Event
Flood of Waters
The Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble brings a surge of musical colors to Grace Episcopal Church with the Chicago suburban premiere of William C. White’s biblically inspired “Flood of Waters,” Op. 34, a day after its world premiere in Chicago.
Commissioned by the Gargoyle ensemble and completed in 2018, the tone poem for brass, organ, and
percussion depicts the Great Flood from The Book of Genesis. The dramatic new work tells Noah’s story
in six scenes: “Rain upon the earth,” “Upon the face of the waters,” “He sent forth a dove,” “The
waters were abated,” “Upon the face of the ground,” and “Covenant.”
Concertgoers also will experience famous works from a new perspective, tailored to the bright
sonorities and wide dynamic range of the brass and the majestic sound of the pipe organ.
The concert includes the suburban Chicago premieres of two new Gargoyle-commissioned brass and organ arrangements: Olivier Messiaen’s mystical “Apparition de l’église éternelle” (Apparition of the eternal church), the French composer’s vison of “the heavenly church”; and “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from Richard Wagner’s opera “Lohengrin.”
“Blessed Are They” from Johannes Brahms’s “A German Requiem,” a sublime work originally scored for chorus and orchestra, will be heard in a brass and organ arrangement.
Jean Langlais’s rarely heard “Choral médiéval,” Op. 29, is a brass and organ piece from 1937, influenced by Gregorian chant.
For solo organ enthusiasts, the Gargoyle’s season finale program offers Wolfgang Amadeus’s remarkable Fantasy in F Minor, K. 608, which blends Baroque counterpoint with a foretaste of the harmony and expressiveness of the early romantic era. Also: J. S. Bach’s “Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele” (Adorn yourself, O dear soul), BWV 654, an organ prelude based on a Lutheran hymn.
“The Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble plays with warmth, elegance, and panache,” says Fanfare magazine. “[They] are perfect companions for the music lover in need of calming nourishment.”
Program
Jean Langlais: “Choral médiéval,” Op. 29
Olivier Messiaen, arr. Craig Garner: “Apparition de l’église éternelle”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Fantasy in F Minor, K. 608
Johannes Brahms, arr. Garner: “Blessed Are They” from “A German Requiem”
William C. White: “Flood of Waters,” Op. 39
Johann Sebastian Bach: “Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele,” BWV 654
Richard Wagner, arr. Garner: “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from “Lohengrin”
Performers
Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble
- Lev Garbar and Andrew Hunter, trumpets
- Abby Black, horn
- Ian Fitzwater, trombone
- Phil Bessette, tuba
- Nathan Ankrom, percussion
- Jonathan Rudy, organ
Stephen Squires, conductor
