This is my single favorite chorus of Mendelssohn. It is imbued with a tender compassion that touches me very much. Like other Mendelssohn choruses of this style, he saves the most deeply felt phrases for the very end when the chorus sings pianissimo and unaccompanied. One thing you would never know from listening: the organ accompaniment is one of the most awkward and difficult in the repertory. Our beloved accompanist Mark Kruczek plays all the tricky roulades with incomparable grace and elegance. Thank you, Mark, for all those hours of practicing!

– Dennis Keene, Artistic Director

MENDELSSOHN Happy and Blessed Are They

Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director
Mark Kruczek, organ

from the Delos recording Hear My Prayer ℗ 2004 Delos
The singers in this performance are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.