QUINCY, ILL. --
The Quincy Symphony Orchestra will present "Chichester Psalms" as the finale to its New Encounters 62nd concert season on Saturday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the QJHS Morrison Theatre. The concert will feature works by American composers William Schuman, Samuel Barber, and Leonard Bernstein, and will include boy soprano Andrew Cliatt, and the choruses of Quincy University and Culver-Stockton College.
The first of two works by Leonard Bernstein will be the brilliant Overture to Candide, a charming and sassy curtain raiser based on two of the show's best tunes, "Oh Happy We" and "Glitter and Be Gay." Bernstein himself once called it a valentine to European music. Also on the program will be New England Triptych by William Schuman, former head of the Julliard School. Composed based on the church music and hymns of William Billings (1746-1800), the Triptych is a fusion of styles and musical language. The work has three movements: I. Be Glad Then, America, [Shout and Rejoice], II. When Jesus Wept, and III. Chester.
The orchestra will perform two works by Samuel Barber: his Essay for Orchestra, Opus 12, and his well-known Adagio for Strings. Barber originally composed the Adagio as the 2nd movement of a string quartet, but later transcribed it for string orchestra. The Adagio is Barber’s totally personal expression of emotion. The distinctive, lush sound results especially from the use of five flats in the key signature, which means that the stringed instruments almost never use their brilliant open strings. Arturo Toscanini conducted the first performance of both works on November 5, 1938 with the NBC Orchestra.
The Quincy Symphony Chorus and the choruses of Quincy University and Culver-Stockton College will join the orchestra on stage for the performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, first performed in New York in 1965. Bernstein selected texts from six different Biblical psalms and set them in the original Hebrew. The work is in three movements, and includes the entire texts of Psalms 23, 100, and 131, and partial texts from Psalms 2, 108, and 133. The work opens with Psalm 100: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands" and closes with Psalm 133: "Behold how good, And how pleasant it is, For brethren to dwell Together in unity."
The second movement of Chichester begins and ends with the celestial music of harps and a young boy singing the twenty-third psalm: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want". Andrew Cliatt of Quincy will perform the Boy Alto solo. Andrew is a seventh grade student at Blessing Sacrament Catholic School and attends The Crossing. He is a pianist, and has been active with the Quincy Community Theatre. Andrew is the son of Tom and Bea Cliatt of Quincy, IL.
Concert tickets will be available at the door or may be purchased in advance from the Symphony Office at 428 Maine, or from Wild Birds Unlimited, 3502 Broadway. The cost is $15 for adults and $12 for seniors. Children 18 and under are admitted free to all QSO concerts, and are encouraged to attend.
The $1,000 Grand Prize Drawing for the 5th Annual QSOA Raffle will be held at the conclusion of the intermission. The QSOA, hit hard by reduced state and grant funding, is holding a fundraising raffle and needs support from the community at large. Raffle proceeds will support the many programs of the QSOA, including concerts of the orchestra, chorus, youth orchestra, and youth chorus, as well as the in-school symphony concerts for more than 3500 third-sixth graders. The grand prize of $1000 cash, 2nd prize of four QSOA season tickets, and 3rd prize of two QSOA season tickets will be awarded. Raffle tickets are currently on sale for $10 each or 12/$100, and may be purchased at the concert, in advance from any orchestra, chorus, Encore! or Symphony Board member, by calling the Symphony office at 222-2856 or visiting the website at www.qsoa.org.
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