Ola Gjeilo/arr. Phoon Yu: Northern Lights (arranged for string quartet)
Ola Gjeilo: Dreamweaver

Embark on a spiritual journey through mystical worlds both sacred and secular, with voices and strings interweaving.

Originally written for mixed choir, Northern Lights reflects a powerful beauty profoundly reflected in the aurora borealis, as witnessed over a wintry lake under the stars. This electric quality, both a mesmerising and terrifying experience, reminds us of the sheer potential of spirituality and faith. This arrangement of Northern Lights, specially set for string quartet, is accompanied by a humming background chorus, evocative of the dormancy of the choral world for the past year and a half.

Written for mixed choir, strings and piano, the text for Dreamweaver is based on a well-known Norwegian medieval folk poem, Draumkvedet— an epic ballad that has a lot in common with Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The protagonist, Olav Åsteson, falls asleep on Christmas Eve and wakes on the 12th day of Christmas. When he does, he rides to church to describe his dreams to the congregation, about his brave, beautiful, terrifying and ultimately redeeming journey across the Gjallar Bridge and through the afterlife. For Gjeilo’s piece, Draumkvedet has been adapted into a playful version by poet Charles Anthony Silvestri.

Expect both dynamism and intimacy from the music, as we celebrate the resurgence of choral music and its collaborative possibilities.

About The Chorallective

The Chorallective is a new collective of singers who gather for choral music and its interdisciplinary possibilities with different musicians and artists each season, exploring the humanness that drives the act of musicking. For Dreamweaver, the choir is excited to make music with a chamber string ensemble, featuring soloists Neville Athenasius Ang and Olivia Chuang, pianist Tabitha Gan and soprano soloist Nicole Verghese, conducted by Choy Siew Woon.

Dreamweaver in Voices – A Festival of Song, marks The Chorallective’s debut performance.

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