Music and a Silent Movie - Concert Program

MUSIC AND A SILENT MOVIE Featuring Trent Johnson, organist and composer

Sunday, November 14 2021 5pm at All Souls Church 1157 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10075

MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

W

elcome back!

We are so happy to see your faces again after many months.

We were fortunate to be able to produce a successful virtual season in 2020-2021, with your kind support and with the persistence and forbearance of our wonderful community of artists, and we hope that it brought you a sense of community, entertainment and enjoyment while we could not gather. We are grateful that the conditions in New York City, the diligence at venues like All Souls, and the responsibility of our whole community in getting vaccinated and remaining masked while gathered, allow us to come together to hear music in this beautiful, newly-renovated sanctuary.

This season has much in store, novel and beloved, that speaks to MVNY artists’ individualism as well as our collective experience. We begin tonight with Trent Johnson in a solo program he has curated around elements that are significant to his artistry – both his own compositions, and his long experience with creating live soundtracks for silent films. In January, we present Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed, a work he wrote as a personal response to the visual art of Shirin Barghi, and which centers the lives and experiences of the Black people at the heart of its narrative. We have commissioned the composer Gilda Lyons to write a new choral piece for our March concert, which addresses themes of ecology, nature, and climate change that Gilda herself is passionate about. Finally, in May, we present Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, programmed alongside the Symphonic Dances in an arrangement for two pianos by the composer, with Margaret Kampmeier joining our Artistic Director, Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez at the keyboards.

We are thrilled to be back in front of a live audience with a season that carries such significance as well as artistic variety and excitement. We hope to see you at every concert!

— Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, Artistic Director — Danielle Buonaiuto, Executive Director

—2—

Sunday, November 14, 2021 5 pm All Souls Church

MUSIC AND A SILENT MOVIE Featuring Trent Johnson, organist and composer Musica Viva NY Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, Artistic Director Trent Johnson, organ J. S. Bach (1685-1750), Fantasia in G major, BWV 572 W. A. Mozart (1756-1791), Andante in F Major, K. 616 Trent Johnson, Four pieces for organ I. II. III. IV.

A Mighty Fortress is Our God The Wexford Carol Serenity Toccata Festiva

George Walker (1922-2018), Prayer (An Offertory) Louis Vierne (1870-1937), Finale from Symphony 6, Op. 59

Intermission Silent Film: For Heaven’s Sake (1926), featuring Harold Lloyd Musical accompaniment Trent Johnson Screening print courtesy of Harold Lloyd Entertainment, Inc. Print restoration by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Packard Humanities Institute, and Criterion/Janus Films, in partnership with Harold Lloyd Entertainment, Inc.

All performers and concertgoers will be required to show proof of vaccination. Masks should be worn.

—3—

ABOUT THE PROGRAM Music And A Silent Movie

B

ach’s Fantasy in G Major, BWV 572, also known as Piece d’Orgue, was probably written during Bach’s early tenure in the town of Weimar, Germany, perhaps in the 1710s. It is a joyful work in three sections. The first section is bright, and written with a flowing figuration for hands alone. The second central section is realized masterfully in 5-part harmony with suspensions, modulations, deceptive cadences, and a grand spaciousness to great effect. The third section is a bravura coda with brilliant flourishes ending with perhaps one of the longest pedal points in the organ literature.

Mozart’s Andante in F Major, K. 616 is one of three pieces that he wrote for the mechanical clock organ. This luxury device was a clock connected to a small set of pipes that played music as well as kept time. Both Haydn and Beethoven also wrote music for this device.

Mozart’s Andante is today a lovely, delicate, and charming addition to the pipe organ repertoire.

The four pieces for organ by Trent Johnson receive their first performances today. They were written during the Covid-19 pandemic and are from a set of 10 new works for organ, out of a desire to contribute new music to the pipe organ literature, and as a way for the composer to remain musically productive during an international time of pandemic, isolation and general upheaval. The first two works are settings of hymn tunes. The first, A Mighty Fortress is our God, uses Martin Luther’s original rhythmic setting of the hymn tune, and the second is the less wellknown, though hauntingly beautiful Irish Christmas carol, The Wexford Carol. This tune is said to originate from County Wexford and dates back to the 12th century.

