After Sept. 11, music became a great balm
for the psychological wounds of many Brooklynites, so it comes
as no surprise that the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks
will also be an occasion for the healing power of music.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Carroll Gardens will be the site
of a commemorative concert at 4 pm on Sept. 11. After its title,
"Musical Triptych," the concert will be divided into
three thematic sections, each telling a story through music about
that fateful day.
"The triptych was my idea," said St. Paul’s organist
and choirmaster Thomas Lee Bailey. "I saw I was thinking
in three parts. First, honoring the heroes. And I knew we wanted
to do requiem things to put it in that context; they had died
and [represent that with] traditional forms. And the third part
represents hope and the future. We have to have hope, or we couldn’t
go on.
"I thought about those European altar pieces in three parts
that tell a story. I thought it would be like a musical tone
poem."
The first part, "Heroes," opens with "Glorious
Hero," a selection from Handel’s oratorio "Samson"
followed by Cesar Franck’s organ work "Piece Heroique,"
played by Bailey.
"Requiem Aeternam" ("Eternal Rest") excerpts
the "Pie Jesu" ("Blessed Jesus") sections
from three Requiem Masses – Gabriel Faure’s, with soprano Anna
Fike; Maurice Durufle’s, with mezzo-soprano Desiree Baxter; and
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, with sopranos Jennifer Morris and Turia
Stark. It also includes Franz Schubert’s lied "Litanei"
(sung by baritone John Simmons) and Johann Jakob Froberger’s
"Le Tombeau de Monsieur Blancheroche," played by cembalist
Anthony Barone.
The final section, "Hope," begins with Handel’s stirring
"The Trumpet Shall Sound" from his "Messiah,"
sung by Simmons; a selection from Bach’s Cantata 31 ("The
Heavens Laugh, The Earth Rejoices"), sung by Jennifer Morris;
and concludes with the spiritual "He’s Got the Whole World
in His Hands," sung by soprano Andrea Morris.
Bailey said that all of the instrumentalists and singers are
donating their services for this program.
"I find many people with talents in my field who are looking
for a way to show how much they care," said Bailey. "Many
of us feel we want to do it right. Future generations will look
on the way we honor these people and what happened last year
and it’s important to show respect and honor those who died –
all the heroes – the many kinds of heroes that include just ordinary
people too. I was looking for a way to reflect on that, and look
to the future and hope, and what our faith and religions give
us. It encompasses all of those areas."
The church has a St. Francis altar with a book of remembrance
in which members of the congregation recorded their thoughts
in the days after Sept. 11, said Bailey. Visitors are invited
to visit the book and write their own thoughts during the day
and following the concert.
At Bargemusic
Also on Sept. 11, Bargemusic founder Olga Bloom will perform
on the famed musical barge at the foot of Old Fulton Street,
along with several other musicians, at 9 am in a program of "music
for all who wish to come." A retired violinist, Bloom founded
Bargemusic in 1977, and has a personal connection to the events
of last year, not least of which is that they have forever altered
the barge’s Manhattan skyline backdrop.
"I’m sad to say I saw the whole [attack]," Bloom said
in an interview last October. "I’m filled with sadness to
this day, and I think the sadness will remain for the rest of
my life."
Bloom told GO Brooklyn that she believes "beauty will help
restore wounds." She said that when the event happened she
was practicing on the barge as she does every morning, and that
it seemed "only proper to continue doing what we have been
doing all along."
"This is my retreat I think," said Bloom. "Playing
and listening to chamber music – probably a lot of people feel
this – is a safe haven. The concert will be spontaneous but profound."
Additional reporting by Lisa
J. Curtis.
"Musical Triptych" will be performed at St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church, 199 Carroll St. at Clinton Street in Carroll
Gardens at 4 pm on Sept. 11. For more information, call (718)
625-4126.
The Bargemusic concert will be performed at Bargemusic, at the
Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn Heights, at 9 am on Sept. 11.
For more information, call (718) 624-2083.
Both concerts are free.
