Musica Sacra’s “Classics for Christmas” at Carnegie Hall offers a transcendent musical experience that celebrates the season’s joy and contemplation. Under Kent Tritle’s masterful direction, with luminous performances by Kathryn Lewek and Mariko Anraku, this concert reminds us why live sacred music remains essential. Seek out Musica Sacra’s upcoming season—your soul will thank you.
For the first time in 35 years, Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts returned to the stage. Envisioned initially by Ellington as a “Festival of Grace,” provenance for Sacred Concerts is informed by a broad spectrum of jazz, classical and choral music, spirituals, dance, gospel, and blues. Ellington’s compositional product in this venue consisted of a triptych of 34 songs originally recorded in 1965, 1968, and 1973 respectively. It can be argued that an august Ellington facing his mortality considered his Sacred Concerts among his most significant works.
Maestro Kent Tritle et al delivered an inspiring, splendid, diverse, and exciting musical program. Blend, articulation, intonation, and phrasing were superb, and conducting was precise and expressive.
