The Bible and Music

Last night I got to see the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir and orchestra perform Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms & Williams  Dona Nobis Pacem. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert, as it was my first exposure to both of these works. The Stravinsky was especially cool to me because I knew he has a reputation for having “weird” music (because he doesn’t follow typical chord structure and frequents dissonance in his harmonies) and seeing musicians play live I could see who was really into it or completely hated it. Another thing I noticed is that the Symphony of Psalms has a non standard orchestral instrumentation, most notably no upper strings or clarinet.

The second piece featured two singer soloists who were absolutely moving. The piece had an overwhelming feel of worship and getting to see it up close and personal was amazing. I really appreciated the musicians and could see them really enjoying themselves throughout the performance.