TENAFLY, N.J.—Antonio Vivaldi’s masterpiece, “Gloria,” will be performed as the centerpiece of a service of Candlelight and Carols at Church of the Atonement on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 5 p.m.
Atonement’s Music Director and Organist, Dr. Brian Schober, leads the Choir and Soloists. Soloists for the Gloria are Janine Colletti (soprano) and Mary Rice (contralto). The service, which bridges the seasons of Advent and Christmas, incorporates readings from the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament, and ends with everyone in attendance singing traditional carols by candlelight. A festive reception will follow and all are welcome. A free-will offering may be given at the door.
Best known for The Four Seasons, Vivaldi composed his Gloria in Venice, probably in 1715, for the choir of the Ospedale della Pieta, an orphanage for girls that prided itself on the quality of its musical education and the excellence of its choir and orchestra. The piece lay in a stack of forgotten manuscripts until the 1920s and wasn’t preformed in its original form until 1957.
Now Vivaldi’s most famous choral piece, it presents the traditional Gloria from the Latin Mass in 12 varied cantata-like sections. The wonderfully sunny nature of the Gloria, with its distinctive melodies and rhythms, is characteristic of all of Vivaldi’s music, giving it an immediate and universal appeal.
Those interested in the music may wish to attend a session on Friday, Dec. 13 at 10 to 11 a.m., during which Atonement’s Friday Morning Book Group will be listening to a recording of the Gloria, and discussing its history and meaning.
Church of the Atonement (Episcopal) is located at 97 Highwood Avenue in Tenafly. For more information about Candlelight & Carols, other musical events and services, or Atonement’s spiritual, environmental, educational and outreach programs, contact the church office at (201) 568-1763, email parish.admin@atonement-tenafly.org or visit on the web at www.atonement-tenafly.org.