Hello everyone,
Last
night the Morgan State University Choir performed with one of the
greatest musicians of our time - nine time grammy winner - Wynton
Marsalis at the Music Center at Strathmore. We sang All Rise composed
by Wynton Marsalis, originally commissioned by the New York
Philharmonic, and written for the new millennium. The Morgan State
Univeristy Choir sang the premiere with Wynton back in 1999. Morgan’s
choir also sang the official recording of this piece in 2003 with the
Los Angeles Symphony, so this performance was somewhat a reunion for the
choir and Wynton.
The
piece involves many different musical groups. Beyond the ninety
members of the MSU Choir that sang, forty members of the Choral Arts
Society of Washington and ten members of Chorale Le Chateau contributed
to the Mass chorus. Two disparate instrumental groups were also part of
the fabric of this composition: The National Philharmonic Orchestra
from Montgomery County, and the Wynton’s own Jazz at Lincoln Center
Orchestra.
All Rise
is as novel a composition as one would think Wynton Marsalis would
create. There are twelve movements. No two movements alike in any way!
When one hears this piece, you will notice a unique blend of classical
compositional technique as well as the Louisiana Jazz influence, both
which helped shape Wynton Marsalis’s career as he won Grammys in both
classical and jazz recordings in the same year!
Richard
Rogers was once quoted as stating how important it was to make sure
that there was a tune that everyone could hum as they left the show.
Well, this is precisely what Wynton did last night in the concluding
song of the evening with a Louisiana-soulful melody when everyone on
stage was singing, clapping and generally enjoying the merriment of
music making. At the end of the evening, the sold-out house was on
their feet, knowing they had enjoyed an extraordinary concert.
On
Sunday, we will have one more performance. Remarkably, this piece has
not been performed much since 2003. I am certain that after these
rousing performances, a revival of this work will occur. If you do not
already have your ticket, you will have to wait for the next performance
of this piece, certain to occur.
See
attached some photos from the program, rehearsals, and a link to a
snippet of the end of one of our rehearsals to get a sense of this great
work!
EC
YouTube link to rehearsal:
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