Pacific Chorale opens its season on October 7, 2023 (Photo – Pacific Chorale)
The concert will be on Saturday, October 7, 2023, 8:00 pm, at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.
By News Desk
The evening will feature a powerful combination: Richard Einhorn’s Oratorio, performed live by the Pacific Chorale, to accompany Director Carl Dreyer’s 1928 Silent Film, The Passion of Joan of Arc, considered one of the greatest films ever made.
The Pacific Chorale, led by Artistic Director Robert Istad, launches its 56th season with Voices of Light / The Passion of Joan of Arc, the spectacular cinematic event featuring Richard Einhorn’s 1994 oratorio performed live to highlight director Carl Dreyer’s 1928 silent film masterpiece, The Passion of Joan of Arc.
Einhorn’s oratorio, written for orchestra, chorus, and soloists, provides a haunting backdrop to the restored version of Dreyer’s cinematic tour de force, considered by many critics to be among the greatest films ever made. A single print of the film was discovered in a janitor’s closet of a Norwegian mental institution in 1981. It has been digitally restored to pristine condition. The film, based on the actual 15th century transcripts of St. Joan’s trial for heresy, portrays her trial and execution. Dressed as a boy, she led French troops in a defeat against British occupiers during the Hundred Years’ War, but was later captured and tried by French clergy loyal to the British and condemned to death by burning at the stake for her belief that she was spurred to action by religious visions. The late renowned film critic Pauline Kael decreed that “Renée Maria Falconetti’s portrayal of Joan of Arc” may be the finest performance ever recorded on film.”
The soloists accompanying the film will be Pacific Chorale members Alexandria Burdick, soprano; Rebecca Hasquet, soprano; Stephanie Shepson, mezzo-soprano; Jane Hyun-Jung Shim, mezzo-soprano; Jason Francisco, tenor; and Fernando Muñoz, bass.
Tickets/Information
Single tickets begin at $28. To purchase tickets, visit this website or call 714-662-2345.
Pacific Chorale Season Opener: Voices of Light / The Passion of Joan of Arc October 7, 2023 8:00 pm Location Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall 600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626
This article says that the film was “based on the actual 15th century transcripts of St. Joan’s trial”, but this is problematic since English government records and eyewitness accounts show that the pro-English tribunal falsified the transcript and convicted her on deliberately false or misleading charges. The transcript is one of the least reliable of the many sources we have. The article also says she was “dressed as a boy” although she was actually given a soldier’s riding outfit (mainly to protect her legs from abrasion against the horse’s sides, and she also kept it “securely laced and tied” to deter attempts to pull her clothing off especially while in prison where she faced rape attempts). The article says she “led French troops”, but she denied calling herself a commander and the eyewitness accounts show that she didn’t have direct command.