Months of hard work were recognized as the Flin Flon Community Choir shared in a rave review from a New York magazine last week.
On June 12, the FFCC performed “Lux Aeterna” at Carnegie Hall in New York City with an international chorus, part of a performance by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY). Members of the diverse chorus rehearsed throughout the year in their respective communities, and had three rehearsals as a group in New York City with conductor Jonathan Griffith before the performance.
Jeffrey Williams, an accomplished musician and the editor of online magazine New York Concert Review, reviewed the concert.
“If ‘heaven’ is really as many imagine, I would not be shocked if this music is being heard and played there,” wrote Williams.
“This is simply some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard, and at the risk of being accused of intellectual laziness I will respond that its transcendence simply eludes words. I will mention in particular the final ‘Agnus Dei – Lux Aeterna,’ where voices and instruments converge in a musical apotheosis like no other, as if the gates of heaven were opening and beckoning one to enter.
“The chorus was well-balanced, with clear diction and projected clearly. Maestro Griffith led with his usual skill, with careful attention to details and subtleties. It was a celestial journey of twenty-seven minutes. As Maestro Griffith lowered his baton, the sound slowly died away to complete silence. After about five seconds of this silence, the audience ‘returned to earth’ and gave the performers a well-deserved standing ovation.”
FFCC musical director Mark Kolt said he was “very pleased” with Williams’ review, though he noted that the process of preparing for, and performing in, the concert was a rewarding experience in and of itself.
“Reviews are the icing on the cake,” he said. “In this case, the reviewer certainly caught the spirit of it, and that’s a blessing.”
