Join Chorus Angelorum for the final concert of our 2024–2025 season, featuring sacred choral works by Felix Mendelssohn and Josef Rheinberger. The program opens with three motets by Felix Mendelssohn, beginning with Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt, a setting of Psalm 100 written in 1844. Bright and jubilant, the work showcases Mendelssohn’s ability to blend clarity of form with expression and rich harmony. The following two chorale motets – Aus tiefer Noth and Mitten wir im Leben sind – are two works from his Kirchenmusik Op. 23. These works reflect his deep engagement with the Lutheran chorale tradition and his admiration for Bach. Rich in counterpoint, harmonic nuance, and emotional complexity, these pieces demonstrate Mendelssohn’s gift for transforming theological ideas into powerful musical statements.
The centerpiece of the program is Josef Rheinberger’s Mass in E-flat, Op. 109, a crowning achievement of Romantic sacred music. Composed in just five days in 1878 and dedicated to Pope Leo XIII, this double-choir Mass balances liturgical function with expressive sophistication. Written in part as a response to the Cecilian movement’s call for a return to Renaissance austerity, Rheinberger’s Mass honors liturgical tradition while embracing the color and drama of Romantic harmony. Throughout the Mass, he alternates between antiphonal textures and lush eight-part writing, culminating in a dynamic work, filled with choral an extensive variety of choral techniques and textures. Each movement reveals his skill in text painting and his ability to unify tradition with innovation.
Together, these works highlight how composers of the Romantic era engaged with sacred music not only as a means of devotion but as a canvas for deep artistic exploration. Whether in Mendelssohn’s chorale-inspired motets or Rheinberger’s majestic Mass, the program invites listeners into a sound world where faith and artistry converge in profound and beautiful ways.
Performed by the full sixteen voices of Chorus Angelorum, the program offers intimate yet powerful interpretations of these 19th-century masterworks.
Saturday June 7, 2025 | 7:00pm
Christ Church Episcopal, Chattanooga
(663 Douglas Street)
Admission Free | Donations Welcome
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