Lig van Waarheid (Pretoria Pre-concert)

VOX CHAMBER CHOIR PRESENTS THE NEW AFRIKAANS CHRISTMAS ORATORIO: LIG VAN WAARHEID 

VOX CHAMBER CHOIR will present a a special pre-concert of the new Christmas Oratorio, Lig van Waarheid, by South African composer, Franco Prinsloo on Sunday, 20 November 2022 at 15:00 in Pretoria.

The Pretoria performance will take place at the NG Universiteitsoord, under the direction of the composer. Lig van Waarheid, which follows Prinsloo’s successful Easter Oratorio, Kruis van Liefde, was specifically composed for the Vox Chamber Choir. 

For this special pre-concert in Pretoria, the Oratorio will be performed with an organ (Isabelle van Rensburg), two trumpets (Richard Kingon & Alex Urban), celesta (Eugene Joubert), solo bassoon (Esther Watkinson) and percussion (Magdalena de Vries). 

The official world premiere will be performed with a full string orchestra, celesta, bassoon, percussion and organ on Sunday 27 of November at 16:00 at the Groote Kerk, Cape Town presented by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra . 

Three of the choristers - Marilize Hattingh, Chris Vale and Wouter van Wyk jnr. will perform the solo roles of Maria, the Angel Gabriel and Joseph.

The libretto was compiled by Prinsloo and baritone, Chris Vale, and repurposes poetic and lyrical Afrikaans song texts from the Halleluja-sangbundel and the Koraalboek of 1956, as well as some texts from the Sionsgesange of 1945. The libretto for the recitatives were taken from the 1953 and 1983 translation of the Gospel of Luke.  

The result is a captivating composition that gives new life to old texts using fresh contemporary musical settings. Come and experience the joy of Christmas with the Vox Chamber Choir in the very impressive organ of the Universiteitsoord church, Pretoria.