Linking the greatest abstract art with the atmosphere and acoustics in St Mary’s church with a musical accompaniment to the Easter story played by the Emunah Ensemble’s wonderful musicians means you know the evening is going to be special. And we were not disappointed!
I hope I am right about the meaning of the name Emunah which translates from the Hebrew as more than “faith” or “belief” and encompasses living with a reliance and commitment to God.
Things got off to a flying start with Jonny Haywood’s creative arrangements of Thine be the Glory. It brought the house down and I am sure Handel would have approved!
Mozart’s piano quartet in E flat major, KV.493 prompted us to think about Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. A joyous first movement followed by meditative reflection in the second and something of a party atmosphere in the third with people out celebrating; although towards the end excursions into the minor key create feelings of foreboding about where things might end up. The audience appreciated the visual experience as much as anything and there is no doubt that listening to a recording bears no comparison to seeing young talented musicians perform live on stage.
George Gershwin wrote his three preludes for piano to justify himself as an “authentic composer” to New York’s conservative musical establishment. They were presented to us as a piece for piano and violin, a piece for piano and viola and a piece for piano and cello. Interesting and delightful at the same time. This was turning out to be a unique as well as special evening as evidenced by the audience’s response. It continued with pieces for viola and cello (Lullaby and Grotesque) by Rebecca Clarke. We were invited to think about the Journey to the Cross with a visual display showing Calvary in the distance. Beautiful playing with the audience lost in thought. I doubt if any of us had heard of Rebecca Clarke. There is a lot of material about her online. She was a virtuoso performer and composer. She exposed the way women were treated in the 19th and early 20th centuries by composing under a male pseudonym as well as her own name and then playing pieces by both in concerts. The pieces composed under the pseudonym received rave reviews from the critics while those under her own name didn’t get a mention. Thank goodness times have changed!
We were then taken to profound sadness beginning with a lovely rendition of Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words Op.85 no.4 by pianist John Sabar. It is an elegy; meaning a song about death or loss. The journey continued with the theme from Schindler’s List by John Williams. It was so beautifully played that words fail me; it was so very moving. I was lost in thought about man’s inhumanity to man; the Holocaust, Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, Sudan and more. And the ultimate act of the cruellest form of torture and execution inflicted on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
But Jesus’ sacrifice is our salvation and we can live in hope. We were privileged to hear the testimony of cellist Rebekah Woodier who found hope and salvation in challenging circumstances having arrived as a stranger in Glasgow just before the Covid lockdown. Listening to her composition, Silent Ports, while looking at a picture of the empty tomb with the stone rolled away left a lasting impression.
Jonny gave us the background to the final item, the hymn Amazing Grace. John Newton who wrote the hymn, was a slave trader who repented and followed Jesus. He became an abolitionist, supported William Wilberforce and lived long enough to witness the Act of Parliament which abolished slavery in 1806. Jonny then gave us a beautiful and memorable rendition of the hymn on his violin supported by the other members of the ensemble.
It’s hard to think of a better way to spend a Saturday evening. A great time was had by all. There was a good turnout but there were some spare seats. So do come along to concerts and tell your friends, whether it’s just for the music and socialising or whether you think it might be time to get to know Jesus and learn more about the Christian faith by joining the community at St Mary’s Church. The warmest of welcomes will be waiting for you.