Lamentations of Jeremiah

Elmer Iseler Singers Offical Press Release

October 9 2009

Lamentatio Jeremiae Prophetae by Peter-Anthony Togni

A deeply expressive piece with ancient origins for modern times.

Performance & CD Launch on ECM label - A Canadian First!

Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Anne’s Anglican Church
Elmer Iseler Singers - Lydia Adams, Conductor
Jeff Reilly, Bass Clarinet and Rebecca Whelan, Soprano
Special Guest: Peter-Anthony Togni

Toronto, ON, October 9, 2009: Virtuoso bass clarinetist Jeff Reilly and soprano Rebecca Whelan join the celebrated Elmer Iseler Singers and conductor Lydia Adams for the performance and CD launch of Lamentatio Jeremiae Prophetae: Concerto for bass clarinet and choir (2007), by Halifax composer Peter-Anthony Togni on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. (please note starting time) at St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto. The new CD will be available at the November 14 concert, and will become available at Canadian retailers in January 2010.

Weaving an intricate, universal tale of a prophet who speaks the truth and is disregarded, Jeff Reilly, often improvising the bass clarinet, Rebecca Whelan, and the 20-voiced ensemble offer a poignant interpretation of Lamentatio Jeremiae Prophetae (Lamentations of Jeremiah), a compelling and expressive piece that was commissioned by the Canada Council for the Arts. This is the first work by a Canadian composer to appear on the prestigious ECM label (under the guidance of producer/guru Manfred Eicher) as part of the ECM New Series, which has launched the careers of some of the world's most famous contemporary composers. In the year of its 40th anniversary, ECM Records has been named both Classical and Jazz Label Of The Year by the world's leading publications in these genres, Gramophone and Downbeat respectively.

After a world premiere in Toronto in 2007 and a 2008 tour in Nova Scotia, Lamentatio Jeremiae Prophetae was recorded in Halifax in October 2008 in the richly acoustical All Saints Cathedral in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As Keith Horner explains in his CD liner notes, Lamentatio Jeremiae Prophetae is "a virtuoso concerto, incorporating improvisation and choral support". Composer Peter-Anthony Togni points out that the origins of the word ‘concerto’ embrace the concept of ‘playing together.’ "So I wanted this sense of performing together, and still have the bass clarinet as concerto virtuoso and improviser, and then combine this with the challenge of telling a story," adds Togni.

Official Press Release from the Elmer Iseler Singers, released in October, 2009