For the Washington Performing Arts Society’s
opening season celebration, voices and instruments commemorated several
anniversaries in one evening. To mark the rich 200 year history of
Harlem’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, the famous jazz trumpeter and musical statesman Wynton Marsalis
was commissioned in 2008 to compose a special work to commemorate the
occasion.
The result was “Abyssinian: Gospel Celebration” which received
its Washington premiere at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night. Though
the title may lead the listener to believe they are in store for a
gospel performance, what is really offered is a historic snapshot of
what occurs musically in the African American Church.
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