The Finger Lakes Choral Festival is set to bring a forgotten gem of American choral music to life this Sunday, July 26, at Hochstein Performance Hall. Under the baton of conductor Eric Townell, the festival will present the local premiere of Howard Hanson’s “New Land, New Covenant” a work commissioned for America’s bicentennial in 1976 but largely overlooked since its initial performances.
This hour-long oratorio, a blend of chorus, soloists, children’s chorus, and orchestra, tells a story of faith, exodus, and nation-building through texts drawn from historical figures like John Winthrop, Jonathan Edwards, and John Newton, as well as the Bible and the Declaration of Independence. The performance begins at 4 p.m., with admission free to the public, though donations to benefit Action for a Better Community are encouraged.
Howard Hanson: Rochester’s musical legend
Howard Hanson (1896-1981) was a towering figure in American music, spending nearly 60 years of his life in Rochester. He served as the director of the Eastman School of Music from 1924 to 1964, a position he assumed at the remarkably young age of 27. Hanson’s contributions to music were substantial and widely recognized; his opera “Merry Mount” received 50 curtain calls at its Metropolitan Opera premiere in 1934, and he won a Pulitzer Prize for his Fourth Symphony in 1944.
Despite his popularity in the 1930s and 1940s, Hanson’s music fell out of favor with critics in the following decades. Yet, he remained steadfast in his belief that “music is a manifestation of the emotions” and his compositions retained a conservative, tonal, and melodic style throughout his career. “New Land, New Covenant” is a testament to this philosophy, offering a stirring musical narrative that resonates with both historical significance and emotional depth.
A bicentennial commission rediscovered
Commissioned by three American Presbyterian churches for the nation’s bicentennial, “New Land, New Covenant” premiered in Philadelphia in 1976. The work, compiled by theologian Howard Clark Kee, weaves together quotations from historical texts to draw parallels between God’s creation of a Promised Land, the Pilgrims’ journey to the New World, and the founding of the United States. Despite its initial success, the piece faded into obscurity until Townell discovered it in a catalogue from Carl Fischer, Hanson’s music publisher.
“Hanson was almost 80 when this work was written and premiered, and it sounds like a valedictory piece to me,” says Townell. “It’s far less stodgy than a lot of patriotic music written for our 200th anniversary. There’s nothing perfunctory about it.” The conductor also notes the oddity that such a significant work by a composer with strong local ties had never been performed in Rochester.
The music and its impact
Hanson’s musical style is characterized by its conservative yet distinctive nature, featuring colorful orchestration and imaginative use of dissonance. Townell highlights brief references to composers Hanson admired, such as Ravel and Mahler, as well as the inclusion of old New England hymn tunes. “The chorus also sings many old New England hymn tunes, but interestingly, none of the favorite hymns we know today,” he says. “But the spirit is there.”
The musicians involved in the performance have found Hanson’s work accessible and engaging. “Hanson took a very pragmatic approach to his work, and it’s beautifully ready to play,” says Townell. “The choral writing uses a lot of unisons and octaves, and the chorus singers found it very readily accessible. And our orchestra played through the whole thing on sight at our first rehearsal.”
Honey Meconi, a professor of music at the University of Rochester and Eastman, echoes this sentiment. “It’s a powerful, moving, and substantial work,” she says. “It’s over an hour long, but the shifting textures of the chorus, the solo singers, and the children’s chorus are continually engaging.”
Performance details and community involvement
The performance will feature narrator Stephanie Paredes of the Rochester Latino Theatre Co., baritone soloist Max Foreman, and soprano soloist X-Zaya Ivy. The event is free to the public, aligning with Hanson’s community-oriented spirit. Audience members are encouraged to make donations to benefit Action for a Better Community, further emphasizing the concert’s community-forward aspect.
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience a piece of American musical history brought to life in Rochester. The Finger Lakes Choral Festival presents the local premiere of Howard Hanson’s “New Land, New Covenant” on Sunday, July 26, at 4 p.m., at Hochstein Performance Hall, 50 N. Plymouth Avenue. Admission is free, but donations of non-perishable food, new clothing, or new personal care items for Action for a Better Community are welcome.
