Sunday Afternoon at the Opera - Talbot: Path of Miracles; Theofanidis: Creation/Creator

Sunday Afternoon at the Opera host Keith Brown writes:

This is the fourth Sunday in Lent, the forty day penitential period leading up to Easter. During Lent throughout Christian Europe the opera houses traditionally would close, and sacred oratorio prevailed. Lent provides me with the opportunity to present choral music in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

One old Catholic tradition has to do with pilgrimage. The devout would journey to Rome, or to some location associated with one or another saint. Compostela in Spain was a very popular place of pilgrimage. I invite you to tread the Path of Miracles to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela. British composer Joby Talbot (b. 1971) will levitate you there by listening to his glorious choral composition upon the poetic text of Robert Dickinson. The text includes quotes from Holy Scripture and medieval devotional literature. There are four stages along the route to the martyr St. James' resting place in Compostela cathedral. The four movements of Path of Miracles premiered in 2005.The Tenebrae vocal ensemble originally commissioned the work from Talbot, but today you hear it sung by the concerted voices of Conspirare, directed by Craig Hella Johnson. Conspirare are based in Austin, Texas and have an international reputation in the field of a cappella choral performance. Joby Talbot's Path of Miracles came out on a single Harmonia Mundi USA compact disc in 2015.

We round out this afternoon's broadcast with a specimen of contemporary oratorio. His name may be Greek, but Christopher Theofanidis (b. 1967) is an American composer, born in Dallas, Texas. His compositions have been performed by topnotch orchestras all over the world, and he has received opera commissions from San Francisco Opera and Houston Grand Opera. He also has a longstanding connection with the Atlanta Symphony and their conductor Robert Spano.

It was for them that Theofanidis composed Creation/Creator, which premiered in April, 2015 at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Religions worldwide regard God as the Creator Being. We come to know God through His creations. Theofanidis put together his own libretto from various sacred texts, augmented by qoutations from various poets, philosophers and scientists. An actor and actress are heard in certain spoken word passages. There are six singing soloists, with Spano directing the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Creation/Creator was recorded live t its world premiere performance. It was quickly issued through ASO Media, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's own record label, in 2015 on one CD.