Tabernacle Choir to proceed with Brahms concert
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The Tabernacle Choir and Utah Symphony will proceed with plans to present an extra concert in the Tanner Gift of Music series, although renowned guest conductor Robert Shaw died Jan. 25.
The choir and symphony have been preparing since early January for the concert, scheduled for Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m., in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Craig Jessop, associate director of the Tabernacle Choir, will now direct the choir and symphony in Mr. Shaw's own English version of "A German Requiem," by Johannes Brahms. Recording sessions will also proceed.
Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve and chairman of the Tanner Gift of Music Committee, said, "The passing of the illustrious champion of choral and orchestral music, Robert Shaw, is a profound loss to music lovers the world over. We are fortunate, however, that [Brother] Jessop is intimately familiar with Mr. Shaw's musical interpretations and has, in addition, prepared the Tabernacle Choir for the performance and recording sessions.
Tabernacle Choir Pres. Wendell Smoot said that the concert will be performed "as a memorial to Mr. Shaw."
The concert is free to the public but tickets are required. Tickets already issued will be honored. If available, stand-by seating will commence at 7:15 p.m.
The longtime music director and conductor of the Atlanta Symphony died in a hospital after suffering a stroke in New Haven, Conn., where he was visiting family members. He was 82.
Mr. Shaw directed the Utah Symphony in 1981 in a performance of Berlioz's "Requiem." He directed the Tabernacle Choir in 1987 in a performance of Mendelssohn's "Elijah" at the Teton Music Festival at Jackson Hole, Wyo. In 1994, he directed the Tabernacle Choir and Utah Symphony in Berlioz's "Requiem."
He was a regular guest conductor of major orchestras throughout the world. He gained fame with the Robert Shaw Chorale and Orchestra in the 1940s. For 17 years, his was America's premier touring choral group, being sent by the U.S. State Department on tours to 30 countries. He received 13 Grammy Awards; England's Gramophone Magazine Award; and a Gold Record for the first RCA classical recording to sell more than a million copies. He received honorary degrees and citations from 40 U.S. colleges and universities.
