Posts by Edward A. Kliszus

Five Voices in a Spring Garden
FEATURE STORY
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

Madrigal Music

The madrigal, Renaissance Italy’s great secular song, taught music to listen to poetry. From Arcadelt’s dying swan to Gesualdo’s anguished chromaticism, Monteverdi’s daring dissonances, and the sunlit fa-las of Morley and Weelkes, this essay traces how composers made sighs fall, flames leap, and lovers expire in sound. Along the way, it explores word painting, the poets of Petrarch’s lineage, and why these intimate a cappella part-songs still reward attentive listeners more than four centuries later.

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Musica Sacra Wraps the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in SurRound: The Earth Remembers. Photo by Brian Hatton
Choral Music
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

Musica Sacra Wraps St. John the Divine in SurRound: The Earth Remembers

Beneath Luke Jerram’s glowing Gaia, Kent Tritle and Musica Sacra transformed the Cathedral of St. John the Divine into a living hymn to our fragile, magnificent planet. From Renaissance polyphony to Rautavaara’s Rilke and Miłosz’s gentle apocalypse, every phrase shimmered with wonder, grief, and hope. Radiant soloists, an impeccable chorus, and immersive surround staging made this an unforgettable hour. Do not miss Musica Sacra’s 2026–27 season; your heart, and perhaps the Earth, will thank you.

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