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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The words would be scary enough in English (murder! harass! bind into chains!) but the chorus &#8212; clad in black, and not singing so much as yelling and stomping &#8212; will be knee-deep in Latin.</p><p><em>&#8220;Caedite, vexate, ligate vinculis!&#8221;</em></p><p>Still, there&#8217;s no need to worry. If you encounter this scene Oct. 31 in Scranton or Nov. 1 in Wilkes-Barre, you haven&#8217;t stumbled into a haunted attraction or one of Harry Potter&#8217;s magic spells but a timely concert called &#8220;Saints &amp; Sinners&#8221; presented by the Arcadia Chorale.</p><p>Much of the music was written in honor of &#8212; or in the case of Hildegarde von Bingen, by &#8212; people who are considered examples of true holiness. The pieces are especially apt because Nov. 1 is All Saints Day, Arcadia music director Steven Thomas said, and the previous evening, Halloween or &#8220;All Hallows Eve,&#8221; ties into that.</p><p>The not-quite-saintly part of the concert comes out in Hungarian composer George Orban&#8217;s &#8220;Daemon Irrepita Callidus,&#8221; which spurns the devil yet admits he has power to &#8220;speak expertly, tempt the honorable heart and set forth trickery.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a continuing line in that that sounds like an evil presence,&#8221; tenor Patrick Fisk of Clarks Summit said before a recent rehearsal.</p><p>In another ominous-sounding offering, the chorale sings a spiritual with a discomfiting message: &#8220;Sinner man, where you gonna run to? Devil&#8217;s gonna find you!&#8221;</p><p>Some of the pieces reflect hopefulness and blessings, such as &#8220;The Deer&#8217;s Cry&#8221; by Estonian composer Arvo P&#228;rt, who set to music St. Patrick&#8217;s prayer that Christ would surround him.</p><p>Also in that category are pieces St. Hildegarde wrote in praise of wisdom when she was an abbess in medieval Germany; Norwegian composer Trond Kverno&#8217;s tribute to the mother of Jesus, &#8220;Ave Maris Stella&#8221; which translates to &#8220;Hail, Star of the Sea,&#8221; and Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina&#8217;s &#8220;Tu es Petrus,&#8221; which includes Jesus&#8217; biblical encouragement to St. Peter, declaring him to be a rock.</p><p>&#8220;I love Palestrini&#8217;s music,&#8221; Thomas said, adding the motet was written for six vocal parts. &#8220;Each line has its own personality and shape.&#8221;</p><p>The concert takes place 8 p.m. Oct. 31 at St. Peter&#8217;s Cathedral in Scranton and 3 p.m. Nov. 1 at St. Stephen&#8217;s Episocpal Church in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>&#8220;Look at this place,&#8221; said George Levandowski, a bass from Wilkes-Barre, his glance taking in the high domed ceiling, stained glass and carved wooden angels of St. Stephen&#8217;s. &#8220;It has a good vibe for this kind of concert.&#8221;</p><p>Billed as &#8220;music of vice, virtue and redemption,&#8221; some of the pieces focus on sin and some on saintliness. But, as alto Mariane Ferrantino of Luzerne pointed out, &#8220;The Conversion of Saul&#8221; by Z. Randall Stroope &#8220;pretty much sums up the concert.&#8221;</p><p>Saul&#8217;s early life, when he tormented Christians, is represented with chaotic sounds, including yelling and stomping.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a little scary and threatening,&#8221; Thomas said, opening up a sheet of music. &#8220;See those X&#8217;s? That means shouting.&#8221;</p><p>At the point of conversion, when Saul begins his journey toward becoming St. Paul, Thomas said the music &#8220;suddenly becomes very beautiful, with luminous chords.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Music director Steven Thomas leads the Arcadia Chorale. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103015saintsandsinners11.jpg</photo0><caption0>Music director Steven Thomas leads the Arcadia Chorale. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103015saintsandsinners21.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Members of the Arcadia Chorale rehearse the &#8216;Saints and Sinners&#8217; concert in St. Stephen&#8217;s Episcopal Pro Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103015saintsandsinners21.jpg</photo1><caption1>Members of the Arcadia Chorale rehearse the &#8216;Saints and Sinners&#8217; concert in St. Stephen&#8217;s Episcopal Pro Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103015saintsandsinners41.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">George Levandowski of Wilkes-Barre said St. Stephen&#8217;s architecture lends itself particularly well to the theme of the &#8216;Saints and Sinners&#8217; concert. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103015saintsandsinners41.jpg</photo2><caption2>George Levandowski of Wilkes-Barre said St. Stephen&#8217;s architecture lends itself particularly well to the theme of the &#8216;Saints and Sinners&#8217; concert. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103015saintsandsinners51.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mariane Ferrentino of Luzerne said &#8216;The Conversion of Saul&#8217; sums up the theme of the &#8216;Saints and Sinners&#8217; concert. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_TTL103015saintsandsinners51.jpg</photo3><caption3>Mariane Ferrentino of Luzerne said &#8216;The Conversion of Saul&#8217; sums up the theme of the &#8216;Saints and Sinners&#8217; concert. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> Arcadia Chorale&#8217;s &#8216;Saints and Sinners&#8217; concert</p><p><strong>Scranton concert:</strong> 8 p.m. Oct. 31 at St. Peter&#8217;s Cathedral, 315 Wyoming Ave.</p><p><strong>Wilkes-Barre concert:</strong> 3 p.m. Nov. 1 at St. Stephen&#8217;s Pro Cathedral, 35 S. Franklin St.</p><p><strong>Tickets:</strong> $15, $12; students free with ID</p><p><strong>Info:</strong> 570-871-0350</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

‘Saints and Sinners:’ Arcadia Chorale presents music of vice, virtue and redemption in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton