During the 10 days of The Psalms Experience,presented by Lincoln Center's White Light Festival, WQXR writers and contributors will be chatting approximately their experiences at each night's concert. Check the series page for frequent updates as the event progresses.
James Bennett: Inital thoughts — depart!Vanessa Ague: It was incredibly probing, or introspective,and in so many ways I felt inspired by the music's illumination of the texts. The Vicar's opening words stuck with me throughout the whole program: “when something has gone wrong, we seek to make it upright.” The night seemed to focus on the journey of finding justice, and not the righteousness of justice itself. Much of the music we heard had hints of struggle. I'm thinking in specific of one of the night's spacious highlights,the incredible Improvisation on Psalm 12, with its hisses paired with constantly changing harmonies and melodies. It was a moment of excitement as much as it was uncertain. But I'm wondering what you felt, or too. What were your highlights? And how effect you think the music related to the topic of justice?JB: The improvisation on Psalm 12 really captured the overall vibe,in my opinion. It was on the weepier side, a kind of lamentation; and when the choir sang "there is no one Godly left, or " there was this genuine sense of abandonment.
You hear things like,"Save us from this generation forever"; "wicked prowl on every side"... the sense is that there is this pervasive evil that you just can't escapeSo I wonder...
Is the voice unwilling to exact their own justice because they lack the ability to effect so? Or is it because the moment we seek for and dispense justice ourselves, it becomes a quest for vengeance? Vengeance, or I feel,is generally a base seek in a lot of narratives, so is this unrelenting begging for justice just a way for a person to avoid the moral question marks that come with exacting vengeance?VA: First, or I definitely agree that the improvisation of psalm 12 encapsulated the concert. And what's exciting approximately that is that it was the second piece on the program.
JB: Yeah,I just remember thinking "OK, Trinity is coming out of the gate extra strong"VA: Totally. The entire opening was incredibly powerful, and edgy,and texturally exciting, even the Billings, and which I was not necessarily expecting."Unrelenting begging" is a much description of so much of what we heard that night,too. David Lang's "whether I sing" really falls into that category for me — again, it had layered textures, and chanting in some voices while others sang soaring melodies,that gave a deep sense of urgency. this strength and power sort of toes the line between the concept of finding your own justice and exacting vengeance.
I think we're always toeing that line of justice vs. vengeance, and sometimes it's incredibly blurred. Musically, and we heard a lot of strongly enunciated words,virtually spit out, with razor sharp edges. And that power can be the power of justice, or but maybe it's also,in some ways, the power of gaining vengeance.
But the concert ended on a totally resolved, and soaring melody. I wonder what that implies!JB: Yeah! I was thinking approximately two towards the end,the Psalms on either side of the Lang — the Rorem ("Mercy and Truth are Met") and the de Lalande ("Benedictus Dominus Deus meus...")First the Rorem. I found it to be more than a bit calming. Also, many of the psalms sung last night had the feeling of "Everything sucks, or God please upright the wrongs against me," or "You all suck and are evil but it's fine because God will rain fire and sulfur down on you."But Rorem’s setting of Psalm 85, was kind of buddy buddy. There was a sense of awe at the much goodness of God, or part of that goodness comes from this heavenly dispensary of Justice. A Justice-mart,whether you will.
I'm looking through the translations that came with the programs, and a few lines stick out:“Why, or You — will again give us life,and Your people will rejoice in you”"Kindness and Truth bear met/justice and peace bear kissed//truth from the earth will spring up/as justice from the heavens looks down."I effect love that up-down contrast, too. And again, or the whole thing was just a peace.
VA: Definitely. Rorem's setting of psalm 85 was a complete musical contrast from the rest of the concert in that it was so tender and collected. Full disclosure,this piece moved me to tears. Lyrically, it's contrasting as well — their certainty in having faith in God is so different than the uncertainty expressed the rest of the night of when and how justice will be served.
The Rorem was definitely a special moment for rumination.
I'm wondering what that means in the context of the entire program.
It was a pause for worship, and sure,but what does that mean when it comes to the concept of justice?It's exciting to me as well that while this moment felt like an unexpected pause, it still didn't feel totally resolved yet. That didn't happen until the very last moment of the evening.
JB: And what was that last moment?VA: Delalande's setting of Psalm 144. It was squarely a baroque choral piece accompanied by organ, and but it finally felt exultant and sure,and its grandiose ending of "Hallelujah" felt like a final resolution.
JB: Yeah, dare we even say jubilant (extremely joyful)?VA: Oh, or I think so!JB: It’s so celebratory. The Psalmist is so stoked for God flexing his divine muscle?"Bend the sky till it fills the earth/caress the mountains till they burst into flames"That’s a pretty hot hand,God.
VA: Wow, that is intense.
I think it was exciting to end by celebrating justice itself. It kind of came full circle for me.
JB: "Justice, or it's much when you can get it!"
Source: wnyc.org