The next work, Serenity, mostly expresses the moods of tranquility and peaceful solitude. It alternates colorful soothing harmonies with moments of repose and contentment. To conclude this set of works, Trent’s Toccata Festiva is a lively work that uses staccato and legato contrast as musical partners. It loosely follows the rondo form with recurring themes and motives and concludes in a flurry of excitement.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker was a major inspiration, mentor and friend of Mr. Johnson. Trent had the distinct pleasure of knowing, learning, and interacting with him for over 15 years. Written in 1996, Dr. Walker’s Prayer (An Offertory) comes from a set of Two Pieces for Organ and is a gentle meditation, perhaps sending prayers upward.

—4—

ABOUT THE PROGRAM Music And A Silent Movie Louis Vierne was the organist of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris for 37 years and was a composer who contributed greatly to the organ literature of his time. He wrote symphonically for the pipe organ, and was the organ teacher of Nadia Boulanger, Marcel Dupré and Henri Mulet. Vierne’s Finale from his 6th Symphony is one of his most thrilling and exciting works for organ.

The silent film For Heaven’s Sake was released in 1926 and stars the legendary comedic actor Harold Lloyd. Commercially, the film was one of the highest-grossing films of the era, pulling in over $2.6 million, helping to make Lloyd the highest-paid film performer of the 1920s.

Harold Lloyd appeared in over 200 films and was one of the comedic giants of the early days of cinema, along with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Mary Pickford. Other highly successful and popular films featuring Lloyd are Safety Last! (1923), and The Freshman (1925), both extremely funny, even today. Harold Lloyd was honored in 1960 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was known for his bespectacled character, for performing many of his own stunts, and for his use of sight gags and physical comedy.

During the golden age of silent films, from about the mid-1890s to the late 1920s, silent films were never really silent. Pianos, theater organs, small ensembles, chamber groups, and sometimes full symphony orchestras accompanied these films. Chamber groups and orchestras often had scores written out for them, while an organist or pianist could prepare, memorize or improvise music “tailor-made” to the changing emotions, drama, and shifting moods of the film.

As part of its design, the theater organ often had available the use of percussion instruments and interesting sound effects, like bells, whistles, sirens, and thunder effects to accompany the films. The use of a single organist to accompany films proved to be cost-effective and the popularity of theater organs flourished.

Some may find it surprising that many silent films actually contain color.

Filmmakers often used color tinting and toning in certain scenes to add dramatic interest. For example blue might be used to depict night, yellow or amber to depict daylight, or red to depict fire. The decline of the silent film’s popularity began around 1927 with the release of the first film with sound-on-film technology. The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, was the first “talkie” and marked the beginning of the end of the silent film.

— Trent Johnson —5—

MEET THE ARTISTS

F

ounded in 1977, Musica Viva NY is a chamber choir of thirty professionals and highly skilled volunteers, based in Manhattan’s historic All Souls Church. Its mission is to bring world-class music to a widening community through its annual concert series, community engagement programs, and an ambitious artistic vision.

Under the baton of Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez since 2015, Musica Viva NY has been praised by The New York Times as an “excellent chorus.” Musica Viva NY has toured in France (2004), Germany (2006) and Italy (2012).

T

rent Johnson is the Assistant Director of Music and Organist of All Souls Unitarian Church in NYC and Music Director and Conductor of the Oratorio Singers of Westfield, New Jersey. He is also an organist at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where he plays the “Mighty Wurlitzer” organ for the Christmas Spectacular Show. He is a graduate of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and The Juilliard School, where he studied organ with Donald Sutherland, Peggy Haas-Howell and John Weaver. While a student, Trent was the Assistant Organist of the Brick Presbyterian Church in NYC. An active organ recitalist, Mr. Johnson frequently performs in the major churches of New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, Northern New Jersey, Europe, and Asia. He has recorded the organ works of his friend and mentor, Pulitzer Prize winning composer George Walker for Albany Records, and is a frequent collaborator with brass instrumentalists.

