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| Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven (r) |
From our friends at the Cathedral Choral Society...
Cathedral Choral Society Presents a Classical Showcase of Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart at Washington National Cathedral
Final Performance of the 2013-14 Season
The Cathedral Choral Society, under the direction of Music Director J. Reilly Lewis will present Classical Showcase on Sunday, May 18 at 4:00 p.m. at the Washington National Cathedral. The performance will include Beethoven’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Op. 112, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Mozart’s 1785 Cantata The Penitent Davide K. 469. This is the Cathedral Choral Society’s final performance of the 2013/14 season.
“The pieces chosen for this performance highlight the brilliance of each man, with works both renowned and relatively undiscovered”, Music Director J. Reilly Lewis said. “The ‘Lord Nelson’ Mass is considered one of Haydn’s greatest works and Beethoven’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage is an alluring work that truly resounds in the spacious acoustics of Washington National Cathedral.”
Beethoven’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage is based on poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, A Deep Calm Reigns Over the Water and The Fog Breaks Up. The work depicts a ship in the calm before the storm and then a ship continuing on its way. This single movement piece was first performed in Vienna, Austria in 1815.
The ‘Lord Nelson’ Mass is one of fourteen masses written by Haydn. Premiered in Germany in 1798, scholars hail this work as arguably Haydn’s ‘greatest single composition’. Originally titled Missa in Angustiis (Mass for Troubled Times), the name changed after British admiral Lord Nelson won a decisive victory over the French in the Battle of the Nile.
Mozart’s 1785 Cantata The Penitent David was written to texts by Italian writer Saverio Mattei and is inspired by the Book of Psalms. First performed in Vienna, most of this work is derived from Mozart’s unfinished ‘Great Mass in C minor’.
“Washington National Cathedral in May is a wonderful place to spend a Sunday afternoon”, Executive Director Genevieve Twomey said. “For the close of our 2013/14 Season we invite people to enjoy the music of Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart in a glorious setting.” The grand culmination of the performance will be Mozart’s brilliant reworking of his majestic C Minor Mass, a tour-de-force for chorus, orchestra and soloists.
About the Cathedral Choral Society:
The Cathedral Choral Society is the resident symphonic chorus of the Washington National Cathedral. Now in its 72nd season, 130-voice chorus presents an inspiring concert season at the Cathedral and shares the joy of choral singing throughout the Greater Washington DC Area through its community engagement programs.
For Tickets: Regular priced tickets prices begin at $25. Tickets for children and students with valid ID under the age of 25 are $15. Complimentary parking is available in the Cathedral’s underground parking garage courtesy of the Cathedral Choral Society. To purchase tickets, or for additional information please call please call (202) 537-2228 or visit the website, www.cathedralchoralsociety.org.
At a Glance:
• Classical Showcase, May 18, 4:00 PM at the Washington National Cathedral
• Tickets start at $25
• Pre-concert conversation with J. Reilly Lewis at 2:30 PM
• Cathedral Choral Society, J. Reilly Lewis, Conductor
• Colleen Daly, soprano
• Kendra Colton, soprano
• Alexandra Christoforakis, mezzo-soprano
• Joshua Baumgardner, tenor
• Jeffrey Tarr, bass
