A memorable finale

Soli Deo Gloria-assisted concert in Ekaterinburg, Russia, October 27, 2007

The warm expressions of affection and gratitude that followed this evening’s concert in Ekaterinburg were for me more meaningful than the music itself. I was standing near the conductor afterwards when one of the choristers told him directly, “We love you very, very much.” I’ll long remember that as well as a comment I later heard a singer make, almost to herself, “Such good people!” As I mentioned in my last post, the relationships developed here this week are taking center stage in my thoughts about the value of this project.

Of course, the music was indeed full of meaning and so beautifully presented by the choral and orchestral forces under Alan Heatherington’s direction. So, bravo to all - or as the maestro put it many times this week, “Bravi tutti!” It makes me happy to see that this concert was clearly an uplifting experience for many people.

There is and certainly will be more to report on all of this in the days ahead. Meanwhile, here are a few clips from the concert that I hope you will enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD-gaHi98mQ

Faure: Requiem - Agnus Dei (my favorite passage of the entire work)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FVBwDTq-go

Schuman: New England Triptych - 2nd movement
(based on William Billings’ hymn, When Jesus Wept)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW4dpXYmObs

Bruckner: Te Deum - Sanctus (”Holy, Holy, Holy. Lord God of Hosts;
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory…”)

October 27, 2007 | Filed Under SDG in Russia - 2007 | Leave a Comment

Meeting around music

Yesterday’s activities included a meeting with the Artistic Director of the Philharmony and his support staff. The group’s interest in continuing the relationship with Soli Deo Gloria was made obvious. I have begun to think of SDG’s presence here less as an effort to facilitate sacred music where it might not otherwise exist. I’ve known for some time that the orchestra does program standard works of sacred music at least occasionally. Instead I am beginning to see this as an opportunity to build relationships with people, with orchestra leadership and with the public in general. Especially now that we (SDG) have expressed openly the spiritual nature of our interest in sponsoring concerts of sacred music–to turn people’s thoughts toward God–and have received in return the receptivity of orchestra’s leadership, an understanding has been established that I think could blossom into something truly beautiful. The foundation for this understanding was begun in 2005 with SDG’s first collaboration with this orchestra, but it was not until this week that I began to sense the full value of this sort of repeated exchange. In addition to all that could be said of its artistic merit, there is modeled in this interaction a simple but meaningful sense of diplomacy that one can only hope will be maintained, always, between our two nations. I hope that opportunity will be found for a repeated collaboration in the near future.

Our meal at the U.S. Embassy in Ekaterinburg Speaking of diplomacy, our meeting was followed by a lovely meal hosted by the American Consul General at the U.S. Embassy here in Ekaterinburg. The Consul General very graciously made introductions between and among SDG representatives and several of the city’s chief choral conductors and consulate staff. That such a gathering would be arranged around this concert event speaks of the project’s perceived significance to this city, and that is encouraging indeed.

The concert itself was a grand occasion. It was very well attended, though not sold out. In addition to the Faure, Bruckner and Schuman, the program also featured two additional works that Alan Heatherington brought with him to Ekaterinburg, Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Faure’s Pavane. On the first half, the tranquility of the Barber and Faure works made for a wonderful contrast to the explosive energy of the second half with the Schuman New England Triptych and ending with the Bruckner Te Deum.

The audience clearly enjoyed the music and expressed its appreciation generously. And as far as the response of the performers, I was backstage after the program and enjoyed seeing several players express their thanks and congratulations to the maestro as he expressed the same to them. I must say, Alan has done a magnificent job in preparing and leading the choir and the orchestra. The discipline and intensity of his rehearsals met with a clean, assured and powerful performance.

Concert in Ekaterinburg

Tonight I’ll have my video camera with me and I hope to film much of the second and final concert. How wonderful it is that the orchestra is allowing me to film their work! I enjoyed showing one of the web videos below to the Artistic Director and his colleagues during our meeting yesterday. They actually applauded! Imagine how much trouble I would be in if I had attempted the same thing with a major American orchestra! “Dear Sir, I thought you might enjoy watching the film I made with my video camera in your concert hall. Look, I put it on the Internet to share with the world! Isn’t that just swell?!”

October 26, 2007 | Filed Under SDG in Russia - 2007 | Leave a Comment

A meaningful point of connection

Yesterday’s meeting with the administrative leaders of the orchestra was meaningful indeed. Soli Deo Gloria’s repeated presence in Ekaterinburg was met with warm gratitude and enthusiasm. And it was a welcome opportunity for me to speak on behalf of the many people who support SDG, expressing our interest in the spiritual value of this collaboration between our two organizations. Speaking through an interpreter, I explained that our involvement in this project is motivated by a desire to give glory to God through great music like the Faure Requiem and the Bruckner TeDeum (the two principle works on the program this weekend). I told them that this project was meaningful to us because through it we can make music together with them, and together see the beauty and the goodness of God.

