The Music of Lauridsen and Mozart
by Rorianne Schrade
A review of our May 25, 2009 concert
New York Concert Review
Though not entitled a Memorial Day concert, DCINY chose the day to present a selection of choral and orchestral works perfect for providing reflection and solace. In a beautifully designed evening, the program opened with works of Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and the Concerto for Flute and Harp (both rather accessible ports of entry into heavenly realms) and proceeded after intermission, as if in a musical climb, to the rarefied ether of Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium and Lux Aeterna, five glorious movements devoted to light.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik was a strong opening, with the sole reservation being that the violins were a bit too dominant. Naturally enough, the upper strings outnumbered the lower (just two each on cello and bass), but there were times when, with relatively supporting material, they could have ceded the lead role a bit. All in all, though, the DCINY orchestra, under Jonathan Griffith, showed skill and confidence.
With augmented forces, including DCINY co-founder and director Iris Derke on flute and Kirsten Agresta on harp, Mozart's Concerto K. 299 followed. It was given an attentive and loving performance, and Ms. Derke and Ms. Agresta both impressed as fine players; occasionally, though, one wanted more harp sound, for, while in solo parts it projected well, elsewhere it became merely a faint halo around the flute sound. The Andantino movement emerged as the celestial music that it is, with its inspired lines and heart-rending sequences. The last movement felt a bit unsettled by some seemingly disparate ideas of tempo, but finished in fine style.
O Magnum Mysterium by Lauridsen (b. 1943) opened the second half, sung a capella by the New York City Master Chorale under the very dynamic Thea Kano. The singers brought out the composer's subtle dissonances with sensitivity and precision. The ne plus ultra, though, was Lux Aeterna (again under Griffith), a work of Palestrina-esque purity and luminous lyricism. Words cannot adequately describe this moving work, but those lucky enough to have heard it will likely remember it as a transcendent experience. One can only be grateful that there is an organization putting together such concerts.
Rorianne Schrade
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