HANDEL, MOZART AND THE PSALMS OF DAVID
This is the first in a three part series outlining the upcoming season for The Boston Cecilia. The next two articles will focus on the December and April concerts, but we begin our 141st season with a spectacular program of Handel and Mozart in Jordan Hall at The New England Conservatory in Boston. The two works to be performed are Handel’s youthful and exuberant setting of Psalm 110, Dixit Dominus, and Mozart’s oratorio that draws on the Psalms of David…and substantial quantities of music from his Great Mass in C Minor…entitled Davide Penitente.
BY NICHOLAS WHITE
This is the first in a three part series outlining the upcoming season for The Boston Cecilia. The next two articles will focus on the December and April concerts, but we begin our 141st season with a spectacular program of Handel and Mozart in Jordan Hall at The New England Conservatory in Boston. The two works to be performed are Handel’s youthful and exuberant setting of Psalm 110, Dixit Dominus, and Mozart’s oratorio that draws on the Psalms of David…and substantial quantities of music from his Great Mass in C Minor…entitled Davide Penitente. Falling during the year that would have marked the 80th birthday of my predecessor, Donald Teeters, who died exactly two years ago, this concert reflects many of Don’s musical tastes. By many accounts, Dixit Dominus was one of his favorite pieces of music.
Beyond the musical selections, however, there is another very important aspect of Donald’s work that we are honoring. After Don’s death in 2014, the Board of Directors established The Donald Teeters Fund. Several key mission-related uses for the funds have been established, and one of the purposes is to continue the engagement of new, young singers, in order to give them some exposure to Boston audiences. This was something that Don did consistently, supportively and intentionally. I am pleased to say that our excellent soloists for October 14th fall under that category, and I am excited to work with them all this Fall.
Soprano, Sarah Yanovitch is a recent graduate of the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music, where she was a student of James Taylor. Recent appearances as concert soloist include such works as the Fauré Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Judas Maccabaeus, and Dixit Dominus.
Soprano Emily Nöel, praised for her “sparkling performances” and “sheer vocal beauty” by The Washington Post, concertizes throughout North America and Europe in a wide variety of repertory expanding from the Medieval to the contemporary.
Countertenor, Dr. Daniel Roihl has appeared as a soloist with numerous professional choirs throughout New England and Southern California, performed at early music festivals in Bloomington and Corona del Mar, and been featured on the soundtrack of the 2007 film I Am Legend.
Tenor Alexander Nishibun’s vibrant, youthful instrument and sensitive stage presence have been characterized as “a delight…” and “capable of stealing the show with a gesture” (Portland Press Herald).
Bass, Charlie Evett is a giant in the field of a cappella bass singing. His thumping lines and Richter- scale solos powered Rockapella to national prominence, and now he is the sturdy foundation beneath The GrooveBarbers, which he co-founded.
This is my first time conducting both of these works, although my love for each of them goes back three decades. I first performed Dixit Dominus as a singer with the Cambridge University Chamber Choir in 1988. Concerts in Cambridge, London and Rome of this masterpiece, in the context of the Carmelite Vespers of 1707, sealed it as one of my all-time favorite pieces of baroque music. Shortly after this, I presented Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor (along with his oboe concerto) to an overflowing audience in Clare College Chapel. Mozart pulls in an audience, there’s no doubt about it, and this was a memorable occasion. As mentioned above, Mozart draws most of the musical material for Davide Penitente from the Kyrie and Gloria of this mass setting and adds two spectacular original solo arias.
Both of these works rely heavily on two outstanding soprano soloists, and these arias are not for the faint of heart. A memory that stays with me, from the 1988 performance of the C Minor Mass, is that I had casually asked a friend if she would sing the soprano solos for the Mozart Mass in C Minor, to which she agreed enthusiastically. One week before the performance, she contacted me all of a flutter, saying that there was no way she could do the concert. She hadn’t realized that this was not just any old Mozart mass! We found a replacement…at very short notice!
With an orchestra of Boston’s finest historically-informed players, on period instruments, at an unusual pitch of A=430 in order to perform Handel and Mozart on the same program, the five soloists named above, the dedicated and powerful chorus of The Boston Cecilia, and the elegant surroundings of Jordan Hall, this opening concert of our season is sure to have you wanting to return for Britten, Copland, Barber and others later on in the season.
The next entry in this blog will focus on Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, A Boy Was Born, Nicholas White’s Alleluia! Puer Natus Est Nobis, the Women’s Ensemble of St. Paul’s School, Concord, NH, and the two remarkable concert venues: The Church of the Advent and All Saints, Brookline.
