Sacred Music
According to Shulamit Ran’s last Contempo concert, there’s room
for this genre in the music lover’s backpack too…
Sunday afternoon, January 17th, there was a concert I couldn’t pass up,
even if it conflicted with New Music at the Green Mill. Loyola U was
presenting a sacred music concert at their renovated Madonna della
Strada Chapel. I’ve been by the Loyola Lakeside Campus dozens of
times driving up to Pick-Staiger or Red-lining to Uncommon Ground.
But in the past four years, I’ve never seen a concert happening there
in the weekly listings.
VOX 3 was the first. They presented a sacred music concert that ranged
from early renaissance to modern Anglican church service. VOX 3 is a
group of 15 or so musicians whom I never heard of. Mostly vocalists, but
augmented by violins, cello and keyboard. James Morehead played
harpsichord and Loyolan Steven Betancourt played organ for this concert.
There was a very full program with just about every combination of
vocals and instruments. I hope your Latin or French is still workable:
Orlando di Lasso – Musica dei donum optimi (1594).
A-capella choir from the back of the chapel started the concert
with wonder and awe.
Barbara Strozzi – Gaude Virgo (1655).
Rebecca Prescott, soprano with harpsichord and cello continuo.
Giovanni Legrenzi – Ave regina caelorum (1660).
Heather De Souza, soprano and Angela Young Smucker, mezzo
with harpsichord and cello continuo. This remined me of the
final heart piercing duet at the end of Monteverdi’s L’ Incoronazione
de Poppea.
>> Best of Show <<
Alessandro Grandi – O intemerata (1627).
Two mezzos with organ, sung from the organ loft.
Henry Purcell – Lord, What is Man? (1683).
Oliver Camacho, tenor, with harpsichord and cello continuo.
Antonio Vivaldi – Sanctorum Meritis (1720).
Rachel Frye, soprano, with duo violin accompaniment.
So Four Seasons!
Claudio Monteverdi – Sancta Maria (1618).
Alexia Kruger and Kimberly Gunderson, antiphonal sopranos
on opposite sides of the organ loft, were accompanied by the
organ. (All of the following were also performed fom the organ
loft, so there was much craning of the necks to see what was
happening.)
Claudio Monteverdi – Nisi Dominus a tre voci e duoi violini (1650).
The three voices were Ashlee Hardgrave, soprano, Matt Newlin,
tenor and Brian von Rueden, baritone. The two violins were
Daniel Moss & Heather De Souza. You can hear this composed
during time Monteverdi was dragging music into the new secular era.
Georg Telemann – Laudate Jehovam omnes gentes (1758).
This was performed by the full ensemble and organ directed
by James Morehead.
Louis Lefebure-Wely – Andante from Choeur de Voix humaines.
Organ solo. It’s a beautiful church organ. I’d estimate the
free-standing organ case in the loft to be 30 feet across.
Francis Poulenc – Litanies a la vierge noire (1936).
Organ and women’s choir. The men will get their chance later.
Jeanne Demessieux – Choral prelude In Manus Tuas.
Organ solo.
Maurice Duruffle – Kyrie from Messe “Cum Jublio” (1966).
The men sing a short piece just to justify their existence.
Herbert Howells – Magnificat and Nunc dimittis from the
Gloucester Cathedral Mass (1936). The finale for full choir and
organ was modern, but Howells managed to preserve the
high rising voices of the traditional English cathedral choir.
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Please visit http://www.vox3.org/ for more info on this interesting group.
In April they’ll be singing new vocal works by Chicago composers.
If you’re ever in the Loyola Lakeside area, walk about two blocks North
from the Devon/Kenmore bus stop, look toward the lake and you can’t
miss the Madonna dell Strada Chapel. It’s very unusual in its Art Deco
architectural style. Go inside for a visual treat. And visit here for more info:
http://www.luc.edu/sacramental_life/Madonna_Della_Strada_Renovation.shtml
http://www.luc.edu/sacramental_life/organ/
–
Bruce
