CENTRAL CITY CHORUS PRESENTS THE FIRST U.S.
PERFORMANCE IN THIRTY YEARS OF THE “PAGAN” REQUIEM BY FREDERICK DELIUS;
ALSO, “REQUIEM FOR THE LIVING” BY ELLIOT Z. LEVINE, THURSDAY, JUNE 4,
IN THE PETER JAY SHARP THEATRE AT PETER NORTON SYMPHONY SPACE
MUSIC DIRECTOR STEPHEN BLACK CONDUCTS BARITONE JONATHAN HAYS AND
SOPRANO ELIZABETH FARNUM, SOLOISTS.
Music Director Stephen Black conducts the Central City Chorus,
orchestra, and vocal soloists in the first U.S. performance in nearly
thirty years of the “Requiem” by Frederick Delius, sponsored in part by
The
Delius Trust
of the U.K. “Requiem for the Living” by Elliot Z. Levine, a work for
chorus and chamber ensemble commissioned in 2006 by Central City Chorus
for its 25th anniversary, completes the program.
Hailed by the esteemed critic Andrew Porter as “the crown of his major
compositions,” the Requiem (1916) by Frederick Delius has languished in
obscurity, when compared to his other large works such as “Sea Drift”
and “Songs of Farewell.” In Delius’s own words, the Requiem “is not a
religious work. It’s underlying belief is that of a pantheism that
insists on the reality of life.”
Central City Chorus’ performance of the Delius Requiem
(dedicated by the composer “to the memory of all young Artists fallen
in the war”) will be the first U.S. performance of this work in nearly
thirty years, and occurs in the 75th anniversary year of the composer’s
death. This large-scale work suffered the fate of being shunned by
champions of Delius’s music during his lifetime, in part because of its
inflammatory texts decrying organized religion. Since then, the Requiem
has languished in almost total anonymity. Historically, the Requiem is
important as the first major English work entitled ‘Requiem’ to use
non-Latin poetic texts in response to war. Our landmark performance of
the Delius Requiem is sponsored in part by a generous grant from the
Delius Trust in the U.K.
Requiem for the Living by New York City composer Elliot
Z. Levine was commissioned by the Central City Chorus for its 25th
anniversary in 2006, and this will be its second performance. The work
is based on the poem “Requiem for the Living” by the English poet C.
Day Lewis and is scored for chorus, chamber ensemble, and soloists.
Stephen M.
Black
is an active conductor and performer in New York City. A graduate of
the Yale School of Music, he is the Director of Music at St. Joseph’s
Church Yorkville on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. In April 2008 he
led the church’s choral ensembles in a concert of music by Arvo
Pärt,
Aaron Jay Kernis, and J.S. Bach on the occasion of Pope Benedict XVI’s
visit to the parish. In addition to his positions with St. Joseph’s
Church and Central City Chorus, he conducts the Brearley Singers. In
the last three years he has led performances of Bach’s Magnificat and
Christmas Oratorio with the Central City Chorus, Haydn’s Paukenmesse
and Duruflé’s Requiem with the Brearley Singers, and Mozart’s
Vespers
K. 339 with the St. Joseph’s Singers. In addition, he has prepared
choruses for performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Riverside
Church with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah
with the Astoria Symphony. Mr. Black has also given New York City
premieres of works by Stefan Weisman, Emma Lou Diemer, and Emmy-award
winning composer Steve Heitzeg.
Elizabeth Farnum, soprano, has been praised by The New
York Times for her “honeyed tone,” and is one of today’s most highly
sought-after vocalists. Widely known for her high level of
musicianship, versatility, and range, she has presented modern works in
venues such as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, London’s Institute
for Contemporary Art, the American Academy at Rome, and the
Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, collaborating with such composers as Samuel
Adler, Anthony Braxton, Lukas Foss, Ricky Ian Gordon, John Harbison,
Peter Schickele, Charles Wuorinen, and John Zorn. In the oratorio and
concert fields, Ms. Farnum has appeared as soloist with the Brooklyn
Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Riverside Symphony,
the La Jolla Symphony, and Musica Sacra.
Jonathan Hays, baritone, has been hailed by audiences
and critics alike for his extraordinary breadth of vocal flexibility
and interpretive expression. A frequent guest of symphony orchestras
all over North America, Mr. Hays has performed the solo material in
works such as Handel’s Messiah; J.S. Bach’s Magnificat, St. Matthew
Passion and Mass in B Minor; Avodath Hakodesh by Ernest Bloch; Rob
Kapilow’s And Furthermore, They Bite and Polar Express; and Carl Orff’s
Carmina Burana, with organizations including the Orchestra of St.
Luke's, St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, the American Symphony Orchestra,
Toronto Symphony, Eos Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Musica Viva, the
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Alabama Symphony, the New Jersey
Symphony, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Also acclaimed for
his portrayal of principal roles in the operatic repertory, Mr. Hays
has appeared with the Washington Opera, Central City Opera, the Lyric
Opera of Kansas City, the Caramoor Festival, Connecticut Opera,
Connecticut Grand Opera and Orchestra, Opera de la Colombia, Cape Town
Opera, Syracuse Opera, Greensboro Opera Company, the Oklahoma Mozart
Festival, the Utah Festival Opera Company, Eugene Opera, and Yale
Opera. After an acclaimed performance of Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra with
the Caramoor Festival and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Paul Griffiths
of The New York Times wrote of Mr. Hays work, "...in all his
contributions, the nobility of his voice matched the nobility of his
bearing and his singing was consistently strong, lucid, direct and bang
on the note. His was a magnificent performance."
Central City Chorus, one of the premiere mid-sized
choruses in New York City, is in its 28th season. Currently in
residence at the historic Church of St. John the Baptist in Manhattan,
the chorus performs music of all periods, from a cappella compositions
to works for chorus and orchestra, with a focus on English-language
music from countries around the world. Founded in 1981 at Central
Presbyterian Church, Park Avenue, the chorus rose to prominence under
the leadership of its longest-serving director, Charles Pilling. During
Mr. Pilling’s tenure the chorus garnered reviews from The New York
Times and other prominent media outlets for its performances of works
by Benjamin Britten, Henry Purcell, and other British composers. In
particular, the chorus developed a reputation for its regular concert
performances of Purcell operas. In 1992 the chorus gave the New York
City premiere of Benjamin Britten’s Company of Heaven. Central City
Chorus continues this tradition this season in performances of William
Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with the Empire State Youth Orchestra, and
the Frederick Delius Requiem. In 2007 Central City Chorus received the
Omega Ensemble’s ‘Gift to the City’ award, given to an artist or
ensemble that has made an outstanding contribution to the musical life
of New York City.
For more information, please
contact The Central City
Chorus