Trinity Church Wall Street Presents “Total Embrace: Bernstein at 100,” Celebrates New Organ in St. Paul’s Chapel, and Completes Webern Festival This Winter/Spring
“Life without music is unthinkable. Life without music is academic. That is why my contact with music is a TOTAL EMBRACE.” – Leonard Bernstein
This spring, Trinity Church Wall Street’s “indispensable and unmissable” (New York Times) array of free, ambitious musical offerings, many of which are professionally filmed, streamed live and available on-demand, turns to a celebration of the centennial of iconic New York composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. “TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100” will showcase a wide-ranging selection of Bernstein’s music, as well as that of related composer-conductors including Lukas Foss, Gustav Mahler, Pierre Boulez, Aaron Copland, and Trinity’s Director of Music, Julian Wachner, one of Lukas Foss’s protégés. The celebration launches during the April and May Concerts at One series in St. Paul’s Chapel, and concludes with a three-concert finale in Trinity Church (May 31-June 2). With a special emphasis on lesser-known and vocal compositions, the concerts will feature resident contemporary music orchestra NOVUS NY and a roster of North America’s leading instrumental and vocal soloists, all under Wachner’s direction. Pianist Lara Downes makes a guest appearance, performing the complete cycle of LB Anniversaries – works she has commissioned from living composers in tribute to Bernstein. In many of the concerts NOVUS NY will be joined by the Grammy-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street, with Trinity’s semi-professional choir Downtown Voices and the Trinity Youth Chorus also joining for the finale on June 2.
Trinity’s Bernstein celebration puts a particular emphasis on the composer-conductor’s relationship to Gustav Mahler, featuring all of Mahler’s song cycles for voice and orchestra. The Bohemian giant was a predecessor of Bernstein as conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and Bernstein was in large part responsible for raising the profile of Mahler’s symphonies through his many performances and recordings, firmly establishing all of them in the standard repertoire of orchestras around the country. Other repertoire highlights include Bernstein’s orchestral song cycle for six singers, Songfest; Arias and Barcarolles in its orchestral version; Halil: Nocturne for solo flute; and Serenade after Plato’s Symposium for solo violin and orchestra. The three-concert finale emphasizes larger-scale works, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, the final symphony of the “Wunderhorn” series (May 31). On the same program is Wachner’s Gaudé: an LB Anniversary for Large Orchestra, a tribute to Bernstein and a nod to his own series of occasional pieces he called Anniversaries. The LB Anniversaries commissioned by pianist Lara Downes from a variety of composers engage with the same theme. Rounding out the May 31 program is Aaron Copland’s Connotations, commissioned by Bernstein for the opening of Lincoln Center; during Bernstein’s tenure with the New York Philharmonic, Copland’s works were programmed more than those of any other living composer. For the Saturday grand finale of TOTAL EMBRACE, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Trinity Youth Chorus, Downtown Voices and NOVUS NY performing psalm settings by Bernstein, Lukas Foss, and Wachner.
Folded into the programming for the TOTAL EMBRACE series is the culmination of Trinity’s multi-season MASS REIMAGININGS commissioning project. With a particular emphasis on outstanding female composers, characteristic of much of Trinity’s programming, Mass settings to be performed include the world premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered and an encore performance of Paola Prestini’s Imaginary World of Wild Order: A Mass, the latter on a program with “Meditations” from Bernstein’s own theatrical contribution to the genre. World premieres of Jonathan Newman’s Mass and Wachner’s Epistle Mass will also be performed, along with the first of the project’s commissions, Daniel Felsenfeld’s Astrophysical Mass.
Leading up to the TOTAL EMBRACE concerts, St. Paul’s Chapel—which marked the 250th anniversary of its opening last season—will host a week-long festival to inaugurate its newly restored and relocated Noack three-manual pipe organ, beginning on February 19 with the annual American Guild of Organists President’s Day Conference. Performers include many of the world’s leading concert organists, most of whom have had a previous relationship with Trinity or the original version of this renovated instrument. Organists Peter Sykes, L. Frederick Jodry V, Nathan Laube, Katelyn Emerson, Paul Jacobs, Duo Majoya, and Peter Krasinski (accompanying the silent film Speedy starring Harold Lloyd) all participate in the inaugural week festivities, while “Pipes at One” performers throughout the spring include Daniel Brondel, David Hurd, Patrick Allen, Janet Yieh, Daniel Hyde, Renée Anne Louprette, James Kennerley, Donald Meineke, Kent Tritle, Michael Hey, Forrest Eimold performing with trumpeter Eric Berlin, and Trinity’s own Avi Stein, who curates the series. Trinity’s celebrated “Bach at One” series also continues throughout the spring, featuring Bach Cantatas performed by The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra.
At the end of the season in June, Trinity returns to the Time’s Arrow Festival begun last fall, focusing on the complete works of Austrian serialist Anton Webern. In keeping with the signature juxtaposition of early and modern music which is the trademark of the series, the fall Time’s Arrow concerts presented Webern’s works along with a sampling of the early contrapuntal composers whose direct descendant he considered himself to be, while the June concerts focus on the later composers he inspired, including Ligeti, Babbitt, Lutosławski, Heinz Holliger, Christopher Rouse, and more. Works by composer Marti Epstein, whom Wachner credits with sparking his own interest in Webern, are also featured on three of the programs. As in the earlier installment of Time’s Arrow, NOVUS NY will anchor the majority of performances, joined for the finale by The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Downtown Voices. Special guests Sandbox Percussion will perform the first concert of the series on June 18.
Rounding out Trinity’s spring schedule, in March Wachner and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street travel to Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center to perform the multimedia D.C. premiere of American composer Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields along with Bang on a Can All-Stars, reprising their Grammy-nominated account of the Pulitzer Prize–winning oratorio in which historic photomontages help recall Pennsylvania’s coal-mining past. The Los Angeles Times calls Anthracite Fields a “riveting” work “that gives powerful expression to the consequences of labor and the American labor movement.” More info is available here.
Finally, on March 4 the Trinity Youth Chorus under the direction of Melissa Attebury joins the Trinity Baroque Orchestra for a Compline Lenten Concert performance of J.S. Bach’s Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, and makes a special appearance at Queens College in Britten’s War Requiem on May 19. Trinity’s semi-professional adult chorus Downtown Voices under the baton of Stephen Sands performs works by Howells, Martin and Rheinberger in their spring concert on March 11. Both ensembles join The Choir of Trinity Wall Street in the finale of the TOTAL EMBRACE festival, and Downtown Voices appears in the finale of Time’s Arrow Part Two as well.
About Trinity Church Wall Street
Trinity Church Wall Street is a growing Episcopal community that seeks to serve and heal the world by building neighborhoods that live Gospel truths, generations of faithful leaders, and sustainable communities. The mission is grounded in Trinity’s core values: faith, integrity, inclusiveness, compassion, social justice, and stewardship. Trinity is located in the heart of Manhattan’s Financial District, where it has created a dynamic home for music. Serving as director of Trinity’s music program—as well as principal conductor of The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the period-instrument Trinity Baroque Orchestra, and contemporary-music ensemble-in-residence NOVUS NY—Julian Wachner also oversees all liturgical, professional and community music programming at Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel. Music at Trinity ranges from large-scale oratorios to chamber music, and from intimate a cappella singing to jazz improvisation. Many concerts at Trinity are professionally filmed and streamed live and available on-demand at www.trinitywallstreet.org/videos. Performances by The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Julian Wachner can be heard each Monday at 1pm on WWFM The Classical Network, www.wwfm.org.
