Rising for 3-part chorus and whatever instrument(s) are available

2008, 8 minutes

Commissioned by the Jane McMahan and the International Vocal Arts Workshop in Groznjan, Croatia

This piece is a setting the "holy holy holy" prayer (sanctus in Latin, kedushah in Hebrew) in a quasi-Gregorian chant style, but with the related or identical texts in Hebrew, Old Church Slavonic, and Arabic. The piece was written for and first performed in Croatia and Slovenia. The idea was to “surprise” the largely-Catholic audience with Catholic-sounding music in the sacred languages of the two other large religions in the region, plus my own tradition, which also has deep roots in the Balkans

The piece is antiphonal, and the three choral parts are mostly independent of each other. The result is a haze of sound around the audience from which individual vocal lines sometimes pop out. As voices enter and drop out, moments of sonic mass and repose alternate. The droning instrumental part, placed in the middle of the performance space, is not optional, but can be played by any sustaining instrument.

Scores

If you are interested in a "score" and parts for Rising, please contact Nissim.

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Performances

June 23, 2008: Slovenian premiere of the first section as part of a street theater performance by the International Vocal Arts Workshop in Grožnjan, Croatia (led by Jane McMahan) in Izola, Slovenia.
June 22, 2008: world premiere of the first section as part of a street theater performance by the International Vocal Arts Workshop (led by Jane McMahan) in Grožnjan, Croatia.
April 17, 2009: World premiere of the complete work by Worldmuse (Jane Macmahan, director), Sulzberger Parlor or Barnard Hall, Columbia University, New York City
September 11, 2010: Washington, DC premiere as part of the SCI Chapter of the composition division of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America's New Voices Festival, St. Vincent de Paul Chapel on the CUA campus in Washington, DC

The recording above is sung by Anne Donlon and Kate Smith, sopranos; Mollie Schwartz, alto; and Dylan Widjiono, baritone; with Kimmy Szeto playing violin. In a stairwell.