“Nobody is meant to clap, and the music is not presented to an audience for approval; rather, it is meant to guide the mind out of the building into unseen heights and depths”
– from Nico Muhly’s piece in the NY Times on choral music.
This is a big part of why I so love the Emmanuel Music performances of my motets in the context of the liturgy at Emmanuel Church.
There’s a second performance of the St. Matthew Passion at Emmanuel tomorrow, 4/2 at 3 pm. (Probably OK to clap.) Check out this preview video: