Second Concert of the 79th Season

The title means "Bless the Lord in the congregation," and is from Psalm 26:12. It was composed as an outdoor processional for a great festival in the Piazza San Marco and inside the cathedral of San Marco in Venice. The intention was to have two large choruses marching through the plaza into the church, where they would join the organ and other instruments in an antiphonal performance. That is, the two groups would alternate in a sort of statement-and-answer manner.

In this performance, we have a relatively small choir, so the work must be performed in a different way. Also, the music was written in the seventeenth century, with other instruments in use. Maestra Debra Lynn has re-orchestrated the piece in a skillful way. In answer to my questions about adapting this work to our situation, she writes, "It's often done with just brass (in the USA), but since it was likely performed with shawms, sackbuts and strings, I've added some double-reeds and strings. I also added some timpani, which isn't quite period-correct (would have been a field or hand drum), but I thought it might be interesting to add some here and there."

It takes a great deal of historical know-how and musical skill to pull of something like this.

Menotti was an Italian-American (or American-Italian, as he preferred it) opera composer. He began to compose music at the age of seven, and, when he was eleven, he wrote both the music and libretto to an opera, The Death of Pierrot. Although he wrote in some other genres, he is best-known as an opera composer. He continued to write both the words and the music to his operas. In 1928, he was enrolled in the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he was joined by two other students, Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber.

His first mature opera, Amelia Goes to the Ball, was written in 1937 while he was at Curtis, and is only one of two of his operas written in Italian. The other was The Last Savage, written in 1963. He wrote the libretto for Samuel Barber's Vanessa.

He was a pioneer in writing operas for media other than the stage. As early as 1939, he wrote The Old Maid and the Thief for radio, but his most famous opera is one he wrote for television for NBC in 1951, Amahl and the Night Visitors. It was the first opera ever written for television in America, and it was such a success that, like Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, it has become an annual Christmas tradition.

The story begins on a cold winter night outside a humble cottage. Amahl, a crippled young shepherd, sits bundled up in a rough cloak, playing his flute. His mother calls him several times to come in, but he is awed by the starry sky and particularly by one bright star.

After going to sleep, the mother and child hear a knock at the door. The Three Kings and their page are there and ask to spend the night. During the night, the mother resents the fact that the kings are taking treasure to a child they don't even know, while doing nothing for her own crippled child. She sneaks across the room in the dark and tries to steal some gems, but the page catches her.

Amahl wakes, sees the page attacking his mother, and, without knowing the reason, sets upon the page in a fury. The kings awaken and tell the page to let the old woman go. She can keep the gold. They are impressed by the devotion of the son.

The mother is impressed by the Kings' benevolence and tries to return the gold. She wants to visit the child they are seeking, but says she has nothing to offer that child. Amahl suggests giving his home-made crutch to the unknown child who might need it. Then he discovers he can walk. Finally, he goes off with the Kings to find the child.

The distinctive and creative style of Bob Krogstad's arranging is apparent in this delightful and heartwarming holiday showcase for orchestra. With the clever weaving of several classic carols and holiday songs, this medley sparkles from beginning to end.

Sadly, Mr. Krogstad died two years ago. He was known as "Mr. Christmas" because of his many beautiful arrangements of Christmas music.

Matt Riley has always had a great interest in music ... writing it, as well as playing it. He grew up in a house without television and entertained himself by playing the piano.

He spent four years studying at North Central University and toured with university pop groups. Then he spent two more years studying composition and arranging at the University of Mobile. He has scored music for documentary films, for TV commercials, and has worked on music for NBC's The Voice. He currently is the Music Director for a large church, and lives in Minneapolis with his family.