Composer Daniel Felsenfeld is announcing the world premiere of his “Astrophysical Mass,” a 40-minute piece for Chorus, Soprano Soloist and Chamber Orchestra written to a text by his inimitable friend and collaborator novelist Rick Moody, this Wednesday, December 30 at 5pm. The piece—which will be performed by the astonishing combination of the Chorus of Trinity Wall Street in NYC and their in-house orchestra Novus, with Sarah Brailey as soloist, all led by Julian Wachner —not only represents Felsenfeld’s first outing into a work of large-scale sacred music (talk about starting at the top) but also is the first concert in the Mass Re-Imaginings sequence at Trinity, which Daniel has the honor of curating. Six composers—Sarah Kirkland Snider, Paola Prestini, Netsayi, Julian Wachner, Jonathan Newman, and Felsenfeld—will all be writing pieces like this, masses which not only add to the liturgy but, with the help of living writers,provide a comment on the form itself.
It is worth noting that Felsenfeld’s piece will be paired with Lassus’ inextinguishable masterpiece
“Prophetiae Sibyllarum.” Also, the whole amazing performance is free!
