Well, yes, go to church this weekend, but what I mean is come hear The Crossing give the premiere of my Mass for the Day of St. Thomas Didymus. More info here. A snapshot from the dress rehearsal last night gives a hint of how high the ceiling is in The Icebox.
The Crossing rehearsed my Mass for the Day of St. Thomas Didymus for the first time in The Icebox at Crane Arts yesterday. The space is a huge, very high-ceilinged plain white rectangle that was, so I am told, a meat locker. (Why on earth did a meat locker need to be so big, especially so tall? Were they storing cuts of dinosaur meat? Godzilla fillets?) The room is unusually resonant; cut off a loud chord, and you will still be listening to it 6 or 7 seconds later. It takes a little getting used to when you first hear the choir in there, especially if the music is something other than slow. Crossing Music Director Donald Nally wisely moderated the tempo in the faster portions of my piece, and I think the unavoidable - and in some passages desirable - blurring of the sound will not be a problem. The separation of the two choirs in my piece worked well, with the quartet and main choir on either side of the room across the shallow dimension. I take it the audience will be between the two groups.
The musicianship of The Crossing’s members is quite extraordinary, and the many short solos in my piece are being beautifully handled. Donald Nally is a highly efficient, meticulous conductor whose sympathy for the piece is apparent at every moment. I’m deeply grateful for everyone’s efforts. I hope to see you at this Saturday’s performance: June 28, 7 pm, Crane Arts, 1400 N. American Street, Philadelphia.
A few informal shots from rehearsal:
I was excited to receive over the weekend the schedule of rehearsals for The Crossing’s performance of my St. Thomas Mass on June 28 at The Icebox here in Philadelphia. While the last rehearsal is specifically identified as a session that I will coach, I will attend all the rehearsals. Conductor Donald Nally has been offering positive comments on the piece. He also told me - regarding attending the first rehearsals: “Just be warned, I tend to wrestle pieces to the ground in the first rehearsal or so….then they get back up and start dancing a little.” I’ve heard The Crossing make pieces dance on several occasions, and I know they will bring this piece to vivid life.