This was all well received. Alexander Kolotursky, the orchestra’s General Manager, was especially responsive, expressing his hope that the concerts will speak to people’s hearts. It was made clear that the ongoing relationship with SDG was greatly valued. We were given gifts as well, including a beautiful, framed photograph of the concert hall, the earliest on photo record, taken in the 1920’s. Pleasure and pride were taken in explaining the history of the hall. We learned too of the orchestra’s ambitious plans to build a new concert hall over the next two years that will seat roughly 1,500 people. The current hall accommodates about 700.

Alan Heatherington leads rehearsal with the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra I will have the privilege of bringing a similar word of greeting and explanation to the orchestra during the rehearsal today, and I plan to take that opportunity also to inform them of Maestro Heatherington’s investment in this mission as he is taking no fee for his services here this week. I’ve been around the musicians in rehearsals quite a bit this week capturing their work on video, so I’m sure that some of them will be at least a little curious to hear what I have to say about SDG, and I hope that they will receive my great thanks for their beautiful playing.

Bringing such a greeting to any professional orchestra is not something that I would approach with grand expectations. Some may take interest, and perhaps even be touched or encouraged in some way. For others, though, it will simply be business as usual. That’s just the way it goes, and the way it has gone already this week as there has been a somewhat varied response among individual players to the musical discipline that this week’s guest conductor has required of them. On the whole, though, I think that the response has been very positive.

Our meeting with the General Manager and Artistic Director yesterday brought with it the unexpected honor of a visit from the American Consulate General’s Assistant for Education and Culture. Her mission was to invite Alan, Gayle and me to a lunch meeting on Friday. The consulate played a significant role in the development of this weekend’s program as it was their suggestion, received earlier this year, to include on the program a work by a modern American composer. They, in turn, would provide additional sponsorship for the event. Thus Alan made the great suggestion to include New England Triptych, a multi-movement orchestral work by American composer William Schuman. This was really a wonderful suggestion. The piece brilliantly showcases the orchestra, has a distinctly American sound (not frequently heard in the part of the world I would guess), and it is, I’m sure, a new work for the audience and the orchestra as a whole.

It’s worth mentioning here that this weekend’s performances also appear to be the orchestra’s first performances of Faure Requiem and Bruckner’s Te Deum. That’s really significant. This came to my attention yesterday in conversation with the orchestra’s manager of personnel. He explained that in Russia Faure’s music is generally regarded as somewhat secondary. It’s not even included in the music history curriculum used in the conservatory here in Ekaterinburg. Remarkable. So, it’s exciting to realize that we are not just assisting another performance of these two great works, we are in fact introducing to some extent. The Faure Requiem - what a spectacularly beautiful work to share with someone for the first time! The Bruckner too! The two works provide great contrast to each other, and in addition to being brilliantly written, both are, I think, profoundly spiritual and emotionally powerful. I look forward to seeing how they are received by the audience this weekend.

The impact of the Bruckner at least will be aided by a Latin-to-Russian translation of the Te Deum text—an ancient and magnificent expression of praise to God. Many thanks to Alan Heatherington for bringing this translation with him from the U.S., sharing it with the choir at the first rehearsal and giving it to the orchestra administrators during our meeting yesterday. The orchestra plans to copy it and make it available to audience at the performances this weekend.

October 25, 2007 | Filed Under SDG in Russia - 2007 | Leave a Comment

Making our mission known

Today, conductor Alan Heatherington and his wife, Gayle, and I will meet with the Artistic Director and the General Director of the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra. I’m looking forward to this meeting as I hope to take the opportunity to provide greater context to SDG’s repeated collaboration with this orchestra. It has long been a priority for me to communicate to SDG donors the nature of our organization’s work and interest in sacred music. But in thinking more about SDG’s presence here in Ekaterinburg this week, and in discussing it with Alan and Galye, I’ve really felt the need to communicate the essence of our mission to the leaders of the orchestra as well. Otherwise, this project may come and go without making the impact I believe it can and should make in terms of building meaningful relationships.

