SUNDAY AFTER EASTER, DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY,
ORTHODOX EASTER, APRIL 16, 2020
Composers Far Away Brought Near
9 short works by CFAMC Composers
PROGRAM NOTES:
“Victory!”
by Richard Cerchia
PERFORMANCE: MIDI Orchestra
PROGRAM NOTES: It’s very cinematic, called Victory! It starts with the foreboding sounds of the virus. And “Ives-Like” the opening of “Victory In Jesus” is heard in the trumpet and horns building to a positive climax, bringing the strings along with them. Its orchestrated for horns, trumpets, Strings and Timpani, all of it MIDI of course.
“Now Unto the King Eternal: Where to turn in times of global crisis?”
by Donald Wilson
PERFORMANCE MIDI Choir (Brass) & MIDI piano
PROGRAM NOTES A setting of I Timothy 1:7, a statement of faith in the Almighty — something we really need right now as a nation and indeed as a planet It was actually the first piece I wrote upon recovery from a near-fatal heart attack in 2005.
TEXT: Now unto the King eternal, Now unto the King immortal, Now unto the King invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever, Amen.
E-MAIL DONALD:
“Faith”
by Jerry Casey
PERFORMANCE: Jerry Casey, voice & piano
PROGRAM NOTES: One of my favorite verses is the Contemporary English Version translation of Hebrews 11:l,
TEXT: Faith makes us sure of what we hope for. Faith gives us proof of what we cannot see. Praise the Lord!
E-MAIL JERRY:
“Death Could Not Hold Him, Nor Plague nor Calamity”
by Ian Guthrie
PERFORMANCE: Ian Guthrie, piano improvisation
PROGRAM NOTES: Sometimes I feel like God is improvising with me, just as I can improve a certain shape. One thing I do know, however, is that victory is on the horizon, and the most profound victories are those which emerge from the deepest struggles.
E-MAIL IAN:
“Crystal Kaleidoscope – Garnet”
by Ken Davies
PERFORMANCE: Dr. James Boldin, horn and Dr. Mel Mobley, vibes
PROGRAM NOTES: Horn and vibraphone: instruments a world apart. Yet through only one 4-note pitch set, they mimic how a chemical equation might form a precious gem stone; like Christ connects His community.
E-MAIL KEN:
“Quarteto Quarentino”
by Greg Pascuzzi
PERFORMANCE: MIDI Orchestra
PROGRAM NOTES: I was deliberating to contribute something serious, but nothing came into focus. Then while doing yard work with my wife, the title “Quarteto Quarantino” came first, then the rest. While I’d like to be taken seriously, offering a bit of comic relief during this bizarre season seems a bit more important.
E-MAIL GREG:
“Yet I Will Be Glad”
by Larry Mumford
PERFORMANCE : Shasta Bigham, soprano & MIDI Choir
PROGRAM NOTES: Even faced with utter desolation, we have one comforting thought – there is One who knows both the reason and the outcome. Perhaps that fact is all we need.
TEXT: There are no grapes on the vines. There are no cattle in the stalls. Nothing is growing in the fields. Nothing is showing on the trees. Yet I will be glad that God is my savior. The mighty King is all I need. –Habakkuk 3
E-MAIL LARRY:
“Alone But Together”
by Bill Vollinger
PERFORMANCE: 186H MIDI Orchestra
PROGRAM NOTES: Several socially separated solo instruments play
over an ominous drum but also a 3-violin background of “Jesus Loves Me”, because “Perfect love casts out fear.” (I John 4:18)
E-MAIL BILL:
“Dark Times, But Still He Rose”
by Deeann Mathews
PERFORMANCE: 187J Deeann Mathews, piano improvisation
PROGRAM NOTES: The Negro Spiritual “He Rose” is actually part of a much larger Negro Spiritual called “Bright Sparkles at the Churchyard,” in which Christians among enslaved Africans in America expressed their faith that even though on Earth the wicked men who presumed to deny them freedom had control of their earthly lives right down to the grave, they knew that because their Savior rose from the dead, they would also rise with him. They had the same “blessed hope” of all Christians through the ages: the Spirit of God made it real to them even in the daily horror of their existence. Only “He Rose,” the portion that is suitable for nice Easter gatherings, is still available in most collections today. In this piano improvisation I have added back the dark emotions as a F minor prelude to playing the music of the well-known and bright F major chorus. In the struggle of these times, the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and that we shall rise again to live with Him is still our hope, a hope greater than all the challenges of this time.
E-MAIL DEEANN: