By Amanda Murthy
Some 100 music lovers gathered at Perth St Mary’s Cathedral to witness Paris Notre Dame Cathedral musicians, organist Johann Vexo and tenor vocalist Damien Rivière on Sunday 10 February for the Cathedral’s annual concert.
The duo played and sang an array of French composed traditional liturgical music with the Marian theme, including chants like Regina Coeli and the Magnificat.
Other pieces included organ works of the 20th century including Alma Redeptoris Mater from the Symphonie Mariale by Léonce de Saint-Martin and Dupre’s Ave Maris Stella.
This is the first time St Mary’s Cathedral has hosted international artists for their series of concerts.
The duo also travelled to Hobart, Melbourne and Adelaide, New Zealand and New Caledonia, even making a weekend stop in Geraldton while here in Western Australia.
Mr Vexo told The Record that they were delighted to experience and discover the countries visited, and to share their culture and traditional liturgical music with the locals.
“We were really delighted to start our concert tour in Western Australia and to discover the amazing cities of Perth and Geraldton which were both different but incredibly enjoyable,” he said.
“In both places we have chosen our repertoire according to the space and the style of the instrument. In Perth, the programme included exclusively French music composed by musicians of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, from 17th to 21st century, and based on Marian Gregorian chants.
“In Geraldton, we offered some excerpts of German Oratorios as well as French melodies, every time, it was a part of Notre Dame we tried to bring and share with the audience,” he added.
St Mary’s Cathedral Music Director Jacinta Jakovcevic said having the musicians was a privilege and blessing.
“Having Johann and Damien here was a milestone for us as we strive to make exciting and exhilarating musical experiences imbued with a great sense of prayerfulness for the Perth community,” she expressed.
“The combination of our grand pipe organ’s specific tonal style and acoustic somewhat resembles Notre Dame’s organ but on a smaller scale – and it was a real treat to hear some chant sung in ‘alternatim’ – an age old Catholic liturgical music practice emanating from France [the organ alternating with the voice through a chant hymn or The Magnificat].
“This music I think transported all those present into a truly transcendent, prayerful musical experience,” Ms Jakovcevic added.
Concert attendee and organist Pia Schelfhout said she enjoyed the performance, adding that the musicians were nice enough to give her and some others a lesson after the concert.
“It was so good to hear them exemplify the development of Catholic music from its beginnings in chant music, and receiving a lesson as part of our Cathedral’s Organ Scholarship after the concert on French Romantic and German Baroque organ performance was such a treat,” she concluded.