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09/28/2024
Benedict Sheehan: Akathist
Timothy Parsons (countertenor), The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Trinity Youth Chorus, Artefact Ensemble, NOVUS NY, Downtown Voices, Melissa Attebury, Stephen Sands, Benedict Sheehan (chorus masters), Elaine Kelly (conductor)
Recording: Trinity Church Wall Street, New York City, New York (November 11, 2023) – 60’44
Bright Shiny Things BSTC-0210 2 CDs – Booklet in English
It has been four years since Benedict Sheehan’s astonishing Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostum was released, establishing the American composer as one of the leading voices of religious classical music in the 21st century. Now, Sheehan has demonstrated the ability to move beyond the restrictions of Orthodox liturgy by composing an oratorio that weaves spirituality with love for humankind and the environment, ultimately thanking the Creator for all of life’s good gifts. In his oratorio, Akathist, Sheehan accepts the premise that, in some way, all forms of music are sacred. For this work, the composer has a vision of a world in which music stitches together divinity, humanity, and the natural world into a living fabric of hope. This is a huge aspiration. Some will say it cannot be done, and that perhaps performing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is the closest we will ever get to universal kinship. But Sheehan appears to be ignoring the naysayers and created a grand work for chorus and orchestra founded on an impassioned expectation of brotherhood. Polished perfection from first notes to last, Akathist is above all else a feast of beautiful music that, whatever one’s spiritual inclination, is pure pleasure to listen to and enjoy.
The titles of the oratorio and its 25 sections in three parts hail from the Eastern Orthodox tradition, but the music that emanates from this structure embraces a universe of styles, including jazz, classical, and American hymnody. Akathist is Greek for praying or singing while standing, a frequent convention in the oratorio genre as well as in Orthodox liturgy. The individual verses are labeled in the Orthodox style as Kontakion (hymns) and Ikos (smaller hymns). They weave a story in chronological order of birth and maturation through death and the promise of eternity. While the Akathist is a common form of prayer in the Orthodox community, the text may vary, in some forms expressing devotion to the Virgin Mary. However, in this new recording issued by Bright Shiny Things, the text takes a different track, acting as a song of thanksgiving for all sentient beings and the natural world, making it an ecumenical and eco‑spiritual offering. As a child, composer Sheehan often heard the verses of this hymn of praise which were discovered on the body of a murdered priest during the Stalinist purges of 1937‑1938.
There are many striking features to this oratorio. The music unfolds around a central musical theme, an ancient chant beloved by the Orthodox community (which reminded me of the Flashdance theme slowed down). Sheehan’s composition grows out of this simple melody, each stanza becoming a meditation in song and verse on topics whose importance is shared by people of all faiths as well as a secular audience.
A good example of these stanzas is the Second Kontakion, titled, “How Lovely it is to be thy Guest.” Hospitality is one of the most important virtues in the world’s major faith traditions, yet it is often forgotten when religious responsibilities are discussed. In the King James Version (KJV) Bible, the unknown author of the book of Hebrews admonishes the faithful, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” In Eastern Christianity, the sacred responsibility of hospitality is represented visually by Andrei Rublev’s icon of three angels in disguise who come as strangers to the home of Abraham. The patriarch eagerly runs to greet what to him appear to be strangers in need, offering them a substantial meal, before they reveal their divine identities and shower their host with blessings.
Similar stories were told throughout the ancient world, such as the tale of Baucus and Philemon, who welcomed the disguised forms of Zeus and Hermes when no one else would take them in. Without directly citing these tales, Sheehan’s Akathist acknowledges the virtue of hospitality. In a similar vein, the wonders of Nature are celebrated as the composer blends bird song with the pastoral sound of the French horn and the bright percussive notes of the piano. In two sections, “Meadow” and “Triumph of Spring,” all nature erupts in birth, full of the spirit of burgeoning life, a kind of next‑generation of The Rite of Spring.
The 25 sections are replete with variety, originality, and a performance that is both technically on point and emotionally engaged. Under the direction of Elaine Kelly, an impressive array of choruses and instrumentalists is joined by some particularly fine solo singing, including the expressive voice of countertenor Timothy Parsons. The oratorio was recorded in Fall of 2023 in Trinity Church with The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the Trinity Youth Chorus, Artefact Ensemble, NOVUS NY (instrumental), and soloists. This is a work of extraordinary merit in a recording to cherish and savor for many years to come.
Linda Holt
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