House in Heaven CD

The Peterborough Singers are frequent partners in fundraising events dreamed up by the Birrell family. Many choir members are personal friends or fellow church members past and present, and their participation is from the heart. That said, choirmaster Syd Birrell has a unique gift for finding talent and making so much of it that even the skeptical end up thanking him for the favour!

Most of us, however, find both musical satisfaction and good feeling in coming on board when something special is planned. Audiences join in by filling the seats and then leaping out of them for standing ovations. Guest musicians give more than they are actually paid for: more time, more effort, more joy. And the choir gives it all they’ve got. The results can be spectacular: the CD “A Gift of Song”, featuring Canadian soprano sensation Measha Bruggergosman, and now a commissioned choral work of great delicacy and passion, called “A House In Heaven” .

This isn’t the Singers’ first commissioned work, but it will probably be their favourite, and, we hope, most far-reaching. The source for the title and a recurring lyric is James Birrell himself. In 1999, lying in great pain and unable to move, he whispered to his mother, “I know Jesus is building me a house in heaven.” The touching faith of these words continued to resonate as James improved. James’ many high points of energy, playfulness and purpose since then have served to make his words sound even sweeter.

So, when it came time to decide what to ask of composer Paul Halley, there was no hesitation from the Birrells or the choir board: “Make us a picture of James Birrell in song.”

To James’ words, Halley added the familiar childhood hymn “This Is My Father’s World” and two nineteenth-century poems: one by Canadian Bliss Carman, the other by Englishman Henry Charles Beeching. The story these texts tell together is of faith in God; of Nature’s vibrant testimony, and of a child’s readiness to experience joy. Musically, the piece plays adult and children’s choruses against each other and then weaves them together with flute, piano and organ into something both touching and triumphant. One of the most emotional points comes in the middle of the piece, when
James’ words are sung by a lone boy soprano.

Practising the first few times was an exercise in self-controlled musicianship for both adults and children. But by dress rehearsal, it was polished enough to record. The premiere performance included Paul Halley on piano, Rhonda Larson on flute, Syd Birrell on organ and Maureen Harris-Lowe conducting the Peterborough Children’s Chorus and the Peterborough Singers. It was recorded twice more, at the afternoon and evening performances, to capture the energy the audience brought to the piece. Though they had been asked, for recording purposes, to refrain from applause for a few moments after the piece was ended, audience members could not contain themselves. And the performers could not contain their smiles.

The Peterborough Singers could not have managed such a high-quality commission without the graciousness of composer Paul Halley and Pelagos, and the financial support of Discus Dental Canada and the Peterborough and District Dental Association. The latter underwrote the cost of the commission, and the former waived their recording royalty so that a special single-track CD can be sold to the public.