[Magdalen] A kind of belated Easter

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

We had a wonderful community event recently!  A commune near Esopus named
the Bruderhof has a great affection for music, and they have reached out to
sponsor a few concerts recently, one of which was a Messiah sing-in in
December.
They are great exponents of communal singing, and listening to them sing is
a real joy and a privilege.
One of their music ministers reached out to a local church about doing
Bach's "Christ lag in Todesbanden" for Easter. All plans were set for
Easter, but she did not like saying no, so a plan was made for the Sunday
after Easter.
We put together a choir from several local musical organizations, and some
string players for the Bruderhof made the orchestra.
We had two rehearsals, and -- as Lee Marvin remarks in Cat Ballou, "It was
just swell."
We sang also the canon of Tallis, and William Billings' setting of "The
Lord is Risen Indeed."  We have GOT to get the Bruderhof singing Shapenote.
OH MY, can they ever WAIL!!!

I saw someone was recording it.  I hope to be able to hear the recording.

Another piece I hope to do sometime before I die is Issac's "Christus
Surrexit".

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy