Winter Harp: A true awakening of the spirit of the season
By MAURA DeFREITAS
VANCOUVER – One of the winter highlights in Vancouver is the annual Winter Harp candlelight celebration at St. Andrews Wesley Church.
What a magnificent concert – from sumptuous medieval costumes of rich brocade and velvet, to soothing harp music in an exquisite setting with wonderful acoustics. Held just days before the winter solstice, the concert is truly an awakening of the Christmas spirit.
It was a full-house on December 18 when I attended Winter Harp this year and once again, I captivated by the beauty and magic of the performance.
Organized by harpist Lori Pappajohn, who was honoured this year with the Bernie Legge Cultural Award for her contributions to the arts, Winter Harp features some of the most gifted musicians and singers.
The program featured such seasonal favourites such as God Rest Ye and What Child is This? Other special additions included some beautiful long lost carols such as Down in Yon Forest.
Pappajohn says the question that haunts her each year when choosing the Winter Harp program is which carols to include. “I’m not talking about songs such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, but the profound songs – song relating to the mystery of the child, the star, the manger.
“If you delve into the literature, you will find hundreds of such songs dating back to the Twelfth Century. However, most of us in North America have never heard of them.”
Each year, Winter Harp seeks out these songs that might otherwise never be heard says Pappajohn. “Melodies lost, forgotten, no longer sung, but beautiful beyond words. Like the child, they are born again before us at this special time of year.”
I must say that Winter Harp is truly a special celebration each year. My husband and I were both particularly moved by the rendition of Ave Maria which resonated long after we left the hallowed halls of St. Andrews Wesley.
Watch for Winter Harp again next December. |
