Too often the voices of the past have been silenced. Not any more! The Choirs give full voice to Ethel Smyth’s passionate Mass in D alongside Beethoven’s universal anthem for freedom, ‘Ode to Joy’.
The critic George Bernard Shaw told Ethel Smyth that her ‘magnificent’ Mass would ‘stand up in the biggest company!’ and we wholeheartedly agree.
For this Festival Chorus concert, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs has paired Smyth’s fiercely passionate creation with Beethoven’s mighty ‘Ode to Joy’ finale from his Ninth Symphony. Experience two impressively defiant personalities who, in their own ways, pursued grand visions and broke new ground with music that speaks powerfully of struggle and triumph.
With the ‘Ode to Joy’, Beethoven gave the world an anthem to ‘universal brotherhood’, an expression of freedom and joy. At the other end of the 19th century, Dame Ethel (the first female composer to be so honoured) was also a vocal champion of women’s rights and the suffrage movement – the universal sisterhood, in other words. Who better to compose the suffragette anthem, The March of the Women, with its bold words of hope? ‘Nought can ye win but by faith and daring’ – we think Beethoven would have agreed.
Run time
This performance will run for approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes, with one interval.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
Program
Ethel SMYTH
Mass in D major
The March of the Women (Suffragette Song)
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN
Consecration of the House – Overture
‘Ode to Joy’ – Choral finale from Symphony No.9
Concert Hall
One of the world’s most sought after venues, the Concert Hall is a performance space like no other. With its cathedral like ambience and unrivalled majesty, standing on this very special stage will see you deliver a performance to remember.
In July 2022, the Opera House completed extensive upgrades to the Concert Hall. The multi-million-dollar project delivered extensive improvements to the venue, including: better acoustics for artists and audiences, enhanced access for people with mobility needs, new state-of-the-art theatre machinery and staging systems, and a more flexible and safer working environment for staff behind-the-scenes.
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars. Please remember to maintain physical distancing whilst consuming drinks in our foyers.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer consistent with COVID-safe rules.