Once again, we are the beneficiaries of the beautifully wrought and insightful journalism of Lucy Gellman of The Arts Council of Greater New Haven. Gellman has perfectly captured the heart and soul of both the Chorale and the work we performed yesterday: Ernest Bloch’s Sacred Service (Avodath Hakodesh). Far more than simply a performance of a challenging piece with orchestra, Sunday’s concert was laden with import and intensity for the Chorale. Tackling a work that is as difficult, epic and spiritually significant as this one after three years of struggle, flux (losing members, gaining members) and endurance was at once an act of defiance, gratitude and communion. Gellman sensed all of that when she attended a dress rehearsal last week. Even if you were there to be part of the full house and standing ovation, read this piece: it offers the big-picture context that explains the true significance of this concert, which moved so many.
https://www.newhavenarts.org/arts-paper/articles/new-haven-chorale-takes-on-sweeping-sacred-service
