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.