. Sebastian Krause (b. 1979)

“White Christmas” (United States)

Mykola Leontowytsch (1877 – 1921)

Arr. Fredo Jung (b. 1949)

“Shchedryk” (Ukraine)

Traditional

Arr. Juan Garcia (b. 1976)

“De tierra lejana venimos” (Puerto Rico)

Ariel Ramirez (1921 – 2010) 

Arr. Gr. Meyer (b. 1979)

“La Peregrinacion” (Argentina)

James L. Pierpont (1822 – 1893)

Arr. Ludwig Böhme

“Jingle Bells” (United States)

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THE MUSICIANS

“Nothing short of remarkable . . . they, quite simply, bring whatever they sing to glorious 

life.” That is how the Deseret News described a concert by Calmus Vocal Ensemble, 

the first-prize winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition. Founded in 1999 in 

Germany, the a cappella quintet embodies the rich choral tradition of its hometown 

of Leipzig, the city so closely associated with Bach and Mendelssohn. Whether singing 

music by those German masters or other works in its diverse repertoire, Calmus 

captivates both audiences and critics with its charming stage presence, flawless 

technique, and entertaining presentation.

Calmus’s members are graduates of Leipzig’s renowned St. Thomas Church Choir 

School, and together they offer a unique combination of a pure soprano voice with 

four male voices ranging from bass to countertenor. The seamless blend of these five 

voices lends itself to the almost limitless range of music the ensemble offers, from 

Renaissance and baroque masters through great German romantic works, all the way 

to contemporary choral repertoire, as well as pop songs and jazz. Calmus has nearly 

twenty recordings to its credit, with its latest release, Folk Songs, featuring twenty-one 

works from around the world.

The group has performed at major venues in North America, including Carnegie 

Hall, Lincoln Center, Ravinia Festival, and Washington Performing Arts, and its worldwide touring has included Europe and Central and South America. Festival appearances 

include the International A Cappella Week Hannover and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival.
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PROGRAM NOTES

The festival of Christmas is celebrated throughout the world, and naturally many traditions have developed in different cultures. During this festive season, there is generally 

more singing than at any other time of the year, along with a huge number of wonderful 

Christmas carols that come from all over the globe. Some pieces have their origin in 

the liturgical rites, beginning with the Catholic Church and the “Gloria” as a part of 

the mass, and have been followed by musical contributions from other Christian faiths. 

Some carols have developed into annual folk traditions by the people of a particular 

region (“Shchedryk”), which have then spread to become famous elsewhere. Some 

carols praise the baby Jesus (“Today the Virgin”); others simply sing about the winter 

(“In the Bleak Midwinter” and “White Christmas”); some are centuries old (“Sis 

willekommen, Herre Kerst”); and others fairly new (“La Peregrinacion”). Some carols 

are virtuous and powerful, while others are calm and peaceful; some are geared to 

adults and others to children (including the children inside of all of us!). Often the 

sound of a particular language helps to create the atmosphere of a song, as in “Huron 

Carol,” Canada’s oldest carol, where we sing two verses in the native language of the 

Huron/Wendat people.

The variety of Christmas music is indeed vast, and it’s not only the melodies 

themselves that are so different, but also the form in which they are (or can be) sung: 

there are unison Gregorian melodies, classic four-part choral settings or polyphonic 

motets, and complex jazzy or even trendy (or sometimes a bit kitschy) arrangements. 

And, isn’t it marvelous to take a familiar melody out of its old setting and give it a new 

one? Christmas carols are so versatile — there are hardly any that can’t be set in several 

different styles.

Over the years that Calmus has been singing, its musicians have developed a huge 

repertoire of worldwide Christmas music. This program contains some of our favorite 

songs that give an idea of the range of music that is sung all over the world. We have 

designed the program with ancient and contemporary motets and songs in the first 

part, with arrangements and a little Christmas twinkling eye in the second part.

We hope that our program of Christmas music from around the world will help 

bring the holiday spirit into your hearts, and perhaps bring you a bit of calm and inner 

peace during these often hectic December days.

Program note by Calmus

Upcoming Events of the SeventyEighth Season of The William Nelson 

Cromwell and F. Lammot Belin Concerts

Unless otherwise noted, concerts 

are held in the West Building, West 

Garden Court.

East of the River

Solstice: Darkness Is Your Candle

Music of the Mediterranean, Balkans, 

Armenia, and the Middle East. 

December 21, 3:30 p.m.

Inscape Chamber Orchestra 

DC Youth Orchestra

Music by Beethoven, Respighi, and 

Stravinsky. 

December 22, 3:30 p.m.

Eunice Kim, violin

Xavier Foley, bass 

Program includes baroque, Irish, Latin, 

and contemporary music.

This concert is part of a series of performances by female violinists, showcasing 

the brilliance and stylistic versatility of 

the instrument. 

January 5, 3:30 p.m.

Imani Winds 

Catalyst Quartet

(im)migration

Featuring a new work by Jessie 

Montgomery inspired by the Great 

Migration of African Americans.

January 12, 3:30 p.m.

General Information

Admission to the National Gallery of Art 

and all of its programs is free of charge, 

except as noted.

The use of cameras or recording 

equipment during the performance 

is not allowed.

Please be sure that all portable electronic 

devices are turned off.

—

Concerts are made possible in part 

through the generosity of donors to the 

National Gallery of Art through The Circle. 

Reserved seating is available in recognition 

of their support. Please contact the 

development office at (202) 842-6450 or 

circle@nga.gov for more information.

—

The department of music produced 

these program notes. Copyright © 2019 

Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, 

Washington

cover Mildred E. Bent, Design from Gray, 

Maine 1800 (no. 1): From Proposed 

Portfolio “Maine Wall Stencils,” 1935/1942, 

National Gallery of Art, Washington, 

Index of American Design, 1943.8.18116
NGA.GOV/MUSIC