MUSICAL MEDITATIONS ON THE WAY OF THE CROSS

The Cathedral of Christ the King will present its Cathedral Choir in the second of three Lenten musical programs intended raise funds for the disaster victims of Haiti. On Friday March 12 at 7:30pm, the Choir will present a dramatic blending of sight and sound in their presentation of Visions of the Cross, Musical Meditations on the Way of the Cross. All proceeds from the program will go directly to Catholic Relief Services earmarked for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Kevin Culver, Choirmaster at Christ the King relates that the stories and pictures of the human tragedy and devastation from Haiti inspired Christ the King’s musicians to become more involved in the relief efforts. Culver notes that “we felt that these concerts would be an opportunity for the Choir to not only offer their musical prayers but to highlight in some small way the ongoing need of continued relief efforts. The initial “news cycle” kept the people of Haiti in our minds and hearts for a couple of weeks, but now as the images begin to fade from our daily consciousness it is important to remind ourselves of the continued need for redoubled efforts, prayers, songs and dollars”.

The Stations, one of the most popular Lenten Catholic devotions has also inspired artists both visual and musical, for centuries.  It is said that the object of the Stations is to help the faithful to make in spirit, as it were, a pilgrimage to the chief scenes of Christ’s sufferings and death. The origins of the Stations as a devotional practice are traced to the Holy Land. The route Christ traveled from the place of sentencing to Calvary has been marked since the earliest days of Christianity, and has been the object of pilgrimage since the days of Constantine (4th Century AD). Gradually, a tradition developed around the course of events from Pilate’s house to Calvary. There is, however, no direct evidence of a set form of devotion until the seventeenth century, at which time the number of Stations was fixed at fourteen.

Christ the King’s meditation on the Stations will consists of a series of musical “illuminations” as well as large projections at each stop on the Way of the Cross. The projections for each of the 14 Stations are drawn from the works of master Renaissance painters of the late 15th to early 16th century. Kelly Morris, of the High Museum of Art and a frequent collaborator with the Cathedral Choir, has drawn together moving images of Christ’s journey to the cross. “The powerful visions that have flowed from the brushes of such artists as Hieronymus Bosch, Hans Memling and Domenico Ghirlandio not only decorate the walls of countless churches throughout Europe, but have the remarkable ability to flourish in our own imaginations. These masterworks are among the greatest treasures of the church because of their timeless power to communicate the passion of Christ.”

Likewise, the music for the program reflects the varied and diverse qualities of Lenten music from simple ancient chants to starkly beautiful contemporary settings. Culver notes that “…it is a testament to the powerful imagery and impact of the Stations that settings so diverse as medieval chant, 16th and 17th century polyphony by Byrd and Palestrina, an 18th century Baroque masterpiece by Johann Sebastian Bach and the imaginative sounds of 20th century contemporary composers like Arvo Part and Francis Poulenc work together in this musical representation to create a timeless fabric of sound and emotion”. The program will culminate with a deeply moving arrangement of the powerful American Spiritual Were You There?

(Above excerpted from The Georgia Bulletin)