The Jackson Choral Society, the University of Southern MS
Symphony Orchestra and Oratorio Chorus, William Warfield (Narrator),
Kimberly Griffing-Porter (Soprano), and Paul York (Cello) at Mara
Hall, Jackson, MS, April 28, 1996.
This impressive collection of musical resources featured works by
Mississippi composers Luigi Zaninelli, Sam Jones, and James Sclater.
The program (which was presented earlier at USM on April 25) began
with Zaninelli's arrangement for orchestra of Francis Scott Key's "The
Star Spangled Banner", a rich and effective piece. Next the orchestra
played Sam Jones' "Now Let Us All Praise Famous Men", inspired by
the line from the Apocrypha, as well as the James Agee/Evans Walker
book with the same name. It featured modal folk-like melodies,
passages for brass, a flute choir, and an interesting ambiguity:
a theme starting with the first three notes of "Dixie", which are
the same as the first three notes of "The Star Spangled Banner", both
in rhythm and pitch. It was quite enjoyable, and ended quietly.
James Sclater's "Witness to Matters Human and Divine" completed
the program, and featured narration by the noted baritone William
Warfield, interspersed with solo passages by cellist Paul York
and by soprano Kimberley Griffing-Porter, as well as choral sections.
The narration - from the Agee/Walker book - was supplemented visually
with projected images from the book, which dealt with the lives and
times of several families of North Alabama sharecroppers in the 1930s.
This major work showed the composer's mastery not only of musical
ideas but of a vision as well - an enduring vision of the people and
their lives. The music was both effective and appropriate to the
various threads of the story, and at times quite powerful, especially
in the sections titled "A Man and a Woman", featuring Griffing-Porter,
and "So That How It Can Be", a fugal-like chorus. In contrast, the
section "Animals" was childlike and charming. The soloists, chorus,
narrator, and orchestra were impressive from start to finish. This
was a very satisfying event.
- Glenn A. Gentry