|
The year 2005 marked the culmination of several projects for SDG. Early in the year, SDG collaborated once again with the Conservatory of Music at Wheaton College on two performances of Handel's Messiah, featuring the college's orchestra and combined choruses, and soloists Twyla Robinson, Daniel Taylor, Ben Heppner and Gerard Sundberg. |
On April 23 and 24, SDG supporters celebrated the premiere performances of Songs of Bathsheba, an SDG-commissioned oratorio written by Israeli composer Gil Shohat. The performances took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and soprano soloist Twyla Robinson, all under the direction of John Nelson. Songs of Bathsheba is based on the Old Testament story of King David and his mistress/wife Bathsheba, as recorded in II Samuel. The piece reflects on the story from the perspective of both characters. The part of Bathsheba is sung by the soprano soloist, using an original poem by Israeli poet Shin Shifra, translated into English by Shirley Kaufman. The voice of David is brought by the choir singing selections from the fourth penitential Psalm, Psalm 51, in Hebrew. The juxtaposition of these two texts, combined with Gil Shohat's dramatic writing, made for a powerful emotional expression that met with great approval from the Milwaukee audience. Songs of Bathsheba also garnered high praise from American Record Guide critics, Donald Vroon and Lawrence Hansen. The links on the left offer more information on the piece, its origins and reviews, as well as a radio interview with the composer, courtesy of 98.7 WFMT.
In June, Soli Deo Gloria took its Project Uplift concert sponsorship program to Ekaterinburg, Russia, where it supported a performance of Verdi's Requiem. Project Uplift is a series of concert sponsorships begun in 1996 to encourage the performance of great works of sacred music, around the world. The performance in Russia was presented by the Sverdlovsk State Philharmonic to a sold-out crowd of over 700. In addition to providing a grant to the orchestra, SDG subsidized the travel expenses of guest conductor, Mark Laycock, Music Director of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, who donated his services to the project. More information about Project Uplift: Russia 2005, including audio excerpts from the performance can found by clicking on the links to the right.
SDG finished the year with another Project Uplift concert sponsorship, this time in Yerevan Armenia. On December 16, SDG's Artistic Director, John Nelson, led the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus in a performance of Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor. The program also featured Beethoven's "Triple Concerto" for piano, violin, cello and orchestra.
