Transcendence
CONCERT NOTES
Angel Breathing Out - Alisa Bair
Text written by Dina Soraya Gregory
Music composed by Alisa Bair
Accompanied by Jennifer Jackson, Piano
We often think of angels singing, appearing, and even speaking, but not usually the power of their breath. Written in 1999, this poem was written at both the end of a century and a millennium when “there was a certain mood in the air; a mixture of fear, excitement, an expectation of change and a heightened sense of history and of our place in time.” (Dina Soraya Gregory).
The horses they are restless, the birds are ill at ease
I watch them from my window disputing with the breeze
I see the branches swaying beyond a sheet of glass
A storm upon the ocean is mirrored in the grass
What wind is it that blows here,
What change is come about?
I pray it is a good wind,
An angel breathing out
And if the fall of water could form a fleeting word
I’d run and ask the river what news she may have heard
In fairy tales they caution that weather is a force
It’s laden with intention, no one may shift its course
What wind is it that blows here,
What change is come about?
I pray it is a good wind,
An angel breathing out
I’m gone into the garden to calm the horses down
My eyes they fill with water, I waver like a clown
My spirit is excited, I’m nervous as the trees
Aware my soul is lifting, I turn and face the breeze
What wind is it that blows here,
What change is come about?
I sense it is a good wind,
An angel breathing out
Earth Song
Music and Lyrics written by Frank Tischeli
“When illness, poverty, and fear threaten us on every side, music remains a constant support in our lives – helping us remain grounded and secure no matter what comes our way. Earth Song serves as a perfect reminder of that fact. May we continue to always find peace in music – even when life overwhelms us and pulls us apart.” ~Frank Ticheli
Sing, Be, Live, See.This dark stormy hour, the wind, it stirs.The scorched earth cries out in vain:O war and power, you blind and blur,The torn heart cries out in pain.But music and singing have been my refuge,And music and singing shall be my light.A light of song shining strong: Alleluia!Through darkness, pain, and strife, I’llSing, Be, Live, See…Peace.
Selig sind die Toten, SWV.391
Revelation 14:13
Composed by Henrich Schutz (1585-1672)
Accompanied by Ken Udy, Organ
Selig sind die Toten,
die in dem Herren sterben,
von nun an.
Ja der Geist spricht:
Sie ruhen von ihrer Arbeit
und ihre Werke folgen ihnen nach.
Blessed are the dead,
that die in the Lord
from now on.
Yea, the Spirit speaks:
they rest from their labors
and their works follow them.
The Swan (Le Cygne)
from The Carnival of the Animals
Composed by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performed by Philip Keeve and Adam Hansen
The Swan (Le Cygne) is the penultimate movement of Camille Saint-Saëns’ composition “The Carnival of the Animals” and was originally written for cello and two pianos. Of the 14 parts of the whole piece, it was the only movement the composer allowed to be played publicly during his lifetime, as he was concerned the others would damage his reputation due to their light-hearted style.
Seal Lullaby
Composed by
Accompanied by Henrique Sousa-Gosney, Piano
Based on the opening poem of Kipling’s The White Seal, the Seal Lullaby is a mother seal lovingly singing to her young pup. The song invokes images of a dark, gently rolling ocean with a luminous moon watching over and protecting the world as it sleeps.
Oh! Hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
The moon, o’er the combers, looks downward to find us,
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.
Where billow meets billow, then soft be thy pillow,
Oh weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee,
Asleep in the arms of the slow swinging seas!
Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude
from Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Accompanied by Ken Udy, Organ
Jesus bleibet meine Freude,
meines Herzens Trost und Saft,
Jesus wehret allem Leide,
er ist meines Lebens Kraft,
meiner Augen Lust und Sonne,
meiner Seele Schatz und Wonne;
darum laß’ ich Jesum nicht
aus dem Herzen und Gesicht.
Jesus remains my joy,
my heart’s consolation and juice,
Jesus fends off all suffering,
He is my life’s strength,
my eyes’ lust and sun,
my soul’s treasure and pleasure;
Therefore I will not leave Jesus
out of heart and sight.
