Voices of Ascension will present a program of rarely heard choral masterworks by Johannes Brahms, Zoltán Kodály and Maurice Duruflé on Feb. 5 at the Church of the Ascension (36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011), highlighted by a rare New York performance of Duruflé’s Messe “cum jubilo” with full orchestra.
The concert, set for 7:30 p.m., centers on Duruflé’s luminous Mass for baritone chorus and orchestra, marking only the third time the work has been presented with full orchestration in New York City. The piece, which blends Gregorian chant with Duruflé’s refined harmonic language, holds special significance for the ensemble and its artistic director, Dennis Keene.
Keene, one of the world’s leading interpreters of Duruflé’s music, studied with both Maurice Duruflé and Marie-Madeleine Duruflé, to whom the Mass is dedicated. His close connection to the composer helped shape Voices of Ascension’s early reputation, beginning with the ensemble’s landmark Duruflé Festival — the first complete retrospective of the composer’s works.
“What I find most compelling about this program is the way each composer reveals a distinct inner world,” Keene said in a statement. “These works are rarely performed, yet each one is a masterpiece in its own right. Placing them together creates an unusually rich musical portrait.”
Also on the program is Brahms’ Nänie, a setting of Friedrich Schiller’s meditation on mortality, known for its warm Romantic textures and quiet dignity. Rounding out the evening is Kodály’s Psalmus Hungaricus, composed in 1923 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Budapest’s unification, a dramatic fusion of Hungarian folk idioms and biblical lament.
Both the Brahms and Kodály works will be heard in new transcriptions by Keene, created specifically for the Manton Memorial Organ at the Church of the Ascension. The instrument, the first French-built organ installed in New York City, is among the world’s premier concert organs, featuring more than 6,000 pipes and 95 stops.
Founded in New York City, Voices of Ascension is dedicated to sharing the transformative power of choral music through performances, commissions and community engagement. The ensemble’s Feb. 5 concert continues that mission by spotlighting major works that are seldom heard in full concert settings.
The program will feature tenor Miles Mykkanen, baritone Gregory Feldmann and organist Andrew Henderson, with Keene conducting.
Looking ahead, Voices of Ascension will present Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 in collaboration with Dark Horse Consort on March 5 at the Church of the Ascension. The performance will bring together double chorus, period instruments and a roster of soloists for one of the most ambitious early Baroque works, rarely heard at such scale.
Tickets and additional information for the Feb. 5 concert are available through Voices of Ascension.
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