Bach cantatas, American spirituals, global calamity

Shall We Gather at the River?

Reggie Gray and Reginald Mobley

Shall We Gather at the River?

By Kurt Gottschalk, 23 May 2024

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“we’re gathered by the river, the river that brings life and commerce, and it will eventually run dry”

Reviewed at Park Avenue Armory, New York City on 21 May 2024

Bach, Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot - Cantata, BWV39

Traditional, Let us break bread together on our knees

Traditional, Po' Mourners Got a Home at Last

Bach, Ach wie fluechtig, ach wie nichtig - Cantata, BWV26

Traditional, Can't you live humble?

Bach, O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort - Cantata, BWV20

Traditional, By an' By

Traditional, Sinner, please don't let this harvest pass

Peter Sellars, Director

Seth Reiser, Lighting Designer

Mark Grey, Sound Design

Reggie Gray, Dancer

Reginald Mobley, Countertenor

Nick Pritchard, Tenor

Molly Quinn, Soprano

Jonathan Woody, Bass-baritone

Wu Tong, Sheng

Choir of Trinity Church Wall Street

Oxford Bach Soloists

Tom Hammond-Davies, Conductor

An unlikely meeting of Morton Feldman and the blues

Kurt Gottschalk, 27th September

Sorey’s instrumentation mirrors Feldman’s Rothko Chapel in a moving evening of musical high drama at Park Avenue Armory.

*****

FLEXN at the Armoury : high and street on unequal footing

Ivan Talijancic, 26th March

FLEXN, a collaboration between Peter Sellars and Reggie "Regg Roc" Gray at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City, brings mixed feelings.

***11

An unlikely meeting of Morton Feldman and the blues

Kurt Gottschalk, 27th September

Sorey’s instrumentation mirrors Feldman’s Rothko Chapel in a moving evening of musical high drama at Park Avenue Armory.

*****

Steve Reich world premiere in New York

Stephen Pritchard, 6th April

London's new Centre for Music has much to learn from the Big Apple's mistakes.

****1

The English Concert at the Barbican: Theodora

Charlotte Valori, 8th February

Profound, fair and thought-provoking, Handel's Theodora argues for faith as a personal journey, not a political decree. The English Concert brought their rendition to the Barbican Centre in London.

****1

The English Concert: Theodora at Carnegie Hall

David Allen, 2nd February

The English Concert and Harry Bicket bring Theodora to Carnegie Hall, with Dorothea Röschmann, David Daniels and Sarah Connolly.

***11

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Kurt Gottschalk

Kurt Gottschalk is a journalist and author based in New York City. His writings on contemporary and classical music, jazz and improvisation have been published in outlets throughout Europe and America and he has two volumes of short fiction to his name. He produced and hosted the Miniature Minotaurs radio programme on WFMU and currently hosts Afternoon New Music on WKCR.

Bach cantatas, American spirituals and global calamity at Park Avenue Armory