The Cathedral of St. John the Divine continued its 2013/14 Great Music in a Great Space concert series, under the artistic direction of Kent Tritle, with Most Elevating of Voices, celebrating the musical legacy of Andrew Carnegie, on Wednesday, November 20th at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Listen to the full concert, courtesy WQXR:
Presented by Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Carnegie UK Trust, Most Elevating of Voices paired the Cathedral with Dunfermline Abbey in Scotland in a dual concert miniseries as part of a bi-continental remembrance of Andrew Carnegie’s generous support of organ and choral music. Carnegie made gifts of more than $6 million to support the purchase of some 7,600 church organs in the United States and United Kingdom. His creation of the Carnegie UK Trust in 1913 made possible the publication of a definitive ten-volume edition of choral works by some of the greatest Tudor composers.
The Cathedral’s concert, whose twinned performance took place in Scotland on October 12, featured music from the pipe organ, which Carnegie called “the most elevating of voices,” as well as choral music particularly associated with the Carnegie UK Trust. Listen to a clip from that concert:
The evening at St. John the Devine showcased the Cathedral Choir alongside the Oratorio Society of New York and the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Choir. It includes Felix Mendelssohn’s “Thanks be to God” from Elijah; George Frederic Handel’s “Worthy is the Lamb” from Messiah; works by 20th-century composers Herbert Howells and Edgar Leslie Bainton, both of whose work was supported by the Carnegie UK Trust; Tudor anthems by William Byrd, Peter Phillips, Thomas Tallis and Thomas Weelkes; and Organ works by Bach and Mendelssohn performed by Kent Tritle and Raymond Nagem.
Great Music in a Great Space reintroduces the legendary concert series held at the Cathedral in the 1980s. The 2013/2014 Season includes choral/orchestral concerts, organ recitals and the Cathedral’s signature holiday concerts with repertoire spanning from this celebration of Andrew Carnegie’s musical legacy to Bach’s St. John Passion and more. In addition to the acclaimed Cathedral Choir and Cathedral Orchestra, concerts will feature soloists including singer/songwriter Judy Collins, Metropolitan Opera baritone John Michael Moore, and world-music specialist Nina Stern with instrumental ensemble Rose of the Compass.