As a composer, he has written numerous works for chorus and orchestra, orchestral works, concertos, chamber music, song cycles, an opera, and works for organ and piano. Recent works include the world premiere of his opera Kenyatta, commissioned by Trilogy: An Opera Company, the oratorio Wittenberg - The Story of Martin Luther, his Hallelujah! chorus for chorus and orchestra, 10 Pieces for organ, written during the Covid pandemic, and his bass trombone concerto Across Continents, written for bass trombonist Darrin Millen, that will premiere in March of 2022 in São Paolo, Brazil. Trent is the recipient of grants from Meet the Composer, funding from the NEA, and is the recipient of the Wladimir and Rhoda Lakond Award in composition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City.

—6—

MEET THE ARTISTS In recent years Trent has developed an interest in the theater organ and in particular, accompanying silent films. He has accompanied many well-known films of the silent era including: The Phantom of the Opera (1925), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Nosferatu (1922), The Son of the Sheik (1926), The General (1926), The Freshman (1925), Safety Last! (1923), and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927).

E

steemed conductor and pianist Dr. Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez was named Artistic Director of Musica Viva NY and Director of Music of the historic Unitarian Church of All Souls in Manhattan in 2015. He is also Co-Founder of the New Orchestra of Washington and Artistic Director of the Victoria Bach Festival. He has earned accolades from The Washington Post as a conductor “with the incisive clarity of someone born to the idiom,” as well as praise from The New York Times for leading “a stirring performance” of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. At a concert commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the WWI Armistice (featuring the world premiere of Joseph Turrin’s cantata And Crimson Roses Once Again Be Fair) Oberon’s Grove wrote: “Maestro Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez drew rich, warm sounds from the musicians” in “a beautiful and deeply moving program.”

He is featured in El mundo en las manos/Creadores mexicanos en el extranjero (The World in Their Hands/Creative Mexicans Abroad), a book by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs honoring Mexican nationals who are leading figures in diverse artistic fields. He is the recipient of a 2016 Shenandoah Conservatory Alumni of Excellence Award for his exemplary contribution to his profession, national level of prominence, and exceptional integrity. He resides in New York City..

We hope you will join us for a post-concert reception downstairs in Reidy Friendship Hall.

—7—

MUSICA VIVA NY Staff Artistic

Administrative

Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez Artistic Director Trent Johnson Assistant Director of Music

Danielle Buonaiuto Executive Director Ray Henninger Operations Administrator and Production Manager Dinah Nissen, Esq. Marketing Director Barbara de Bellis Librarian Hannah Nacheman Digital Marketing Consultant

Board of Directors Melanie Niemiec President Bill Bechman Vice President Winnie Olsen Secretary

Lisa O’Brien, Esq. Treasurer Constance Beavon Shu-Wie Chen Dinah Nissen, Esq. Harold Norris

Kate Phillips David Rockefeller, Jr. Thomas Simpson

Advisory Board Seymour Bernstein Laurel Blossom Renée Fleming

Galen Guengerich Susan Jolles Walter Klauss Artistic Director Emeritus

Jean-Louis Petit Bruce Saylor

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for photos, videos, and more

facebook.com/musicavivany

@musicavivany

—8—

youtube.com/musicavivany

MUSICA VIVA NY PATRON SUPPORT LEVELS FOR OUR 2021-22 SEASON

B

ecome a Patron of Musica Viva NY today! We need your generous contributions to support the outstanding concerts and outreach programming of the Musica Viva NY choir and instrumentalists. There is a level for every budget, and you will enjoy special benefits as a measure of our thanks. Your contribution can be made as a one-time gift, or on a recurring basis.

