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Program notes - "An Olde English Christmas" |
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A Note from the Artistic Director
It is with great sorrow that we note the passing of Mark Sheldon on December 9 after a long struggle with cancer. Mark is best known locally as a voice on KVOD, a classical music expert who brought much pleasure and educational information to Denver's classical music audiences. But in St. Martin's, and in my heart, he is most remembered as a gifted singer, an inspiring conductor, a person with impeccable musical judgment, exquisite taste, and an infectious passion for the music, a man imbued with integrity, humor, and selflessness; in short, a dear friend and a valued colleague. He will be sorely missed, and it was an honor for St. Martin's to participate in his memorial service on December 13, and to have followed his wishes in establishing a Mark Sheldon Memorial Fund to provide a living musical legacy for one part of his life's work - that is, his passion for and involvement in the advancement of the choral art. During his tenure as St. Martin's' very first assistant conductor (2001-2002) he suggested to me that we perform Gerald Finzi's In Terra Pax on our Christmas concert, a work that I had long had my eye on, but which I had not yet dared program due to several daunting aspects. He felt confident we could tackle it; and, quickly realizing that it was not only one of his favorite works, but a piece which he had a particular vision for, I asked him to conduct it. It was just before the dress rehearsal of this concert in December, 2001, that Mark told my wife and me that his cancer had reappeared, this time in a more virulent form and in a more dangerous location. This revelation made his conducting of the work all the more poignant for me, and I could scarce sing it without tearing up. So, although I had originally programmed the Benjamin Britten
A Boy was Born to conclude tonight's program, it seemed fitting, less than two weeks after his memorial service, to reprise this work which was so close to Mark's heart, and about which he spoke so movingly in his final interview with Dan Drayer on "Colorado Matters." Although the text does not fit the criteria for this concert exactly, it is nevertheless very closely allied in spirit, being the view of a "modern" man (in 1913, at least) looking back at the original words of the Christmas story, and pondering their meaning for him in the present. In many ways, in fact, it fulfills the spirit of this concert even better, as it is largely an examination of ancient texts and their abiding value, their continuing power to move us, and their timelessness - or perhaps I should say
timeliness.
Timothy J. Krueger © 2003 Timothy J. Krueger |