Out of the Deep
from Requiem
Composed by John Rutter
Accompanied by Ken Udy, organ and Philip Keeve, Cello
Out of the Deep is the second movement of Rutter’s Requiem and is a psalm that reminds us to look to and trust the Lord.
Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord:
Lord, hear my voice.
O let thine ears consider well:
the voice of my complaint
If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss:
O Lord, who may abide it?
For there is mercy with thee:
therefore shalt thou be feared
I look for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him:
In his word is my trust
My soil fleeth unto the Lord:
Before the morning watch
I say, before the morning watch
O Israel, trust in the Lord,
for with the Lord there is mercy:
And with him is plentеous redemption
And he shall rеdeem Israel: from all his sins.
Sonatina
From God's Time is Best, BMV 106
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Ken Udy, Organ
Be Still, My Soul
Arranged by C. Rand Matheson
Text written by Katharina von Schlegel in 1752 and translated into English by Jane Borthwick in 1855
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul:The hour is hast’ning on;
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone.
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side.
Be still, my soul.
Bogoroditse Devo
from Vsenoshchnoe bdenie Op. 37
Arranged by Sergei Rachmaninov
Bogoród̃itse D̃évo, ráduys̃i︠a︡,
Blagodátnaya Mar̃íye, Ghospód s Tobóyu.
Blagosloṽénna Tï v zhenáẖ,
i blagosloṽén Plod chr̃éva Tvoyegó,
yáko Spása rod̃ilá yes̃í dush náshïẖ.
Rejoice, O virgin mother of God, Mary full of grace,
the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
for thou hast borne the saviour of our souls.
My Song in the Night - arr. Elaine Hagenberg
Traditional American Folk Hymn
Arranged Elaine Hagenberg
Accompanied by Henrique Sousa-Gosney
In times when our lives seem like nothing but night, gloom, and hardships, it may seem that a higher power is deaf to our pleas. In those moments, like Asaph in the Book of Psalms, we can “call to remembrance my song in the night.” ~Psalm 77:6
O Jesus My Savior, my song in the night,
Come to us with Thy Tender love, my soul’s delight.
Unto Thee, O Lord, in affliction I call,
My comfort by day, and my song in the night.
O why should I wander, a stranger from Thee,
Or cry in the desert, Thy face to see?
My comfort and joy, my soul’s delight,
O Jesus my Savior, my song in the night.
Gloria in excelsis Deo
De Gloria RV 589
Composed by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Accompanied by Ken Udy, Organ
Gloria, Gloria!
In excelsis Deo!
To God in the highest!
OUR ARTISTS
Kenneth Udy, a native of Salt Lake City, earned his doctoral degree in organ performance from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. He has also studied at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Utah State University. Udy’s instruction has been under Clay Christiansen, James Drake, Cherry Rhodes, and Robert Noehren.
Udy has performed organ recitals throughout the United States and in Europe. A practicing church organist for over twenty years, he currently serves as Director of Music at Wasatch Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City. He often appears as guest organist at the Salt Lake Tabernacle and with the Utah Symphony.
In addition to teaching private students, Udy regularly conducts workshops and seminars in various areas of hymnology, improvisation, and organ repertoire.
Udy has filled several offices in the American Guild of Organists (AGO) including Dean of the Salt Lake City chapter for three years. He has served as District Convenor for the State of Utah and Vice Chairman of the AGO Regional Convention in Salt Lake City in 2003.
Harmonie Park Press of Detroit, Michigan recently published Udy’s book, Alexander Schreiner: The California Years. This is the first published biography on the early career of Salt Lake Tabernacle organist Alexander Schreiner.
Philip Keeve, Cello
At Northwestern University he performed in the Philharmonia orchestra and music fraternity ensembles, and after moving to Utah has performed with the Murray Symphony, Kensington Symphony Orchestra, and Amavi Chorale.
When not playing cello or working, he can be found on the slopes in the Greatest Snow on Earth or hiking with his German Shepherd.
