Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher is a mystère lyrique, or sung mystery play, by Paul Claudel with music by Arthur Honegger. Commissioned by Ida Rubinstein, it was written in 1935, premiered in 1938 and published in 1947 after rounds of minor revisions that extended into 1944. Claudel narrates Joan of Arc's last minutes of life with flashbacks to her trial and younger days. His poème of eleven scenes and a prologue is the work's backbone, with key scenes spoken, but the music, particularly the choral writing, is generally considered its strength, despite Honegger's avowal that he had merely put his services “at the disposal of” the poet. Claudel's frame gave Honegger a space between Heaven and Earth, past and present, for mixing styles and using musical tools — monody, harmony and counterpoint — to build sculpted blocks of sound. One detail of his score is its part for ondes martenot, an early electronic instrument played at the premiere by its inventor Maurice Martenot. The mystère lyrique lasts about 75 minutes.
Westminster Choir College (WCC) is an historic conservatory of music, currently operating on the campus of Rider University, in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Rider's College of Arts and Sciences consists of Westminster Choir College and an additional three schools.
London has, alongside New York, been described as the cultural capital of the world. The culture of London concerns the music, museums, festivals, and lifestyle within London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. London is one of the world's leading business centres, renowned for its technological readiness and economic clout, as well as attracting the most foreign investment of any global city.
Jorge Washington Peña Hen was a Chilean composer and musician, founder of the first children's symphony orchestra in Latin America. Due to his militancy in the Socialist Party, he was shot by the Chilean Army during the passage of the Caravan of Death in the Coquimbo Region.
Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster.
Mario Lamberto is an Italian conductor.
George Daugherty is an American conductor, director, producer, and writer.
Paul Goodwin is an English conductor and former oboist.
The National Symphony Chorus is an Irish choir, organisationally part of Ireland's National Concert Hall since 2022.
The Orfeón Donostiarra is a concert choir based in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain.
Ion Marin is a Romanian-Austrian conductor. He is internationally renowned both in operatic and symphonic domains.
RTÉ Performing Groups was a performance group, operating over many decades, of five classical ensembles that were part of the Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). All but the string quartet are based in Dublin. In January 2022, three of the member groups were moved from RTÉ to aegis of the National Concert Hall by the Irish government. RTÉ continues to host the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
The Choral Arts Society of Washington is a major choral organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1965 by Norman Scribner, it is regarded as one of the premier symphonic choruses in the United States. The Choral Arts Society of Washington consists of three vocal ensembles; the Choral Arts Chorus, the Choral Arts Chamber Singers, and the Choral Arts Youth Choir.
Filippo Maria Bressan is an Italian conductor.
Hilary John Davan Wetton is a British conductor.
Accentus is a French chamber choir founded by Laurence Equilbey in 1991. The ensemble has been in residence at the Opéra de Rouen since 1998. When in Rouen, the choir usually holds concerts at the Théâtre des Arts or the recently reopened Chapelle Corneille.
Miguel Ángel Gilardi is an Argentine orchestra conductor. He has conducted throughout the world, recorded many concerts and received several awards, including the 2010 Premio Bicentenario.
Alfonso Maribona is an orchestra conductor, pianist, composer and arranger. Maribona was born in Bilbao, and finished his piano and chamber music qualifications at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, at the same time winning First Prize at the End of Postgraduate Course by a unanimous decision. In 1982 he obtained Second Prize at the National Piano Competition, then in 1985 he was awarded First Prize at the same competition. In 1991 he won First Prize at the "Ciudad de Manresa" National Chamber Music Competition, and in the same year, by a unanimous jury verdict, he gained First Prize at the National Chamber Music Competition of Spain.
Maîtrise de Radio France is the choir school of Radio France. The school and its choir were founded in 1946 by the composer Henry Barraud and the pedagogue Maurice David. Its first Director was Marcel Couraud. As a performing ensemble the Maîtrise choir has appeared on numerous recordings and in live concert performances, with a particular emphasis on choral works by French composers. It is one of the four permanent ensembles of Radio France along with the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre national de France and Chœur de Radio France.
Grigor Palikarov is a Bulgarian conductor, composer, pianist and music educator.
