The Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Chestnut Hill, will kick off the musical celebration of its 135th anniversary year as a parish in the Diocese of Pennsylvania with a performance of Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem Mass” Friday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. The concert will feature St. Martin’s Parish Choir and the Fairmount Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Tyrone Whiting, the parish’s director of music and arts.
During the centuries since the Flemish composer, Johannes Ockeghem, wrote the first musical setting of the Catholic Church’s …
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The Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Chestnut Hill, will kick off the musical celebration of its 135th anniversary year as a parish in the Diocese of Pennsylvania with a performance of Gabriel Faure’s “Requiem Mass” Friday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. The concert will feature St. Martin’s Parish Choir and the Fairmount Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Tyrone Whiting, the parish’s director of music and arts.
During the centuries since the Flemish composer, Johannes Ockeghem, wrote the first musical setting of the Catholic Church’s liturgy of the “Requiem Mass” in 1470, many subsequent composers of sacred choral music have accepted the challenge of writing a score of music that communicates the devout Christian belief in life everlasting beyond the confines of the grave based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Renaissance masters such as Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Tomas Luis de Victoria composed some of their most moving works under the title of “Requiem Mass.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died before completing his version and Giuseppe Verdi’s “Manzoni Requiem Mass” was recently performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of its former music director, Riccardo Muti.
All the same, Faure’s setting, which exists in several arrangements, has always held a special place in the hearts of lovers of sacred choral music because of its flawless blend of Gregorian chant and late French Romanticism. For more information, visit StMartinEC.org.
Chestnut Hill Conductor
Chestnut Hill’s Donald Meineke, organist and choirmaster at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Center City, will lead the parish’s celebration of the paired Feasts of All Saints and All Souls, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1 and 2, with a set of Solemn High Masses. Victoria’s “Missa: O quam gloriosum” will be sung Friday at 7 p.m. and Faure’s “Messe de Requiem” will be sung Saturday at 11 a.m. Visit saintmarksphiladelphia.org for more information.
Ballet’s ‘Le Corsaire’
Philadelphia Ballet opened its 60th anniversary season with a stunning production of “Le Corsaire.” With thrilling new choreography by artistic director Angel Corella, based on the original by Marius Petipa, the mounting dazzled the opening night audience, Oct. 18, in the Academy of Music with sumptuous sets, exotic costumes and – most important of all – breathtaking dancing.
Although the libretto of “Le Corsaire” can only be described as “fictitious junk” for all its inane plot twists, it does offer a narrative that provides a gifted choreographer the chance to create one exciting set piece of dancing after the next and captivating its audience. Corella’s choreography is so visually compelling that you don’t have time to think of asking the question, “But what does it all mean?”
Opening night’s cast featured Nayara Lopes as the beautiful Medora, Sterling Baca as her somewhat nefarious brother, Arian Molina Soca as the pirate captain Conrad, and Dayesi Torriente as Medora’s friend. Both Lopes and Torriente danced with steely precision and ethereal grace, the perfect combination for their roles. Molina Soca’s portrayal was characterized by elegant nobility while Baca exuded a sinister enthusiasm that was captivating.
All the same, it was Ashton Roxander as Ali, Conrad’s faithful servant, who stole the show. His solo set pieces exploded with the sinewy athleticism that was the hallmark of the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky’s dancing. His turns were like a spinning top, his leaps looked as though he had been shot out of a cannon, and he sustained the narrative line of his dancing with unbroken lyricism. The audience erupted at his curtain call.
For more information call 215-551-7000 or visit Philadelphiaballet.org.
Bernstein & Copland
Guest conductor David Robertson led the Philadelphia Orchestra in three concerts, Oct. 18-20, in the Kimmel Center’s Marian Anderson Hall. Although the program’s first half featured renditions of the forgettable “Lassus ricercare” and the insufferable “bTunes,” by Betsy Jolas, it was the concert’s second half that won the full house’s applause.
Both pieces – Leonard Bernstein’s symphonic dances from “West Side Story” and the 1945 symphonic version of “Appalachian Spring” by Aaron Copland – had their genesis in the world of dance. Choreographer Jerome Robbins was also the director of “West Side Story,” and his modern dance vision was as much a part of the Broadway musical as was Bernstein’s songs. Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal did the arrangements for the original production, the expanded version for the film, and finally for the free-standing orchestral dance suite.
Martha Graham commissioned Copland to compose “Dance for Martha.” The music itself was so popular that Copland made several arrangements of the score for concert use.
Under Robertson’s overly flamboyant conducting, the Philadelphians played with their hallmark tonal beauty as well as balletic vitality. For more information visit philorch.org.
You can contact NOTEWORTHY at Michael-caruso@comcast.net.