Voices of Connection: 05/18 Honegger: Final Scene from King David
Two years ago, Voices did its first-ever performance of Honegger’s dramatic oratorio King David. What a satisfying project it was! The piece is virtually never performed with top professional ensembles. But it should be! And we were so lucky to have terrific soloists (including the gorgeous Vanessa Vasquez, soprano, featured in this excerpt) and the great actor F. Murray Abraham as the Narrator, who really upped the ante for us all! In coming weeks we’ll play the whole piece in order so you can really get to know it. Today is just a sample! This was requested by two long-time members of our audience, Gretchen Dumler and Sirkka Kyle, and by one of the basses in the performance, Darren Lougee, who writes, “The alleluia at the end of King David is one of the most satisfying experiences for me, vocally, musically, and spiritually. The chorale-like cantus firmus and the extraordinary dialogue of “alleluias” together build, step by step, to an ecstatic climax.” Thanks, Gretchen, Sirkka, and Darren!!
– Dennis Keene
HONEGGER Final Scene from King David
Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director
Vanessa Vasquez, Soprano
F. Murray Abraham, Narrator
Recorded live in concert on January 25, 2018
Church of the Ascension, New York, NY
The singers in this performance are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.