Programme

Programme: “… and on earth peace…”
Renaissance chant from the Louny Gradual of Jan Táborský (1563): And on Earth Peace
Bob Chilcott (1955): Peace Mass (Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei – selection)
Frode Fjellheim (1959): Dona nobis pacem
Patti Drennan (1952): Benedicamus Domino
Mary Lynn Lightfoot (1952): Pie Jesu
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741): Et in Terra Pax
                                                              Domine Fili Unigenite
Anonymous: Gaudete!
Michelangelo Grancini (1605–1669): Dulcis Christe
John Rutter (1945): Coventry Carol
                                           Personent Hodie
Craig Courtney (1948): In the Silence
Jacob Narverud (1986): Veritas et Virtus
Ola Gjeilo (1978): Ubi Caritas
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) and Charles Gounod (1818–1893) / arr. Russell Robinson: Ave Maria

The Advent concert at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Orlová offers an encounter with music that unites the silence of expectation, spiritual depth, and human hope. Performed by Permoník Choir Karviná—the Concert Choir, the Male Chamber Choir, and the Youth Choir—the programme “… and on earth peace…” unfolds as a musical reflection of Advent and Christmas across the centuries. From a Renaissance chant from the Louny Gradual, through Vivaldi’s Baroque inspirations, to contemporary sacred works by composers such as Bob Chilcott, John Rutter, Ola Gjeilo, Craig Courtney, and Jacob Narverud, a musical mosaic emerges in which meditation, joy, and personal prayer intertwine. The programme also includes traditional Advent and Christmas songs (Gaudete!, Coventry Carol, Personent Hodie) as well as a moving choral version of Bach’s Ave Maria. The programme is permeated by the theme of peace, reconciliation, and light entering human darkness. Permoník has long been admired for its refined choral sound, clarity of expression, and its ability to connect historical repertoire with contemporary music. This concert presents Advent as a time of stillness, peace, and hope—music that soothes and reminds us that even in today’s world, silence, beauty, and togetherness still have their place.