David Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass) The Crossing & Donald Nally

• David Shapiro (1952 - 2011): Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass):
• 1 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): I. Introit. Unsung 03:24
• 2 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): II. Mercy. If There Is Mercy 02:51
• 3 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): III. Glory. Magnificent Structure 04:09
• 4 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): IV. Earth. Sumptuous Planet 04:56
• 5 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): V. The Adoration. Staggering, Elegant, Beautiful Thing 03:48
• 6 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): VI. Thankfulness 03:56
• 7 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): VII. Taking Away the Sins of the World. Sin 07:13
• 8 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): VIII. Spirit. Mystic Jelly 05:35
• 9 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): IX. Belief. The Truth 05:58
• 10 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): X. All Things Visible and Invisible. Tiny Things 05:16
• 11 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): XI. Substance. Giant Megalopolis 04:48
• 12 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): XII. Death. The Lucky Ones 09:15
• 13 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): XIII. Suffering 04:19
• 14 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): XIV. Resurrection. One Life 02:43
• 15 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): XV. Holiness. One God Further 02:31
• 16 Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass): XVI. Osanna. And We Dance 02:55
• Total Runtime 01:13:37

Info zu David Shapiro: Sumptuous Planet (A Secular Mass)

Der Komponist David Shapiro und The Crossing veröffentlichen Sumptuous Planet: A Secular Mass", ein Werk, das eine wissenschaftlich fundierte Sichtweise des Universums und der Natur der Existenz vertritt und dabei eine musikalische Form verwendet, die fest in der christlichen Messe verwurzelt ist. Auf diese Weise bewegt sich Shapiro auf einer interessanten Linie, indem er die Ehrfurcht und die Verehrung, die musikalische Messen zum Ausdruck bringen sollen, anerkennt und an ihnen teilnimmt, während er gleichzeitig von der Tradition abweicht, diese Ehrfurcht mit dem Glauben an ein göttliches Wesen zu verknüpfen.

In seinem Werk Sumptuous Planet: A Secular Mass (Eine säkulare Messe), geschrieben für den zeitgenössischen Chor The Crossing aus Philadelphia unter der Leitung von Donald Nally, verwendet der Komponist David Shapiro die musikalische Form einer christlichen Messe, eine der offenkundigsten religiösen Strukturen für ein Musikstück, um eine wissenschaftliche, atheistische Vision der Welt zu vermitteln. Auf der Grundlage von Texten des Evolutionsbiologen Richard Dawkins, des Physikers Richard Feynman und des niederländischen Mikrobiologen Antonie van Leeuwenhoek aus dem 17. Jahrhundert baut Shapiro auf der majestätischen Tradition der musikalischen Messe auf und adaptiert sie für zeitgenössische Ideen über Wissenschaft und Natur.

Das "Introit - Unsung" beginnt mit ekstatischen, sich auftürmenden Harmonien, die ein Zitat von Feynman vertonen: "Ist denn niemand von dem gegenwärtigen Bild des Universums inspiriert?" Die Imitation zwischen den weiblichen und männlichen Stimmen fängt die Ehrfurcht vor dem Wirken der natürlichen Welt ein. "Mercy - If There Is Mercy" (Erbarmen - wenn es Erbarmen gibt) fängt die Dichotomie zwischen Güte und Grausamkeit ein, indem es zwischen weiträumigen und knackigen, engen Stimmlagen wechselt und feststellt, dass der Natur moralische Unterscheidungen im Grunde gleichgültig sind.

Shapiro verwendet den Kontrapunkt, um "Glory - Magnificent Structure" zu vertonen, eine Hymne auf die ehrfurchtgebietende Majestät des Aufbaus der natürlichen Welt. Die Komplexität des Materials ruft den gleichen Rausch hervor, den man beim Hören der kanonischen Messen erleben kann, die vom Glauben an ein göttliches Wesen inspiriert sind. Nur wenn man Shapiros ausgewählte Texte aufmerksam liest, erkennt man die Veränderung der zugrunde liegenden Theologie. Die Tonhöhencluster zu Beginn, die anschließenden polytonalen Harmonien und die sich häufenden akzentuierten Einsätze in "Earth - Sumptuous Planet" fangen die mächtige Kraft des geduldigen Einflusses der Zeit auf die Erde ein.

The Crossing
Donald Nally, Dirigent

The Crossing
is a professional chamber choir conducted by Donald Nally and dedicated to new music. Consistently recognized in critical reviews, The Crossing has been hailed as “ardently angelic” (Los Angeles Times, 4/14) and “something of a miracle” (The Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/14). Formed by a group of friends in 2005, the ensemble has since grown exponentially and “has made a name for itself in recent years as a champion of new music.” (The New York Times, 2/14). Highly sought-after for collaborative projects, The Crossing was the resident choir of the Spoleto Festival, Italy in 2007; appeared at Miller Theatre of Columbia University in the American premiere of James Dillon’s Nine Rivers with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE); joined Bang on a Can’s first Philadelphia Marathon; and has appeared with the American Composers Orchestra, Network for New Music, Lyric Fest, Piffaro, red fish blue fish, Tempesta di Mare Baroque Chamber Orchestra, PRISM Saxophone Quartet, Toshimaru Nakamura, Dolce Suono, and in the summer of 2013, The Rolling Stones. The ensemble has sung in such venues as Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art; they made their Lincoln Center debut this past summer in a world premiere of John Luther Adams in a collaboration with the Mostly Mozart Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, eighth blackbird, Jack Quartet, and TILT brass.

The Crossing frequently commissions works and has presented over forty world premieres. Upcoming projects include commissions with Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, David T. Little, Joel Puckett, Santa Ratniece, Caroline Shaw, Kile Smith, Lewis Spratlan, Hans Thomalla, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and Toivo Tulev. The ensemble recently released two recordings on the Innova label: Christmas Daybreak– with world premiere recordings of James MacMillan and Gabriel Jackson—and I want to live – with the complete choral works for women by David Lang. Recordings soon to be released include Lewis Spratlan’s Hesperus is Phosphorus and Gavin Bryars’ The Fifth Century, both commissioned by The Crossing and on the Innova label, as well as Choral Music of Greg Brown on the Navona label. The Crossing is the recipient of two ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming as well as the Dale Warland Singers Commissioning Award from Chorus America.

Donald Nally
is responsible for imagining, programming, commissioning, and conducting at The Crossing. He is also director of choral organizations at Northwestern University and chorus master of The Chicago Bach Project. He has held distinguished tenures as chorus master for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Welsh National Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Spoleto USA, and for many seasons at the Spoleto Festival in Italy. He has served as artistic director of the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati and the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia. Among the many ensembles Donald has guest conducted are the Latvian State Choir in Riga, the Grant Park Symphony Chorus in Chicago, the Philharmonic Chorus of London, and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. His ensembles have sung with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Ballet, Spoleto USA, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, RAI National Symphony Orchestra, and ICE; his work is heard on numerous recordings on the Chandos, Navona, and Innova record labels. Donald is the recipient of the distinguished alumni merit award from Westminster Choir College and the Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America; he is the only conductor to have two ensembles receive the Margaret Hillis Award for Excellence in Choral Music - in 2002 with The Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, and in 2015 with The Crossing. His book, Conversations with Joseph Flummerfelt, was published in 2011.

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