How fortunate we are to have performed in the magnificent Cathedral of St. Mark's in Venice in April! At the inaugural concert for the 900th anniversary of the reconsecration of the Cathedral (on completion of renovations in 1094), Gloriae Dei Brass and Gloriae Dei Cantores of the Community of Jesus in Orleans MA performed in the Venetian tradition, adding instrumental voicing to the choir and at times independent antiphonal choirs. The highlight for the brass was Gabrielli's Canzone Duodecimi Toni in ten parts.
As has often been noted, some of the biggest blessings come out of the greatest labors -- in this case, rehearsal difficulties. Emotions are often fragile on tour, so it was a challenge when our rehearsal time was cut by an hour! The choir needed most of the available time, which gave us about five harried minutes on the Canzone. While we knew the piece, having played it on tour in America, we had hoped to try antiphonal possibilities from the various galleries in St. Mark's. But this was not to be, and our vocal coach/acoustical analyst Craig Timberlake assured us that performing en masse up front would work fine -- the domes would take care of the rest. And so they did!
We had rehearsed against the din of hundreds (no exaggeration) of milling, conversing tourists, so we had no idea how the building would respond for the concert. Now, as we filed in, we had an audience, an invitation-only crowd that filled the sanctuary, and we were beyond nerves, just wanting to be done! But we were thrilled for the next four minutes, realizing what a master Giovanni Gabrielli was in crafting this music from his Sacrae Symphony to fit the Byzantine basilica. The building and domes took the sound, mixing and amplifying it in a way that enhanced and made sense of the piece -- harmonies and crescendos that we'd never heard before, phrases so effortless to play and shape. The whole concert was like that; the timelessness of the polyphony enabled us to reach back and touch the time from which it came as well as experience its validity for today and the future.
We had "returned home" with this worshipful music; we will always remember our time there and be grateful for the privilege.
Br. Nathanael Reese and Sr. Victoria McNeil play horn in the brass ensemble and band and sing in the choir of the Community of Jesus in Orleans (Cape Cod) MA.