poor hymnal and Good News Mass | E Pluribus Unum: From Many, One

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Zebulon Ellis, tenor
Marc Bamuthi Joseph, librettist and spoken word artist
The Crossing
 Donald Nally, Artistic Director
Gospel Choruses

David LANG Selections from poor hymnal
Carlos SIMON Good News Mass (with video by Melina Matsoukas; BSO co-commission)

Three cultural phenomena are shared by all societies on earth: language, religion, and music. Artistic and musical expressions of spirituality are present throughout the historical record with no sign of waning in our modern society. As part of our ongoing exploration of Faith in Our Time, the BSO presents a new co-commissioned work by Composer Chair Carlos Simon that draws deeply on the gospel music he learned growing up in his father’s church. Inspired by the world of Charles Ives and the simplicity of New England hymns, Jewish composer David Lang composed poor hymnal for The Crossing, using a wide variety of texts to contemplate how we respond to those in need.