CECILIA: WE'LL E READY FOR BACH'S B MINOR MASS
BY NICHOLAS WHITE
Cecilia's intrepid and experienced bass section show off their chops at rehearsal.
“If we’re not ready now, we never will be…!”
The quotation above was overheard at a church music conference several years ago, soon before a late-afternoon performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass sandwiched between workshops and plenary sessions and a boozy evening boat cruise. Ideal circumstances for a cutting edge, historically-informed performance of this two-hour masterwork, with the finest-period instrument players and a 26-voice professional choir? Maybe not! However, as the conductor responded to the concerned delegate who wondered why the performers were not busily rehearsing in the hours before the concert, “If we’re not ready now, we never will be!”
He was right, of course. Not only had the musicians been meticulously prepared, again, for this latest performance of the great work. In the director’s seemingly flippant comment was the truth that any performer must grasp when about to embark on the life-changing experience of this piece. The nitty-gritty detailed rehearsal needs to be accomplished far ahead and the big picture embraced well before concert week. Stamina, fortitude, the ability to respond in the moment, and a spark of spontaneity are among many elements that constitute a successful performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, a performance that will engage the audience and harness the emotions of all those present.
That’s why I’m glad that the dress rehearsal for the March 21st performance by The Boston Cecilia is on Wednesday, March 19th, two days prior, giving a full day for reflection before the concert itself. In every way, the final rehearsal takes on the mantle of a performance. It must do so if we are to stand any chance of being ready. That one remaining part of the equation – the audience – will then play its own role in the success of the actual concert.
That’s why I’m glad that the performance—along with Bach’s 329th birthday—comes on a Friday evening, at the end of a long work week, when spirits are sagging, the commute to Jordan Hall has been challenging, the weather is unpredictable, and energy needs to be summoned from somewhere. This is when performers and audience members can come together, inspired by each other, to create moments of magic that transcend the real world. Yet this masterpiece is packed with humanity, almost unachievable by mere mortals, and can feed from those challenges that we, as humans, face on a daily basis.
That’s why I’m glad that Cecilia had the foresight to reserve Jordan Hall for this occasion, even before I had been hired as music director! What a gift for all of us to end the 138th season of this great organization with a performance of Bach’s masterpiece. It is very real, very relevant, and very exciting.
We will be ready! Won’t you join us?
BOSTON CHORAL AUDITIONS 2013 - THE AUDITION IS THE FIRST STEP
BY NICHOLAS WHITE
Greetings, and welcome to The Boston Cecilia Blog!
We are about to begin the final few audition sessions for The Boston Cecilia, as we start our exciting 138th season of concerts. Having just recently been through the three year search process that resulted in me taking on the enviable position of Music Director, I feel qualified in talking about the audition process!
What are we looking for in a new singer? What will be asked of you? Why would you subject yourself to any form of scrutiny? Let me offer some answers to those questions.
Every effort is made to put you at ease. After all, we want to hear your voice at its most relaxed and free. We are looking for voices with personality, but voices that also work well in a choral texture. The ability to blend with fellow singers is crucial. The ability to read music well- a skill that is all too often lacking these days – is highly desirable, as is the willingness and ability to learn your part outside of rehearsals. A good sense of humor and a commitment to energetic teamwork is a must. All of these skills are worked on and developed during rehearsals, but they are good prerequisites.
The audition will start with some vocalizing for a light warm-up and a general idea of vocal range. This will be followed by some sight-reading (on one’s own voice part) and finish with singing a piece that you have prepared for the audition, if you have one. Our assistant conductor, Barbara Bruns, will be there to accompany your piece, so bring an extra copy of your music if you would like an accompanist.
Auditioning for Cecilia is the first step towards being involved with performing Cecilia's diverse and rich repertoire. This coming season features some of my very favorite choral works. We begin on November 2nd with Maurice Duruflé’s sublime Requiem, along with works by Stanford and Harris and Herbert Howells’ incredible setting of the poem Take Him, Earth, For Cherishing. On December 6th and 8th the concerts will feature glorious music for the Christmas season, including Ave Rex by William Mathias and deeply touching carols by Warlock, Leighton, Dirksen, Pearsall and others. The most thrilling concert is saved for March 21st – J.S. Bach’s birthday – when we will present Bach’s Mass in B Minor with period instrument orchestra at NEC’s Jordan Hall. I couldn’t be more excited and energized to get working on this repertoire!
So, if you are a singer looking for your next challenge, why not consider joining us? There is still time to sign up. Rehearsals begin on Monday September 9th at 7:30pm, but we are still hearing potential chorus members well into September. Perhaps The Boston Cecilia is the next stop on your musical journey? Visit our Auditions page for more information or give us a call at 617-232-4540.