Chorale, soloists cap Classics series
The Spokane Symphony, joined by the Symphony Chorale, closes the season’s Classics series on Friday with two well-known works for choir and orchestra.
Eckart Preu, the orchestra’s music director, will conduct the orchestra, chorale and soloists Nathalie Puaulin and Lucille Beer in Antonio Vivaldi’s 18th-century setting of the “Gloria” and Francis Poulenc’s 20th-century setting of the same text.
The concert will open with Jennifer Higdon’s 1999 orchestral work, “Blue Cathedral.”
Both vocal soloists are making their Spokane debuts.
Paulin is a Canadian soprano noted for her performances in opera and orchestral concerts in North American and Europe. She has toured with Le Concert Spirituel and performed in Massenet’s “Manon” this season with the Dallas Opera.
Beer is a 1982 winner of the Metropolitan Opera Auditions who made her debut at The Met in 1983. She has also performed at New City Opera and recently appeared again at The Met in Strauss’s “Elektra,” conducted by James Levine.
While Preu selected the soloists for the concert, he says, “I really cannot claim much credit for the program itself.
“Because the chorale needed to have the season repertoire already set before I was even selected as music director (in March 2004), Fabio Mechetti chose the two Glorias and I just added the ‘Blue Cathedral’ by Jennifer Higdon,” he says.
“I wanted to do a work by a contemporary American composer and something that would fit somehow into the framework of this program with its two sacred choral works.”
Higdon, who was born in New York City in 1962 and lives in Philadelphia, has become one of the most successful living American composers of classical music. The number of performances of her works is second only to that of John Adams.
“This season alone, there have been at least 50 performances of ‘Blue Cathedral,’ ” Preu says.
“Her music has a very romantic ‘feel’ to it but she uses a modern musical language. I think it is a perfect introduction to ease us from our worldly life into the spiritual world of the two Glorias.”
Higdon, who composed the work on a commission from the Curtis Institute of Music, has been quoted as saying that “Blue Cathedral” was inspired by thoughts of a spiritual journey following the death of her brother, Andrew Blue.
“She invokes the kind of heavenly atmosphere with distant bells at the beginning and uses a dialogue between the flute – which is her instrument – and her brother’s instrument, the clarinet,” Preu says.
“She also uses such unusual effects as having some of the wind players rub the edges of tuned crystal goblets and having other players also shake what are called sometimes ‘Chinese health bells.’ “
The Gloria, a joyful hymn of praise and prayer, is a regular feature of the Roman Catholic Mass.
Vivaldi’s “Gloria” is one of his most famous works, but it was lost after its early performances in the 1720s and not rediscovered until 1920.
“I love Vivaldi also,” Preu says, “because of the challenge he gives you of only the notes and the words. The conductor has to supply the rest – the size of the orchestra and chorus, the tempos, the dynamics, the articulation, and so on.”
While Vivaldi’s “Gloria” uses a very economical orchestration with only strings, oboe and trumpet, Poulenc’s version calls for a large orchestra with woodwind and brass sections plus harp and tympani.
“Poulenc’s palette of emotions in his ‘Gloria’ is very wide, too, from a very loud fanfare to some barely audible, very weird-sounding chords played by the strings – from almost ridiculously ecstatic to deeply thoughtful,” Preu says.
“Poulenc is even willing to take quite a lot more witty approach to some of the parts of the text than other composers. That really shocked the critics when it was first performed. But it turns a different light on parts of this famous text, which so many composers have set so often.”
Vocal soloists Paulin and Beer will join host Verne Windham to talk about the singers’ careers and the music on Friday’s concert at Classical Chats, the symphony’s pre-performance conversation, today at 12:15 p.m. in the council chambers at Spokane City Hall. The 30-minute program will be televised on City Channel 5.
Symphony Chorale director Lori Wiest and symphony associate conductor Morihiko Nakahara will discuss the music on the program as a part of the Gladys Brooks Pre-Concert Talks series in the Opera House auditorium on Friday at 7 p.m.