Sept. 25, the VocalEssence Chorus and Ensemble Singers will present a new work by composer Dominic Argento. Written as a memorial to his late wife, the soprano Carolyn Bailey, the work is titled Evensong: Of Love and Angels.
An article in the Sunday, Sept. 20, Star Tribune recounts how Argento was commissioned to write the piece for the centennial of the Washington National Cathedral in 2008 when his wife was already ill. He didn’t want to do it, but she urged him to accept the commission.
Writer William Randall Beard says, “ ‘Evensong’ is quintessential Argento, simultaneously tonal and serial, rich and austere.”
Love Song by William Randall Beard, Star Tribune, Sept. 20, 2009
Argento’s ‘Evensong’ to open VocalEssence season Friday, MinnPost, Sept. 23, 2009