OCR Text |
Show Choir, Symphony To Combine for Concert The Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle Choir will join with the Utah Symphony Orchestra to perform Leroy J. Robertson's "Oratorio from The Book of Mormon" in two concerts in May, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints has announced. Through arrangements made by Oakley S. Evans, president of the Tabernacle Choir, the two internationally known musical ensembles will also record the oratorio for release by Columbia Records, New York City. Maurice Abravanel, in his 31st year as conductor af the Utah Symphony, will conduct the two groups in both the performance and recording of the oratorio A second work on the program will be a composition by Robert P. Manookin entitled "Ode of Supplication" which was written especially for the choir. Dr. Jerold D. Ottley, conductor of the choir heard weekly over more than 1,000 radio and television stations around the world, will conduct this work The First Presidency announcement said that the concerts will be in the Mormon Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Thursday and Friday. May 25 and 28, 1978, at 8 p m This will be the second series of concerts the Tabernacle Choir and Utah Symphony have performed together, said Wendell J. Ashton. symphony president. They performed a series of seven concerts together as as highlight of Utah's commemoration of the Bicentennial of the American Revolution in 1976. "Oratorio from The Book of Mormon" has been described as "one of the most grand and moving works of liturgical music composed in the United States . . one of a noble line of choral-orchestral works, from the Middle Ages to the present day, combining musical beauty, dramatic power, grandeur of statement and devout ness of spirit." In the opening part of the Oratorio, an ancient American prophet foretells the hirth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, rebukes the sinful nation, and prophesies its destruction. The joy of the Savior' birth, the sorrow accompanying his death, and the glory of his resurrection are recapitulated in the second and third parts, as is the ministry of the resurrected Christ upon the American continents. The oratorio per formances and recording will feature four soloists to be announced later. The world premiere of the "oratorio from The Book of Mormon" occurred February 18, 1953, with Manure Abravanel conducting the Utah Symphony Othestra and University of Utah Choruses in the performance in the Mormon Tabernacle |