Gregorio Allegri: Miserere

Written by Tobias Greenhalgh

Baritone

In category: Song of the Day

Published May 2, 2018

After Sinatra and Strauss, now for something completely different. There is something ethereal and other-worldly about the polyphony of the late Renaissance. It has the ability to transport the listener and rejuvenate the spirit. In particular, this setting of the Miserere stops me in my tracks whenever I hear it, forcing my mind to slow down and simply absorb the music (usually with my eyes closed).

My love of sacred music developed while I was in college at the Juilliard School. Through searching for a church job during my second year, I was lucky enough to join the choir of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church on West 46th & 8th. I started to enjoy the challenge of blending with other voices, singing with the purest tone possible, and discovering the vast repertory of sacred, ensemble-driven music that had previously been unknown to me.

Take twelve minutes out of your busy day, sit down with a cup of tea, and enjoy this glorious piece.

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Tobias Greenhalgh is a versatile baritone on the rise, with leading role debuts at Glyndebourne (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and the Aix-en-Provence Festival(Dido and Aeneas) during the 2017/2018 season. After graduating from Juilliard, Tobias moved to Vienna to join the ensemble at the Theater an der Wien, where he made his European debut singing the title role in ‘Eugene Onegin’. He most recently sang the roles of Cecil (Maria Stuarda) and Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) at the Theater an der Wien, and Maximilian (Candide) with Palm Beach Opera. He will be making his Carnegie Hall debut on May 12 in Ethyl Smyth’s ‘The Prison’ with the Cecilia Chorus of New York, and celebrating the release of a ‘Three Baritones’ album with a joint recital at Weill Hall on May 22nd.

1 Comment

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    Thank you for posting this Tobias. I am a sacred music maven—has something to do with my past life as a Cistercian monk, no doubt. But i love this. When I was little, I listened to countertenor Alfred Deller’s Miserere My Maker (Campion) over and over and over, just digging the match of his flute-like voice and the melody. Quiet passion.

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