[CANCELLED] OSSCS: Symphonies of Psalms
CANCELLED
Caroline Shaw — and the swallow
Igor Stravinsky — Symphony of Psalms
Antonín Dvořák — Žalm 149 Op. 79
Lili Boulanger — Psaume CXXIX
William C. White — Psalm 46
We are sad to announce that, due to the weekend’s dire weather predictions, we have decided to cancel our concert on Saturday, February 9, 2019. The good news is that we’ve got plenty more music to come this season! There are two more regular concerts and a three-concert chamber series. Some of the music scheduled for “Symphonies of Psalms” will find a home on these programs.
William White, conductor
Heinrich Schütz – Alleluja! Lobet dem Herren!, SWV 38
Caroline Shaw – and the swallow
Igor Stravinsky – Symphony of Psalms
Antonín Dvořák – Žalm 149, Op. 79
Lili Boulanger – Psaume CXXIX
William C. White – Psalm 46
Spanning four centuries of music, William White leads Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers in a program offering a collection of the astonishing variety of responses that the Psalms of David have inspired in composers over the years.
We begin with music of Heinrich Schütz, the greatest of Bach’s German predecessors, in his energetic rendition of the 150th psalm. We are then catapulted to the present day with music of Caroline Shaw, winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music. The first half of the program is anchored by Igor Stravinsky’s deeply spiritual Symphony of Psalms, a work unique not only for its transcendent beauty but also for its unusual sonority: this masterpiece for chorus and orchestra employs no clarinets, violins, or violas.
Antonín Dvořák’s thrilling setting of the 149th psalm, a favorite of choral societies since its composition in 1879, follows intermission. Lili Boulanger’s restless Psalm 129 features a style that would be imitated in many film noir scores of the mid-20th century. Our concert concludes with music by OSSCS music director William White, a jubilant 2011 setting of Psalm 46, newly orchestrated for this performance.
Tickets: $25 ($20 seniors / $10 students / youth free)