Psalm 129 (Evelin Seppar)

Psalm 129 by Evelin Seppar
for 16 voices
Northwestern University Recital Chorus
Matthew Cramer, conductor
Performed live March 17th, 2019 in Galvin Recital Hall at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL). Recording by Sean Keenan.
Soprano:
Tiana Sorenson
Molly Phelan
Kira Neary
Bahareh Poureslami
Alto:
Ilana Goldstein
Hannah Schiller
Chelsea Lyons
Lauren Kelly
Tenor:
Jack Reeder
Micah Dingler
Ryan Strand
A.J. Keller
Bass:
Dimitri German
Zachary Kurzenberger
Corey Everly
Dominic German
***
Note:
Commissioned for the Psalms Experience, a transatlantic, multi-choir presentation of musical settings of all 150 psalms in 2017. Seppar says of her setting of Psalm 129, part of the song of ascents: “This is about overcoming difficulty... Something horrible has been done to you for a long time, but you haven’t given up.” The resultant work is dense, “with lots of voices, so that you can’t really tell what exactly is the harmony. I wanted this almost drowning feeling, that you’re in the water and it’s pulling you. [But] It ends in unison... I don’t normally finish pieces like this, but after this turmoil it felt like clarity was necessary.” The work begins with a unison note for all the sopranos and altos: a B natural. By the end, all voices are singing a C. It is an extraordinary bout of effort for the ensemble to simply move one semitone.
Text (from the Luther Bible, 1912):
Sie haben mich oft gedränget…
…ach….
…alle…
Sie haben mich oft gedränget, aber sie haben mich nicht übermocht.
(They have often afflicted me from my youth...
...ah...
...all...
They have often afflicted me from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me.)