Vocal Heroes choir project: Jonathan Dove’s “There was a Child”
A modern oratorio about a tragic death: Jonathan Dove’s There was a Child is an homage to the son of friends who died in a diving accident in Thailand at the age of 19. The composer traces the panorama of a young life – charming impertinence, carefree playfulness, childlike worries, youthful thirst for adventure. In this choir project of the Education Programme, the Vocal Heroes youth choir, amateur singers, members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and guests share the stage of the Philharmonie.
For his oratio, Jonathan Dove selected a variety of texts by John Keats, Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare and Walt Whitman, among others, which trace the panorama of a young human life. It captures the various facets of adolescence – charming naughtiness, carefree playfulness, childish sorrow, youthful spirit, boyish mischief and vigorous outdoor escapades – until the one terrible moment when a young life ends in the middle of an adventure.
And yet, despite everything, it was important for the mother who commissioned this piece to remember more of all the joy that her son’s short life brought her. At the end of this 50-minute warm-hearted and modern oratorio in the spirit of Britten and Vaughan Williams, we are left with the radiant, colourful image of a child taking in everything around him and connecting with the whole world. This season’s concert project once again gives amateur singers the opportunity to share the stage with professionals.
Simon Halsey
Vocal Heroes
© 2019 Berlin Phil Media GmbH
