Daan Manneke’s Psalmenrequiem premieres in New York

May 19 & 20, Daan Manneke‘s Psalmenrequiem will premiere at the St. Luke in the Fields Church & St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church in New York. Both shows are a collaborative effort with Cantori New York. 

Adult: $20 online / $25 door
Senior: $18 online / $20 door
Student/Child: $8 online / $10 door

Online tickets are available here.

Psalmenrequiem

Award-winning choral ensemble Cantori New York, led by Artistic Director Mark Shapiro, concludes its spring season on May 19th and 20th with the U.S. premiere of Dutch composer Daan Manneke’s ethereal Psalmenrequiem.

Performances will also include Leonard Bernstein’s seldom-performed choruses for the 1952 play “The Lark” (based on the life of Joan of Arc), and a collection of luminous motets by Catalan composer Francisco Valls.

Manneke’s haunting composition was originally commissioned by musician and choral director Paul Hameleers, in memory of his late son. It was first performed in Amsterdam in 2005.

As Manneke himself has written, the composition is “not modernistic,” but evocative of Medieval and Renaissance compositions; it’s characterized at various points by rich harmonies, canon, and the layered textures of multiple choruses. Yet the piece is abundant with its own twists as well. While structured in the typical requiem mass format, the piece forgoes the traditional Latin texts in favor of selected psalms from the Old Testament, a choice that Manneke has written gives the composition “a more open, ecumenical character.” And at Hameleers’ suggestion, the choir is accompanied by harp, the biblical King David’s preferred instrument.

“As we’ve been rehearsing Manneke’s Psalmenrequiem, we have all been struck not only by the beauty of Manneke’s melodies, harmonies, and rhythms, but also by his exceptional command of the choral instrument,” said Artistic Director Mark Shapiro. “The writing is detailed, scrupulously attentive to spacing, register, and sonority. The chords positively glow. It is a profoundly satisfying and deeply moving acoustic experience!”

Performances

Saturday, May 19th, 8:00 p.m.
Church of St. Luke in the Fields
487 Hudson Street, New York City

Sunday, May 20th, 5:00 p.m.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch Church
552 West End Ave, New York City

Featuring guest soloists Ashley Jackson, harp; Nicholas Tamagna, countertenor; and Ilinca Kiss, speaker.

Daan Manneke

From 1963 to 1967 he studied at the Brabant Conservatory of Music in Tilburg: organ with H. Houët and Louis Toebosch, and composition with Jan van Dijk. Later he studied organ with Kamiel d’Hooghe in Brussels and composition with Ton de Leeuw in Amsterdam. 

From 1972 Daan Manneke teaches at the Sweelinck Conservatory of Music in Amsterdam: at first improvisation and analysis of 20th-century music and later also composition. 
Daan Manneke is founder and conductor of the chamber choir Cappella Breda. 

He has published several articles in music periodicals. In 1978 his “Werkboek voor improvisatie en groepscompositie” (Workbook for improvisation and group composition) was published by Annie Bank in Amsterdam. 

In 1967 he won the Prize for Young Artists from the Province of Zeeland. For his composition Trois Petites Symphonies he was awarded the first prize in an organ composition/play competition in Averbode, Belgium. In 1972 he received an award for Composition at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam. His composition Three times was awarded the Fonteyn Tuynhout Prize in 1977 and in 1980 he received the Hilvarenbeekse Muziekprijs for Pneoo. For “Er vallen stukken” he received the Composition Prize of the City of Tilburg. In 1999 he received the Cultuurprijs of the Province of Noord 
Brabant. In January 2009 he received the Oeuvreprijs from the city Breda.

Cantori New York

Praised by the New York Times for its “spirit of exploration” and qualities of “virtuosity and assurance”, Cantori New York, which feted its 30th year in 2014, has stayed true to its mission of presenting new compositions from all over the world, as well as neglected works that deserve the public’s attention and appreciation. A four-time winner of ASCAP’s “Adventurous Programming” prize in recognition of its audacious repertoire, Cantori New York has won an enviable reputation as an accomplished and innovative vocal ensemble.

The ensemble’s work with living composers has led to nearly 200 premieres, including recent commissions from creators such as Alice Ho, Alba Potes, Dariusz Przybilski, Mohammed Fairouz, Lembit Beecher and Piotr Moss.

The group counts among its collaborators actors such as Tony-Award winner Maryanne Plunkett and Obie-Award winner Kathleen Chalfant as well as distinguished musicians and advocates such as violist Nadia Sirota, violinist Miranda Cuckson, and the French ensemble Musicatreize.

Cantori New York has sung at all five major halls at Lincoln Center, and has collaborated with or been presented by American Ballet Theater, Great Performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Teatro
Grattacielo, World Financial Center Arts & Events, Music at the Anthology, Gotham Early Music Series, American Opera Projects, and others.

Grattacielo, World Financial Center Arts & Events, Music at the Anthology, Gotham Early Music Series, American Opera Projects, and others.