“Ode to Lotta: a Canadian Choral Cantata” opens with “As dawn breaks,” a choral arrangement of Erik Satie’s Sarabande No. 1 for piano, with lyrics that evoke Nature waking up on a summer morning.
The rich harmonies that Satie explores here in one of his very first compositions took western classical music in totally new directions; he was a true pioneer. Lotta Hitschmanova was a pioneer too, a social pioneer, as we will learn, both in Europe, and in her adopted country of Canada.
Lotta’s story begins with her birth, on November 28th, 1909, in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Her Jewish parents, Max Hitschmann and Else Theiner, supported and encouraged both Lotta and her sister, Lilly. It was a happy childhood, with family outings into Nature, which left a deep impression on the young Lotta.
About the song. I loved playing Satie’s Sarabande and thus when I caught the composing bug, “As dawn breaks” was one of my first choral creations, with a first draft done in 2017.
Then in 2018, I was so blessed to have been accepted into the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s Interplay Workshop for Composers, sponsored by the SOCAN Foundation.
Imagine, this was only the second choir ever to sing any of my songs, how excited, and how nervous I was! And then, the very first notes that the choir sang that day – the opening harmonic progressions of “As dawn breaks” – sent shivers up and down my spine. I can still feel that tiny rehearsal room vibrating deeply in my soul.
I am so grateful to VCC Founder and Conductor Emeritus Jon Washburn for the insightful comments he offered me that day about my first draft of “As dawn breaks.” It sent me back to my “composing hut” for a number of weeks that guided me towards this final arrangement.
And what a thrill (and how fitting) it is that the Vancouver Chamber Choir will be singing the world premiere of “As dawn breaks” on Nov 28, led by their Artistic Director Kari Turunen!
“As dawn breaks” is dedicated to Lavada (Lot) Beesack (1925-2017).
And for tickets to the Nov 28 Ode to Lotta concert in Vancouver, click here.
Stay tuned for the next instalment along the Road to #OdeToLotta…..