O magnum mysterium

This past weekend was busy to the point of madness; in addition to my singing in four concerts in three days, my husband and I hosted my parents and one sister for the weekend and had a Gaudete Sunday brunch for our visitors and my husband's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. I'm tired today, but it was truly wonderful to spend time with family and to participate in such beautiful concerts.

Years ago, Robert Shaw started the tradition of Christmas concerts with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Choruses. When Shaw passed, the baton went to another local conductor who was less sensitive to the very religious nature of the programs Shaw had always selected and chose instead to do a more secular concert. It was nice enough, but attendance waned and the concerts lost their luster.

The baton passed again this year to Norman Mackenzie, the ASO Director of Choruses. I could go on for a really long time about how wonderful Norman is as a conductor and as a person, but that's another post. Suffice it to say that I count myself very privileged to sing under his direction.

It's always been fascinating to me how the same group of singers and instrumentalists can behave and react so differently to different conductors. There was a spirit present in this year's concerts that wasn't there in the three previous years I sang in this concert series. I can't explain it, but it was there nonetheless. People understood that this was something special and holy -- much of the music had the aching Advent sense of longing for Christ and/or marveling at God's incredible love and humility.

The two best pieces on the concert were, to me, Morten Lauridsen's "O Magnum Mysterium," sung a cappella by the ASO Chorus, and Olatunji's "Betelehemu," sung and accompanied by the Morehouse Glee Club. Two more completely different pieces of music it's hard to find, yet both of them were so beautiful that I found myself choking up at the same point in each song during each performance. (If you know the pieces, it was the soprano descant alleluia in the Lauridsen and the final refrain after the solo verse in "Betelehemu.") The Lauridsen was just piercingly exquisite, and "Betelehemu" was so full of joy.

As a member of the ASO chorus, I've had multiple opportunities to sing beautiful music with a chorus that sings beautifully well. I love and enjoy many of the works we've performed over the past several years, but there's very little that touches me in the same way that this concert of predominantly sacred music touches me. The only thing that saddens me is that for most people, the only time they'll hear music of this caliber is in a concert hall, not in a church.