Master Singers Concert - Saint-Saëns "Christmas Oratorio" and Ola Gjeilo "Dreamweaver"

Composed in twelve days in Paris when he was 22, Camille Saint-Saëns’ tender and wistful telling of the Christmas story is complete with angels and shepherds, and well loved by audiences from the 19th century until today. This program’s second work, by contrast, features wild beasts, monsters, and refugees fleeing in a frightening world of the afterlife. It is a contemporary tale of a man’s trials in search of redemption. Composer Ola Gjeilo based his “Dreamweaver” on parts of a Medieval folk poem from his native Norway. The man in this story, known as the Wanderer, begins on Christmas Eve his visions in a long winter dream. He goes through tests of courage and good will to find the path that leads to his own judgment day and redemption. Master Singers Chorale of Northeast Ohio perform with string orchestra a program featuring soprano Jackie Josten, pianist Anne Dalby, and organist Charlotte Beers Plank, under the direction of Jon C. Peterson. This holiday performance coincides with Day 2 of the Hudson-Landsberg Christkindlmarkt held on Clocktower Green, Hudson, from 12 to 8 p.m. that day. The free admission concert, with carols at the end, is presented thanks to the generous support of First Congregational Church of Hudson, the Akron Community Foundation, and Ohio Arts Council.