GREAT BARRINGTON - Hugo Distler’s "Totentanz" ("Dance of Death"), Op. 12/1 (1934), will receive a full multimedia treatment when the Crescendo Choir and Bard College at Simon's Rock faculty present it in Great Barrington and Lakeville, Conn., on Nov. 9 and 10.
The performances will include music, dance and animation to evoke the work's inspiration: A medieval fresco lost to the bombs of World War II.
The Distler work sets to music 14 motets about life and death, with speakers portraying Death and other allegorical characters. The Crescendo Choir and soloists will perform it in front of an animated projection of a medieval Dance of Death mural that was housed in St. Mary’s Church in Luebeck, Germany.
John Myers, a faculty member of Simon's Rock, with artist Alice Myers, painstakingly recreated and animated the 1460 Luebeck mural, assisted by Danish scholar Martin Hagstrom. Wendy Shifrin, also a Simon's Rock faculty member, has created choreography to Distler’s music for 13 student dancers.
Other works on the program are Distler’s motet "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme," Op. 12/6, and the Leonhard Lechner motet "Deutsche Sprüche über Leben und Tod" (1606), a meditation on life and death that also inspired Distler’s "Totentanz."
The program will conclude with two other variations on "Wachet auf," the joyful Lutheran hymn for All Souls' Day, Johann Sebastian Bach's prelude for organ, BWV 645, and the well-known chorale from his Cantata 140.
Soprano soloists from Chorus Angelicus, based in Torrington, Conn., will also participate, along with flutist Rodrigo Tarraza of Lenox. German conductor Christine Gevert of Lakeville is artistic director of the project.
Crescendo is a music performance organization based at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lakeville. The concerts are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 251 Main St., and Saturday, Nov. 10, at 5 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal, 484 Lime Rock Road, Lakeville.
Tickets are $25 and $10 for children. In Great Barrington, at the door, tickets are $5 for Simon's Rock students. For information, call 860-435-4866.
The performance will also be recorded on DVD for presentation in March 2008 in Florence, Italy, at the annual convention of the European Cultural Association of the Danse Macabre.
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Taconic High Names Top Students of the Class of 2026
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Taconic High School Principal Matthew Bishop has announced the valedictorian and salutatorian of the class of 2026.
They will speak during the graduation ceremony on Friday, June 12, at 4 p.m at Tanglewood in Lenox.
Gavin O'Donnell, son of Kevin and Colleen O'Donnell of Pittsfield, has been named valedictorian with a grade average of 103. Hunter Bentz, son of Heidi Bentz of Pittsfield, has been named salutatorian with a grade average of 102.4.
Throughout his high school career, O'Donnell has exemplified the values of leadership, commitment, and excellence that define the Taconic community. He achieved high honors all four years and made significant contributions to both the school and the wider community. He was an active member of the Link Crew, Green and Gold, and Class Council, just to name a few of his activities.
A dedicated athlete, O'Donnell played soccer and baseball all four years and was named captain of the varsity soccer and baseball teams both junior and senior years. His commitment to service extended beyond athletics, as he volunteered with Unified Games and was a math tutor at Taconic. He has also been an active part of Pittsfield Soccer Club, where he has helped
referee youth soccer games and assisted in getting the fields ready for game days.
He has earned several awards, including being a member of the National Honor Society, the John and Abigail Adams Award, and being an AP Scholar and an AP Capstone Graduate.
O'Donnell plans to pursue a degree in finance at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he will continue to play baseball and hopes to excel as a student.
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