I want to share with the directors here SDG’s passion for great sacred music and, more importantly, our passion for making music for the glory of God. I want them to know that SDG is not a large American foundation that simply dishes out concert sponsorships. Rather, it represents the collective interest of many people, in America and elsewhere, who embrace and support a vision to champion great music that honors God. I hope to underscore all of this not simply for the sake of making SDG known and understood more fully or to suggest that our organization be given special treatment, but so that the gesture of friendship that this project represents might not be missed or mistaken for an otherwise common association between a presenting organization and a corporate sponsor. The fact is that in the case of SDG, it is the warm generosity of individual people, contributing financial and other resources to SDG, that are vicariously extending a hand of friendship to this orchestra, and the interest of these supporters goes far beyond just facilitating a successful musical production. We are here to celebrate with them the beauty, profundity and majesty of God as expressed in this great music.

Alan Heatherington leads the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra in reheasal An important part of the big picture with this project is the knowledge that the conductor is taking no fee for his services here this week. I know that many of the administrators know this already, but I hope somehow to communicate that to the musicians as well. Now that the orchestra and chorus have worked with Alan in several rehearsals and are aware of his strong leadership and commitment to excellence, the knowledge that he is giving of his time to lead this project is something that, I think, might be especially meaningful.

And now a bit of music. In my last post I made mention of a passage in Faure’s Requiem where the choir sings “quia pius est” (thou art merciful). I thought it might be nice to share this passage here on my blog. This is the passage heard in the video below. The audio was recorded at the rehearsal yesterday, the first combined rehearsal with the choir and orchestra for the program this weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aluiwIFSxAg

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October 25, 2007 | Filed Under SDG in Russia - 2007, Videos | Leave a Comment

Rehearsal con brio

Orchestra rehearsal in the Great Hall of the Sverdlovsk State Philharmony Yesterday I enjoyed watching Alan Heatherington work with the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra and the Domestik Municipal Choir of Ekaterinburg, in two separate rehearsals. The maestro is absolutely tenacious in rehearsal - a ball of energy. His musical vision and leadership are top notch, absolutely top notch. He demands a very high energy level of both the chorus and the orchestra. I think that for some of the musicians this may have been a bit jarring at first, but I sense that it has earned the conductor great respect and is setting the tone for a fabulous performance.

The chorus in particular has absolutely taken to Alan. The chorus master commented at the first rehearsal that after only a few minutes with Alan, the group knew that they were working with a professional. Before the afternoon was through, the chorus master expressed an interest in having Alan return and conduct Brahms’ Requiem.

The chorus is well prepared and sings at a very high level. This is a group that has been in existence for 20 years and has toured internationally. I shot the following video of the rehearsal yesterday, which captures their powerful, full-throated singing in the Bruckner Te Deum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6uFWR5UEPY

. . .

I was in the rehearsal room for a special moment when Alan was energetically addressing the choir (an understatement, to be sure) about the thematic core of the Faure Requiem, which he explained comes in the fifth movement, the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God). To illustrate an important point, Alan made a comparison and contrast between the Faure Requiem and the Requiem of Verdi, saying that whereas Verdi’s Requiem was about “wrath, anger, blood, hell (which Alan practically screamed as he explained!), the Requiem of Gabriel Faure was about “hope, rest, solace, mercy”. And for Alan, the linchpin of the entire work is there in the Agnus Dei, where, as he said to the choir, “…you sing ‘quia pius es’ (thou art merciful)–That’s why there’s hope: because God is merciful!”

Alan Heatherington leads a rehearsal What I wouldn’t give to have captured those statements on film! Unfortunately, I didn’t have camera rolling at that point. In any case, it was a poignant moment, and a beautiful expression of SDG’s mission to go beyond surface admiration for a work of sacred music and come face to face with the spiritual meaning behind it. [As a side, a complete, English translation of Faure’s Requiem can be viewed at http://orion.it.luc.edu/~avande1/requiem.htm]

After the rehearsal, I joined Alan and his wife Gayle in visiting with people from the chorus (video below). They are such warm people. We enjoyed conversing with each other in broken Russian, English and German. What a glad fellowship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP7MXAgeNh0

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October 24, 2007 | Filed Under SDG in Russia - 2007, Videos | 2 Comments

Smooth sailing

Travel was very smooth from Chicago to Ekaterinburg, and I’m grateful for that. I’m safe and sound in my hotel and am just about ready to call it a day. Surprisingly, I don’t feel too tired at the moment, even though I didn’t sleep much in the last 24 hours.

I received a copy of the rehearsal/performance schedule today. Because I arrived a bit after him, I missed seeing Alan Heatherington lead his first rehearsal with the chorus, the Domestik Municipal Choir of Ekaterinburg. I look forward to observing his work with the group. In particular, I’m curious to note how his approach differs stylistically between these two choral works—Faure’s Requiem and Bruckner’s Te Deum. I would guess that he will go for two very different choral sounds between the two.

I came across this great poster for the event on the choir’s website a few minutes ago: