Skip to main content

From Mozart to Stravinsky...


Our beloved 2011-2012 manager, Abigail Droge '12, writes about our performance of Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms with the YSO:

From Classical to Neoclassical – as Rachel Glodo ’12 reminded us in her brilliant and witty pre-concert pep talk, within two weeks the Glee Club has embraced both Mozart and Stravinsky.  And what a wonderful journey it has been. 

Of all the pieces that I have sung with the Glee Club, the Symphony of Psalms is perhaps the one that transformed the most for me over the course of the year. When we first began rehearsals, it was difficult to find my notes amongst the dissonance.  But as we became more and more familiar with the piece, and especially when we were able to hear it with the orchestra, I came to appreciate its beauty and emotion on a different level.  The desperation of the opening movement, a setting of Psalm 38 (“Hear my prayer, O Lord … For I am a stranger with Thee”) only increases the monumental power of Psalm 40 in the second movement (“I waited patiently for the Lord: and He inclined unto me, and heard my calling”).  And when the listener (and singer) reach the sheer beauty and resolution of the final movement, the words of Psalm 150 sound the sweeter for having been earned: “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.  Alleluia.” 

Singing with the Yale Symphony Orchestra affords not only the privilege of getting to make music with even more of our peers, but also the special joy of being able to work with YSO director Toshi.  His enthusiasm and commitment to the piece imbued the notes I was singing with deeper meaning for me.  One of the things I most look forward to in performing with the YSO is the opportunity of witnessing the collaboration between Jeff and Toshi and having the privilege of combining the genius of two great musical minds in our final performance.  It was also wonderful to be able to hear the YSO from the audience as they performed “Landings” by Stephen Feigenbaum ’12 (last year’s Fenno Heath Award winner for the Glee Club), and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, which captivated the audience from the first note.  It is a testament to the YSO that they can perform both a brand new piece and a piece with such a storied past in the same concert with so much commitment and grace.  

So, we managed to get through the night riot-free, but this was certainly a concert that I will remember for years to come. 

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Songs of Yale you didn't know about

Bram Wayman '09 delves into the depths of songbooks past. The views shared here in no way represent the official opinion of the YGC Blog nor the YGC... & c. & c. & c.* Though clear favorites stand the test of time, and the old song books of Yale are full of the high stupidity of yesteryear, a few gems that aren't often — if ever — sung today stand out for me. Some of these songs are beautiful, some hilarious, and some downright offensive, but they all deserve a second look, and I'm not convinced all of them should have fallen out of use. I'm no expert on the history of Yale songs, and have only picked from a few books, but here are ten songs of Yale that still bring a smile to my face. 1. "Old Tom Wilson." TTBB. One of Barty's cleverest arrangements, this piece is a song from the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky. It features vocal banjos, vocal beer-chugging that gets longer each time the jug goes around, lyrics such as "Big fat ga...

Vuvuzelas @ Harvard

On Friday November 19th, the members of the Yale Glee Club traveled to Cambridge, MA for our annual joint concert with our counterparts from Harvard. The concert is always the day before the big Yale-Harvard football game ("The Game"), so rivalry runs high. During the lead-up to the 2010 Game, there had been much ado about the possibility that both Yale and Harvard fans would be armed with vuvuzelas during the contest (the powerful plastic horns were eventually banned ). During our football medley, we found a way to get in on the fun in B-flat : John Clayton '13 juggles Yale vuvuzelas during "Lord Jeffrey Amherst Douma" The Yale Vuvuzela Consort (Mari Oye '11, Rebecca Trupin '11, Jason Perlman '11, Dylan Morris '11), with a portrait of its spiritual leader YGC alumna Kaley Sullivan '10 gets in on the fun More photo fun from the Harvard Concert: "The saddest tale we have to tell" — YGCers mourning the fact that we have to grad...

Beijing Day 1: Vocational School

Hey guys! Here are a few videos documenting our outreach event with the Beijing Vocational School. This school is dedicated to providing free education to the children of migrant workers, many of whom without this program would never receive education, become migrant workers, and continue to live below the poverty line. The YGC was so honored and touched to share our love of music and performance with these students, and we wish them the greatest success in all their endeavors! Entering the school The students at the vocational school performing - I Can Fly and a Chinese pop song YGC performing 'Neath the Elms and Raise Your Voices YGC and Students sing Little Innocent Lamb together! More to come of our first day in Beijing!

2009 Winter Tour Blog Finale: San Francisco

Below, Calhoun Sophomore and YGC Social Chair Emily Howell details the last few days of tour - our final concert, free time in San Francisco, our tour banquet, and the journey home. Day Six (Wednesday January 7th) and Day Seven (Thursday January 8th): Top Ten YGC Activities to do in San Francisco (arranged chronologically) 10. Admire Grace Cathedral. For those who, like me before this trip, haven’t heard of Grace Cathedral, it’s an Episcopal cathedral that’s one of the pride and joys of the West Coast. (Confirmed by multiple homestays.) After our free time, walking back to our rehearsal call, I come to the top of a hill, see Grace Cathedral for the first time in full view and exclaim, “Is that where we’re singing?” 9. Sing with the International Orange Chorale. The group, directed by Jeremy Faust, shares Wednesday’s concert. We perform almost our full repertoire, the IOC performs about ten minutes worth of beautiful music, and the two choirs sing three pieces together (Georgia Stit...