www.trinitywallstreet.org/music
www.facebook.com/MusicTrinityWallStreet
www.instagram.com/trinitywallstreet/
www.youtube.com/user/trinitywallstreet
Trinity Church Wall Street: Winter/Spring 2018
Performances are free unless otherwise noted
Performances are at St Paul’s Chapel unless otherwise noted
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration February 19 – 24
Feb 19, 12pm
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration Opening Concert/NYC AGO Presidents Day Conference
Duruflé – Messe cum Jubilo
Bach – Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir, BWV 29
Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen, BWV 146
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street featuring soloists Molly Netter, Timothy Parsons, Luthien Brackett, Steven Caldicott Wilson and Jonathan Woody; Julian Wachner, conductor
Feb 19, 2:30pm
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration
Peter Sykes organ recital
Feb 20, 1pm
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration
- Frederick Jodry V organ recital
Feb 21, 1pm
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration
Nathan Laube organ recital
Feb 21, 5pm
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration
Katelyn Emerson organ recital
Feb 22, 1pm
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration
Organ Concerti of Poulenc, Wachner, Rouse
NOVUS NY featuring organist Paul Jacobs; Julian Wachner, conductor
Feb 23, 1pm
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration
Duo Majoya organ duet recital
Feb 23, 7pm
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration
Silent movie – Harold Lloyd in Speedy with Peter Krasinski, organ
Feb 24, 1pm
St. Paul’s Organ Inauguration-Bach at One
Sei gegrüßet, Jesu gütig, BWV 768
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80
Der Himmel lacht! die Erde jubilieret, BWV 31
Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street featuring soloists Molly Netter, Sarah Brailey, Clifton Massey, Stephen Sands, and Jonathan Woody; Julian Wachner, conductor
Feb 26, 1pm (SPECIAL APPEARANCE at Mt. Sinai Hospital)
Bach at One
Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut, BWV 173
Erwünschtes Freudenlicht, BWV 184
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Molly Netter, Madeline Healey, Melissa Attebury, Clifton Massey, Timothy Hodges, Brian Giebler, Paul An, Edmund Milly; Julian Wachner, conductor
March 2, 1pm
Pipes at One
Daniel Brondel
March 4, 8pm
Chorister Compline Lenten Concert
Bach: Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, BWV 1083
Trinity Youth Chorus and Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Melissa Attebury, conductor
March 5, 1pm (SPECIAL APPEARANCE at St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church)
Bach at One
Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Molly Netter, Megan Chartrand, Luthien Brackett, Clifton Massey, Steven Caldicott Wilson, David Vanderwal, Steven Hrycelak, Thomas McCargar, Jonathan Woody; Julian Wachner, conductor
March 9, 1pm
Pipes at One
David Hurd
March 11, 3pm (Trinity Church)
Downtown Voices: 20th Century Masterworks for Double Choir
Works by Martin, Howells, and Rheinberger
Downtown Voices; Stephen Sands, conductor
March 12, 1pm (Returns to St. Paul’s Chapel)
Bach at One
Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12
Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!, BWV 70
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Elizabeth Bates, Sarah Brailey, Luthien Brackett, Timothy Parsons, Timothy Hodges, Brian Giebler, Paul An, Thomas McCargar, Jonathan Woody; Julian Wachner, conductor
March 13, 7:30pm (Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.)
Julia Wolfe: Anthracite Fields
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Bang on a Can All-Stars; Julian Wachner, conductor
Tickets here
March 16, 1pm
Pipes at One
Patrick Allen
March 19, 1pm
Bach at One
Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21
Der Herr denket an uns, BWV 196
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Molly Netter, Madeline Healey, Luthien Brackett, Clifton Massey, Timothy Hodges, Brian Giebler, Jesse Blumberg, Jonathan Woody, Thomas McCargar; Julian Wachner, conductor
March 23, 1pm
Pipes at One
Janet Yieh
March 26, 1pm
Bach at One
Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet, BWV 164
Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist, BWV 45
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Megan Chartrand, Sarah Brailey, Melissa Attebury, Clifton Massey, David Vanderwal, Brian Giebler, Paul An, Edmund Milly, Thomas McCargar; Julian Wachner, conductor
April 6, 1pm
Pipes at One
Avi Stein
April 9, 1pm
Bach at One
Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79
Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut, BWV 117
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Megan Chartrand, Elizabeth Bates, Luthien Brackett, Pamela Terry, Scott Mello, Timothy Hodges, Edmund Milly, Steven Hrycelak, Thomas McCargar; Eric Milnes, guest conductor
April 12, 1pm
TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Bernstein: Songfest
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn, arr. Klaus Simon
NOVUS NY featuring soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Heather Buck, Melissa Attebury, Luthien Brackett, Steven Caldicott Wilson, Edmund Milly and Paul An; Daniela Candillari, guest conductor
