Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/23/2018
7:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Location
St. Pius Tenth Church
Categories
Come enjoy a sacred music experience in our brand new worship space, to be dedicated by Bishop Salvatore Matano on March 19th.
This is free and open to the public, and is the first of several that are planned.
For over two decades, the vocal ensemble, Musica Spei (Music of Hope), has worked collaboratively, without a conductor, to bring choral masterworks of the medieval and renaissance periods to audiences in western New York. Whether performing a sacred mass, Gregorian chant, a motet featuring a single verse of ancient scripture, a lovelorn French chanson, or a medieval mystery play, Musica Spei brings life to timeless music that continues to resonate with modern listeners.
On March 25, 1436, Pope Eugene IV processed to the High altar while hearing the soaring sounds of Guillaume Dufay’s newly commissioned work, Nuper rosarum flores.
“In spite of the terrible winter, rose flowers,
A gift of the Pope, now decorate this church
Forever dedicated to you, heavenly virgin,
Pious and holy:
This church with its great dome.”
Almost 600 years later, Musica Spei brings to life Dufay’s master work to help celebrate St. Pius X Church’s rebirth. It is said that Dufay incorporated the mathematical proportions of the new cathedral’s dome in this composition. Like the stout beams of this new church’s ceiling, in Nuper rosarum flores, the two tenor voices, singing a traditional Gregorian chant, provide a structure that supports the other four vocal lines.
The program also features several other Renaissance works composed for the Lenten season, including Victoria’s reflective Tenebrae factae sunt and Monteverdi’s passionate Adoramus te. When David Heard, by Weelkes, captures the devastating loss of David’s son, Absalom, while Lassus’ Dextera Domini sheds rays of light during the darkest hours of the Easter Vigil. In addition, the joyous anonymous medieval carol Angelus ad virginem is performed in celebration of the upcoming feast of the Annunciation on March 25. These rarely performed works inspire reflection, evoke beauty and summon hope for our world.
During the course of the program, members of Musica Spei will comment on the pieces and provide insight into their collaborative rehearsal and performance practices.
