The Lydian Singers will present the Southern Caribbean premiere of Misa Cubana (Cuban Mass) for Christmas 2010, the work of contemporary Cuban pianist and composer Jose Maria Vitier, but with an exciting Trini twist: The pans of Witco Desperadoes Steel Orchestra will replace the orchestra's violins. Misa Cubana has been performed in Europe, North America, Mexico, and of course Cuba, but on the weekend of December 9, it would be the first time that Vitier's work will be performed in Trinidad and Tobago.
At a press conference last Monday, held at Bishop Anstey High School in Port-of-Spain, Lydians director Pat Bishop described Vitier as one of Cuba's "best known composers, recognised internationally for the high quality of his work." Bishop explained that Vitier's work is strongly influenced by the various forms of Cuban music and Jazz, and it "creatively assimilates the classical European Baroque traditions." She added: "The originality of this music lies in the composer's ability to draw together a Cuban music derived from the many genres in which it is rooted."
Bishop also described Misa Cubana as a work that uses the setting of a traditional Catholic Mass dedicated to La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre (the Virgin of Charity of Cobre), the patron saint of Cuba. She further revealed that several pieces of the work were interpreted for the late Pope John Paul II when he visited Cuba. Misa Cubana is just the latest of several Misas (Masses) presented by the Lydian Singers over the last two decades, including Ein Deutsches Requiem, a German mass for the dead by Johannes Brahms in the year 2000; and Misa Criolla, an Argentine mass by Ariel Ramirez in 2008.
However, there is a first-time challenge to be faced by the Lydians with the production of Misa Cubana. It is the first time that the choir will be performing in the presence of a living legendary composer. The Lydian Singers have been working directly with the composer and with members of the local Cuban community (including the Cuban Embassy) in the staging of this production. The Lydian Singers will be accompanied by their orchestra, which includes Lydian Steel; keyboardists Lindy Ann Bodden-Ritch, Myrtle Cumberbach, Sheldon Morales, and Jerome Dinchong. Percussionists Xavier Phillip and Krishna Soogrim-Ram will accompany the orchestra with African and Tassa drums.
The production will also feature dancers from the Metamorphosis Dance Company, and celebrated Lydians' soloists Eddie Cumberbach, Dirk Govia, Joanne Pyle, Glenis Yearwood, Janine Charles-Farray, and Adafi Padmore. Misa Cubana begins at Queens Hall, St Ann's Port-of-Spain on December 9 in the height of Christmas festivities, and continues until December 12. Tickets are available at The Signature Collection at the Normandie, La Tropicale Flower Shop, or from Lydian and Desperadoes members.