April 13, 1pm
Pipes at One
Daniel Hyde
April 16, 1pm
Bach at One
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106
Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, BWV 152
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Megan Chartrand, Melissa Attebury, Scott Mello & Edmund Milly
April 19, 1pm
TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Bernstein: La bonne cuisine & I hate music
Foss: Time Cycle and For Toru
Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (arr. Schoenberg)
NOVUS NY featuring Joanna Mongiardo, soprano; Julian Wachner, conductor
April 23, 1pm
Bach at One
Du Hirte Israel, höre, BWV 104
Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden, BWV 6
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Elizabeth Bates, Sarah Brailey, Melissa Attebury, Clifton Massey, Timothy Hodges, Scott Mello, Brian Giebler, Edmund Milly, Steven Hrycelak, Thomas McCargar; Julian Wachner, conductor
April 26, 1pm
TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Copland (Arr. Bernstein/Wachner): El Salón Mexico
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Snider: Mass for the Endangered (world premiere)
NOVUS NY and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street featuring John McVeigh, tenor and Stephen Salters, baritone; Julian Wachner, conductor
April 27, 1pm
Pipes at One
Renée Anne Louprette
April 30, 1pm
Bach at One
Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8
Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut, BWV 113
Trinity Baroque Orchestra and soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street: Madeline Healey, Molly Netter, Melissa Attebury, Clifton Massey, Timothy Hodges, Brian Giebler, Paul An, Jonathan Woody; Julian Wachner, conductor
May 3, 1pm
TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Mahler: Kindertotenlieder (arr.Riehn)
Wachner: Epistle Mass (world premiere)
NOVUS NY and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street with soloist Stephen Salters, baritone; Julian Wachner, conductor
May 4, 1pm
Pipes at One
James Kennerley
May 10, 1pm
TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Boulez : Le Marteau sans maître
Felsenfeld: Astrophysical Mass
NOVUS NY and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Sarah Brailey, soprano; Kirsten Sollek, contralto; Julian Wachner, conductor
May 11, 1pm
Pipes at One
Donald Meineke
May 17, 1pm
TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Bernstein: Arias and Barcarolles
Newman: Mass (world premiere)
NOVUS NY and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street with Melissa Attebury, mezzo-soprano and Christopher Herbert, baritone; Julian Wachner, conductor
May 18, 1pm
Pipes at One
Kent Tritle
May 19, 8pm (SPECIAL APPEARANCE at Queens College)
Britten’s War Requiem
Trinity Youth Chorus; Melissa Attebury, conductor
May 24, 1pm
TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Bernstein: Halil
Bernstein: “Meditations” from Mass
Bernstein: Serenade after Plato’s Symposium
Prestini: Imaginary World of Wild Order: A Mass
NOVUS NY and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Ashley Bathgate, cello; Melissa Baker, flute; Katie Hyun, violin; Julian Wachner, conductor
May 25, 1pm
Pipes at One
Michael Hey
May 31, 1pm Concert at One Finale
TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Wachner: Gaudé: an LB Anniversary for Large Orchestra
Copland: Connotations
Mahler: Symphony No. 4
NOVUS NY; Jessica Muirhead, soprano; Julian Wachner, conductor
June 1, 1pm
TOTAL EMBRACE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Bernstein: Anniversaries
Lara Downes, piano
June 2, 8pm
TOTAL EMBRACE FINALE: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Wachner: Jubilate Deo and Psalm Cycle III
Foss: Psalms
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Downtown Voices, Trinity Youth Chorus, and NOVUS NY; Julian Wachner, conductor
June 8, 1pm
Pipes at One
Forrest Eimold with Eric Berlin, trumpet
Time’s Arrow Festival Part Two June 18– 23
June 18, 1pm
Time’s Arrow Festival Part Two
Works by Epstein, Ligeti and Cerrone
Sandbox Percussion
June 19, 1pm
Time’s Arrow Festival Part Two
Webern: 5 Sätze für Streichquartett Op.5, Bagatellen für Streichquartett Op. 9, Streichquartett Op. 28, Streichtrio Op. 20
Epstein: Hidden Flowers and Phosphene
NOVUS NY String Quartet
June 20, 1pm
Time’s Arrow Festival Part Two
Ligeti: Violin Concerto
Wachner: Lamentations
NOVUS NY; The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Katie Hyun, violin; Julian Wachner, conductor
June 21, 1pm
Time’s Arrow Festival Part Two
Webern: 4 Stücke für Violine und Klavier Op. 7, 3 kleine Stücke für Violoncello und Klavier Op. 11, Quartet Op. 22, Variationen für Klavier Op. 27
Epstein: Oil and Sugar and Wonders of the invisible world
Holliger: Harp Sequenza
Rouse: Compline
NOVUS NY; Julian Wachner, conductor
June 22, 1pm
Time’s Arrow Festival Part Two
Babbit: Ars Combinatoria and Transfigured Notes
Yun: Cello Concerto
Lutosławski: Musique Fenebre
NOVUS NY; Julian Wachner, conductor
June 23, 1pm
Time’s Arrow Festival Part Two
Webern: Passacaglia Op. 1, Im Sommerwind, Six Pieces for Large Orchestra Op. 6, Kantate #2
Brahms: A German Requiem
NOVUS NY, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, and Downtown Voices; Colleen Daly, soprano and Stephen Salters, baritone; Julian Wachner, conductor
# # #
© 21C Media Group, January 2018