NEWS ITEM: Prayerful, Lenten sounds fill Cathedral

April 8th, 2019

The Cathedral was filled with prayerful sounds with its annual Lenten tribute to Our Lady which took place yesterday, Sunday 7th April, as a prelude to the Solemn Sung 11am Mass.

Soloists Emma Oorschot (Cathedral Cantor) and Ema Rose Gosnell presented excerpts from Pergolesi’s ‘Stabat Mater’ accompanied by a small string ensemble and organ. The trebles of the Cathedral Choir joined the soloists in the closing ‘Amen’ chorus – a most spirited contribution from our youngest singers !!

Principal Cantor Joshua Adams also sang the moving ‘Betrachte, meine Seele’ from Bach’s ‘St John Passion’ during Communion and the Cathedral Choir sang a robust rendition of two choruses from Handel’s Messiah pertaining to Jesus’ Passion: ‘And with his stripes we are healed’ and ‘Surely he has borne our griefs’. These choruses quote from Isaiah (Chap 53: 4-5) and with Handel’s forthright setting of these verses helps to create the feeling of firm belief in our salvation through the sufferings of Christ.

Stay tuned for details of the Cathedral’s upcoming feast of music as we enter Holy Week and move through the Sacred Triduum to our Easter ceremonies.