Ragazzi Continuo Presents 'There is Sweet Music'

PALO ALTO, CA (8 May 2018) — A cappella men’s choir Ragazzi Continuo presents There is Sweet Music, a spring concert that will showcase the diversity and power of music. From Swedish folk tunes to rhythms of Ghanaian street dance, Bay Area audience members are invited to revel in the beauty of nature in Kodály’s Esti Dal (Evening Song) and marvel at the stoic hope of Richard Burchard’s Dedication. Continuo member Jansen Verplank’s arrangement of the Gospel classic Swing Down Chariot will also make its world premiere in There is Sweet Music. Ragazzi Continuo is an adult a cappella choir that consists of thirteen men, all alums of the acclaimed Ragazzi Boys Chorus. There is Sweet Music will be performed 7pm, Sunday, June 3 in Redwood City; 7:30pm, Saturday, June 16 in San Francisco; and 5pm, Sunday, June 17 in Palo Alto. For tickets ($15-$25) and information, visit www.ragazzicontinuo.org or email info@ragazzicontinuo.org.

This lively program will offer an array of musical selections. Swedish folk tune Domaredansen is arranged in a fast “boogie-woogie” style, while Kpanlongo is a recreational dance and music form that originated in the 1960s among urban youth in Accra, Ghana. The music accompanying the kpanlogo is drawn from older Ga drumming traditions, and uses three types of instruments: nono (metal bell), fao (ground rattle), and kpanlogo drums.

Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) was also a prominent authority on Hungarian folk music, who focused on music education methods, and composed a large amount of music for children. The Hungarian music education method that developed in the 1940s became the basis for what is known as the “Kodály Method,” a program that heavily contributed to the spread of music education inside and outside his home country. His Esti Dal (Evening Song) is a prayer of a weary traveler asking for a permanent place to lay his head. Due to Hungary being a country under the rule of other people for centuries, this theme is common among many traditional Hungarian songs.

Composer Richard Burchard’s music includes more than thirty commissioned works for choir, with performances throughout the United States and Europe and world premieres in Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. His Dedication communicates the peaceful nature of this achingly beautiful text written by Mark Twain as the eulogy for his 24 year old daughter.

Ubi Caritas by Ola Gjeilo, Timothy Takach’s setting of She Moved Through the Fair, and Eric Barnum’s A Red, Red Rose will also be featured in There is Sweet Music. Ola Gjeilo’s Ubi Caritas is a mesmerizing and contemplative a cappella exploration of the concept of universal love. One of the most oft-performed contemporary composers in the choral world, Gjeilo’s distinctive style is most often described as cinematic and evocative, with a lush, harmonious sound.

Applauded for his melodic lines and rich harmonies, Timothy Takach has received grants from the American Composers Forum, Meet the Composer, Minnesota State Arts Board, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and ASCAP. His She Moved Through the Fair follows the wishful story of a young man who hopes to marry, but is destined to be disappointed.

Conductor and composer Eric Barnum has been Composer-in-Residence for ensembles such as The Rose Ensemble, Kantorei (Denver, Colorado), and CORO Vocal Artists, and his music is found on recordings by several groups, notably Chanticleer and Choral Arts. A Red, Red Rose, based on the 1794 song by Robert Burns, has inspired everyone from Bob Dylan to Carly Simon with its paean to love “that’s newly sprung in June” and will last until the seas run dry.

Jansen Verplank’s arrangement of Swing Down Chariot will be making its world premiere in There is Sweet Music. Verplank sang with Ragazzi from 1991 to 1997 and joined Continuo in 2012. While attending Oberlin College, he studied jazz piano at the Oberlin Conservatory and sang in the Oberlin Musical Union. Verplank currently teaches music at Eastside Preparatory School, performs in a variety of bands, and gives private lessons in jazz piano. His arrangement of Swing Down Chariot takes a new look at the bouncy up-tempo spiritual, first popularized in the 1940s by the Golden Gate Quartet, recorded by Elvis Presley in 1960, and even sampled by Dr. Dre in his Grammy-winning rap song “Let Me Ride.”

Ragazzi Continuo was formed in September 2010 and now consists of 13 choristers, all of whom sang in Ragazzi Boys Chorus during their formative years. All of the members participated in their college choirs, but finding a post-college men’s chorus that allowed them to thrive musically, as they had as Ragazzi boys, proved challenging. Thus Ragazzi Continuo was born, and is currently comprised of members whose work finds them practicing law, teaching voice, working in tech, and more. Their love of music, years of training and finely-honed ensemble are evident in their stirring performances.