PATRON LEVELS APPASSIONATO $10,000 and above ⚫ Up to four Musica Viva NY soloists will perform at your private event in the NYC area ⚫ Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Six complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating CON FUOCO $5,000 to $9,999 ⚫ A Musica Viva NY soloist will perform at your private event in the NYC area ⚫ Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Five complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating

CON BRIO $3,000 to $4,999 ⚫ Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Three complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating RISOLUTO $1,000 to $2,999 ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Three complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating ESPRESSIVO $500 to $999 ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Two complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Preferred seating CANTABILE $100 to $499 ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Preferred seating DOLCE $25 to $99 ⚫ Acknowledgment in program at all levels —9—

MUSICA VIVA NY PATRONS 2021-22

W

e are deeply grateful to our Patrons listed below for their support of our 2020-2021 season. Thank you for joining us! Your support for our outstanding Musica Viva NY artists, our high-caliber, innovative choral and chamber music performances, and our community engagement is vital and essential.

Corporate and Foundation Support Gunleif Jacobsen and Thomas Simpson Charitable Fund The Blackbaud Giving Fund The Heart & Soul Charitable Fund

Carri Lyon Winnie Olsen Marnie Pillsbury Fritz and Ingrid Reuter Madonna K. Starr Aracy & Klaus Winter

Appassionato $10,000 and above Susan & David Rockefeller, Jr. Melanie & David Niemiec

Espressivo $500 - $999 Lynne & Richard Allen Christina Bellamy Robin Bossert Miles Chapin Dixie Goss & Dan Cryer Mary Gundermann Kate Phillips Karen Steele Deborah Taylor Ned Whitney & Martha Howell

Con Fuoco $5,000 to $9,999 Don & Georgia Gogel Jennifer Shotwell Tom Simpson Con Brio $3,000 to $4,999 Shu-Wie Chen Dinah Nissen & Elizabeth Apelles Brenda Walker & Peter Swords Risoluto $1,000 - $2,999 Constance Beavon Bill Bechman & Tom Garlock Heli & Tom Blum Stillman B. Brown & Meg Raftis Lois Gaeta, In Memory of David Remember Baker Patricia T. Hayot & Ricardo A. Mestres Jr. Pamela Healey Kell Julliard and Harold Norris Rev. Dick Leonard

Cantabile $100 - $499 Four Anonymous Donors Anne Brewer Barbara Reed and Dan Schlieben Julie Brannan Peggy Montgomery Millie and John Liebmann Gayle S. Sanders Steven Lane Dolce $25 - $99 Three Anonymous Donors John T. Moran

This list reflects gifts received from June 1, 2021 to October 25, 2021.

— 10 —

SUPPORT MUSICA VIVA NY SPONSOR MUSICA VIVA NY There are many opportunities to play a role in bringing Musica Viva NY’s season to life as a sponsor, including: ⚫ Underwriting a concert ⚫ Underwriting the appearance of a professional singer or orchestra member ⚫ Underwriting an appearance by the Aeolus Quartet ⚫ Underwriting an intimate post-concert reception with the artists

Naming opportunities are available for sponsors.

Contact Danielle Buonaiuto, Executive Director at dbuonaiuto@musicaviva.org.

To find out more about other ways to support Musica Viva NY (including employer matching, volunteering, and monthly giving) please contact our Executive Director at dbuonaiuto@musicaviva.org.

SAVE THE DATES FOR THE REST OF THE MUSICA VIVA NY 2021-2022 SEASON SONGS OF STRUGGLE, COMPASSION AND REDEMPTION: Works by Bach, Thompson and Betinis January 23, 2022 at 5pm at All Souls Church IN NATURE’S REALM: A Musical Homage to Mother Earth March 27, 2022 at 5pm at All Souls Church SERGEI RACHMANINOFF: All-Night Vigil & Symphonic Dances May 22, 2022 at 5pm at All Souls Church Full details available on our website at www.musicaviva.org

— 11 —

Musica Viva NY is extremely grateful for the following help with its 2021-22 season from:

All Souls Unitarian Church (www.AllSoulsNYC.org) for Musica Viva NY’s meeting, rehearsal, performance, and reception spaces as well as for the facilities and events staff who help make all productions run smoothly

Greater than One (www.thegtogroup.com) for Musica Viva NY’s website and publicity design

Heart & Soul Fund, Inc. for its longtime support of our community engagement programming

Musica Viva NY 1157 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10075

212 794 3646 info@musicaviva.org