The Choir of St. Luke in the Fields, under the direction of David Shuler, presents Music from the Sistine Chapel, featuring a new version of Allegri’s Miserere and Palestrina’s Missa Laudate Dominum, on Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 8 p.m. at the Church of Saint Luke in the Fields, 487 Hudson Street. There will be a lecture by Dr. Raymond Erickson at 7 p.m.
The Church of Saint Luke in the Fields is located at 487 Hudson Street in Greenwich Village, one block south of Christopher Street. Tickets for the concert are $35, and $25 for students and senior citizens. Tickets will be available at the door or in advance at stlukeinthefields.org/store. For further information, ticket sales or reservations, please call 212-414-7440.
Built between 1475 and 1483, during the reign of Pope Sixtus IV, the Sistine Chapel is famous above all for its magnificent decorations, in particular the ceiling frescoes by Michelangelo. But just as magnificent was the music composed for and sung by the Papal Choir. Gregorio Allegri gained renown primarily from a single work, the Miserere, and the famous abbellimenti, reserved for use at the Sistine Chapel. We will present the Miserere in a new version, researched by Ben Byram-Wigfield, demonstrating how the piece has evolved over the centuries into the version audiences know and love today. Along with motets by Allegri, the concert will include Palestrina’s double-choir Missa Laudate Dominum and motets by Felice Anerio, who preceded Palestrina as Papal composer.
The Choir of Saint Luke in the Fields is a professional ensemble made up of some of New York City’s finest singers, directed by David Shuler. As part of the liturgy at St. Luke’s Church, the Choir regularly performs masses and motets that date from the fifteenth century to the present. The Choir is noted for its performances of early music, and in particular for bringing works to New York City audiences that have not been heard here before. The Choir has presented the first New York performance of CPE Bach’s recently rediscovered St. Matthew Passion of 1769, the first North American performance of two major works by Telemann – St. Matthew Passion of 1746 and St. Luke Passion (1748) – as well as the first New York performance of Johann Theile’s St. Matthew Passion of 1763 and the first North American performance of Gregorio Allegri’s Missa Christus resurgens. The most recent recording by Saint Luke’s Choir, Music of Pierre de Manchicourt: Missa Reges Terrae and other works, was released on the MSR label in September 2016.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts
with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.