The renowned avocational choir sets the bar high…
- The New Yorker • April 28, 2008
The Dessoff Choirs is pleased to announce its 2008-2009 season, one of our most exciting to date! Combining diverse and interesting self-produced programs with thrilling collaborations with the New York Philharmonic, our 84th year begins and ends with two of the most dramatic works in the choral repertoire: Honegger’s King David and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8: Symphony of a Thousand.
Join us on November 20th, as we explore the musical legacy of Biblical hero David, and on March 7th, when we travel this country’s musical routes, leading from shape-note hymns to Charles Ives, in a program to be recorded live. June 2009 brings our season to a climactic close, as we join forces with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall in Benjamin Britten’s powerful War Requiem and Gustav Mahler’s choral masterpiece, Symphony No. 8, both under the direction of Lorin Maazel. Dessoff is honored to be sharing the stage as Maestro Maazel leads his final performances as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. Limited discounted tickets to all seven New York Philharmonic performances will soon be available through Dessoff.
Click here for more information on individual concerts. Season subscriptions are only $50 and guarantee preferred seating, so order yours today!
Highlights from last season include Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, under the direction of Yuri Temirkanov, at Carnegie Hall; the U.S. premiere of Rued Langgard’s Music of the Spheres with the American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein conducting, at Avery Fisher Hall; a charming performance by singer/actor Dominic Chianese at our spring benefit; and a festive collaboration with St. Bartholomew’s Boy & Girl Choristers in Britten’s moving holiday cantata, St. Nicolas.
Thursday, November 20, 2008 8:00 pm
St. James’ Church
THE LEGACY OF DAVID
James Bagwell, conductor
Rachel Schultz, soprano
[to come], mezzo-soprano
Brian Cheney, tenor
Stephen DeFrancesco, narrator
Katie Geissinger, Witch of Endor
The Dessoff Choirs
Hosanna to the Son of David (c.1600) Thomas Weelkes (1576 -1623)
When David Heard (1975) Norman Dinerstein (1937-1982)
King David (1923) Arthur Honegger (1892-1955)
From the full-bodied Renaissance polyphony of Thomas Weelkes’ Hosanna to the Son of David to Norman Dinerstein’s moving portrayal of David’s grief over the death of his son, When David Heard, this concert spans centuries and continents to present a lyrical portrait of the Biblical hero David. The program concludes with Arthur Honegger’s masterful oratorio, King David, which employs chorus, orchestra, soloists, and actors to portray the life of this fabled leader.
St. James’ Church
865 Madison Avenue at 71st Street
Manhattan
Tickets: $35 Preferred Seating, $20 General Admission
$15 Senior/Student, 12 & Under (Free)
$50 Season subscription (guaranteed preferred seating Nov. 20 and Mar. 7)
Saturday, March 7, 2009 8:00 pm
St. George’s Church
BILLINGS TO IVES: The Shape of American Choral Music
James Bagwell, conductor
The Dessoff Choirs
Looking back to William Billings and other early American composers, this intimately-scaled program explores the development of choral music in this country from the late 18th through the early 20th century, when Charles Ives composed his pivotal 90th Psalm. Featured works include shape-note hymns, Hora novissima by Horatio Parker, and three works by Ives: Psalm 67, Psalm 90, and an excerpt from his cantata The Celestial Country. Period readings lend additional context in depicting how tradition and innovation have shaped the American choral landscape. Come be a part of our first live recording in years.
St. George’s Church
209 East 16th Street at Third Avenue
Manhattan
Tickets: $35 Preferred Seating, $20 General Admission
$15 Senior/Student, 12 & Under (Free)
$50 Season subscription (guaranteed preferred seating Nov. 20 and Mar. 7)
Thursday, June 11, 2009 7:30 pm
Friday, June 12, 2009 8:00 pm
Saturday, June 13, 2009 8:00 pm
Avery Fisher Hall
BRITTEN WAR REQUIEM
Lorin Maazel, conductor
Lionel Bringuier, conductor
Nancy Gustafson, soprano
Vale Rideout, tenor
Ian Greenlaw, baritone
Brooklyn Youth Chorus
The Dessoff Symphonic Choir
New York Philharmonic
War Requiem, Op. 66 (1962)
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
An instant classic when it premiered at the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral in 1962, the shattering impact of this unflinching cry against war is delivered in all its power by two orchestras, two choruses, and a trio of exceptional soloists, all under the direction of maestro Lorin Maazel.
Avery Fisher Hall
Lincoln Center
Manhattan
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 7:30 pm
Thursday, June 25, 2009 7:30 pm
Friday, June 26, 2009 8:00 pm
Saturday, June 27, 2009 8:00 pm
Avery Fisher Hall
MAHLER SYMPHONY NO. 8: Symphony of a Thousand
Lorin Maazel, conductor
Christine Brewer, soprano
Nancy Gustafson, soprano
Jeanine De Bique, soprano
Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano
Wolfgang Schöne, bass
Jason Grant, bass-baritone
Brooklyn Youth Chorus
The Dessoff Symphonic Choir
New York Choral Artists
New York Philharmonic
Symphony No. 8 (1906/07)
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
More than 300 artists fill an expanded stage in the crowning performances of Lorin Maazel’s acclaimed Mahler cycle and his triumphant career as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. “Deeply impressive and continuously exciting,” said The New York Times of Maazel’s Mahler, “Clearly, he should keep the Mahler coming.” This once-in-a-lifetime production is not to be missed!
Avery Fisher Hall
Lincoln Center
Manhattan