May 16 at 5:00 pm repertoire transferred from March 21st Evensong
Choir of St. Paul’s & Chamber Orchestra
Fanny Hensel | Lobgesang
Sarah MacDonald | Magnificat & Nunc dimittis in A-flat major
Elizabeth Kimble | Preces & Responses
Composed in 1831 for chorus, soprano and alto soloists, and orchestra the cantata Lobgesang by Fanny Hensel (1805-1847) was published for the first time in 2002. While Felix Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang of 1840 is still frequently performed, his sister Fanny’s is not well known. It was dedicated to the first birthday of her only child, Felix Ludwig Sebastian Hensel – named after her brother Felix, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johann Sebastian Bach, the cantata hearkening to the Baroque style of the third composer. Following a Pastorale for orchestra, the first chorus of the cantata, Meine Seele ist stille zu Gott, sets Psalm 62:1-2. An alto recitative follows drawing on the Gospel of John and Song of Solomon, revealing Hensel’s intimate knowledge of the Bible, as Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) would likewise demonstrate in his choice of texts for Ein Deutsches Requiem. The final chorus, Ich will von Gottes Güte, is based on a poem by the German pastor Johann Mentzer (1658-1734), Loblied, and a familiar German chorale on this text by Johann Balthasar König (1691-1758), first introduced by the alto voice.