Canterbury United Methodist Church will present the first performance of a work by the eminent composer Derek Healey on Sunday, November 19, at 5:30 PM, as part of a Service of Evensong.
Titled “Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for Canterbury,” the work is imaginatively scored for SATB Choir, Soprano and baritone soloists, strings, recorder consort, harp, organ, timpani and vibraphone. Lester Seigel will conduct the choir and instrumentalists. Dr. Healey will be in attendance at the performance as well.
The imaginatively-scored work is in a decidedly 20th-century musical style, utilizing wholetone and other impressionist-inspired devices, as well as an imitative polyphonic texture. Overall the work creates a haunting, mystical atmosphere, reinforced by the use of the King James version of the texts.
“Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis for Canterbury” was commissioned by Canterbury UMC in honor of Lester Seigel’s 25th anniversary there in 2014, and the work was composed in 2017. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.
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