TOC Presents Music of Bernstein, Honegger
The Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, soloists and orchestra will present a concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 in the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Chapman Music Hall at 3rd Street and Cincinnati. The works to be performed include Arthur Honegger’s “King David” and Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms.”
The chorus is under the direction of Dr. Donald Studebaker, now in his sixth season as TOC’s artistic director. Members of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra will provide accompaniment. Three highly acclaimed soloists will join the chorus: soprano Camille King, mezzo-soprano Kate Butler and tenor Joseph Davisson. Well-known Tulsa voice Edward Dumit will be the narrator for “King David.”
Honegger composed the original version of “King David” in 1921. It is set to biblical texts arranged by René Morax. In 1923, Honegger reworked the piece into a large “symphonic psalm” which is now the standard for this work. It is a collection of 27 movements for chorus, soloists and narrator. The music and texts follow the life of David from his childhood as a shepherd, to the victory over Goliath, to his kingship of Israel. A member of the modern French group, Les Six, Honegger’s music demonstrates the styles that progressed from Impressionism into the 20th century.
“Chichester Psalms” was composed in 1965 for the famed Three Choirs Festival in England. This festival includes singers from the cathedrals of Chichester, Salisbury, and Winchester. Bernstein uses texts from six different Psalms and sets them dramatically for chorus, large orchestra and a boy soprano. The Hebrew language harks back to the origins of the psalms themselves, but in this work they are linked to the modern, theatrical style that became the trademark of Bernstein’s music.
Tickets to this performance are $20. All seats are general admission. Tickets are available directly from TOC by calling (918) 296-3415, online at myticketoffice.com or by calling the PAC ticket office at (918) 596-7111. Visa, MasterCard and Discover charge cards are accepted.
This concert is made possible in part with the financial support of the Oklahoma Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts, along with the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust.
For more information on TOC, visit www.toconline.org.
Updated 03-26-2008
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