unlock

Sunday, March 26, 2006 at 7 pm

Meredith Monk takes it personally. (And aren’t we the lucky ones!)  Joining the Master Chorale on stage, this one-of-a-kind artist will sing and lead a performance of Invisible Light, the a cappella conclusion of her hauntingly beautiful and intricate opera Atlas. Loosely based on the travel writings of a Victorian adventurer, Atlas follows the journey of an Everywoman whose passion for spiritual self-discovery takes her to the ends of the earth and beyond. Creating sound-scapes that thrive at the intersection of music and movement, the pioneering Monk explores the voice as an instrument and eloquent language in and of itself. “In originality, in scope, in depth, there are few to rival her” says The Washington Post.

“Even in a concert hall, Arvo Pärt’s music seems to occupy a great resonate cathedral, a space in which each note rings,” says Andante.com. The mystical music that emerged following a spiritual crisis celebrates the sacredness of silence and rhythmically simple harmonies that sound both ancient and modern.

Michael Torke’s name is a buzz-word for “some of the most optimistic, joyful and thoroughly uplifting music to appear in recent years.” (Gramophone) The American composer’s ingenious Book of Proverbs, a work that showcases all his kaleidoscopic orchestral color, jaunty rhythms and hypnotic melodies. As a preteen, Torke discovered the short, pithy Old Testament verses and responded to their humor, as well as the imagistic poetry. This is fun stuff and one of the composer’s tricks is twisting notes and word order to create not just a new melody but witty new proverbs.

Download a guide to the season: chorale-seasonguide0506.pdf, 1.1MB