Austin Vocal Arts Ensemble sings Mendelssohn in Georgetown
Lois Perkins Chapel, on the Southwestern University campus, was a little bit of heaven for serious music lovers last Friday evening. An enraptured audience participated in a Cathedral Evensong service much like Felix Mendelssohn would have experienced. Bishop Joe Wilson celebrated with a slightly abridged version of the 1853 Anglican Book of Common Prayer, and the audience enjoyed a sonic and cerebral treat in the performance of new scholarly editions and rarely heard Mendelssohn works for chorale, boy soprano, and organ.
Organist John Schmidt chose the Sonata in A Major, Op. 65, No. 3 as the prelude to the evening. AVAE, under the leadership of Kenneth Sheppard, performed two motets in new editions by Southwestern University musicologist and Mendelssohn specialist J. Michael Cooper–the Magnificat, Op. 69, No. 1, and the Nunc Dimittis, Op. 69, No. 3. These are sung in English, as Mendelssohn intended in his original manuscript, which he managed to publish before his untimely death.
The highlight of the evening was a superb performance by Georgetown’s Trey Gurley in one of the most beloved boy soprano solo anthems, Hear My Prayer. His pure, clear voice displayed an exceptional grasp of tuning and musicality for a singer his age.
John Schmidt anchored the program with the Prelude and Fugue in C minor, Op. 35, No. 1. The piece is almost orchestral in nature, with an intricate fugue statement in a slightly unconventional rocking 6/8 meter. A fitting finish to a most satisfying musical evening.
Photos by The Good Musician. Coming soon: a series on the Chorus Austin Central European concert tour.
Tags: choral music, Georgetown Festival of the Arts, Mendelssohn, Mendelssohn in Georgetown, organ musicRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Choral, Instrumental, Listening Lessons, Music education, Performance practices, Romantic, Vocal, music history, musicology
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