Sunday, March 1 at 4 p.m.—RUTLAND—The choirs of Grace Church, as well as singers and instrumentalists from the region, offer an afternoon of music to raise money for the local charity, Fair Haven Concerned. FHC’s mission is to prevent homelessness and hunger in Fair Haven, West Haven and Benson.
Included in the concert will be a special performance of “Frostiana” by Randall Thompson. “Frostiana” was originally commissioned by the town of Amherst, Massachusetts for its bicentennial in 1959. The town was known for its association with Robert Frost, who had lived there for some years. Frost knew Thompson and admired his music. Accordingly, it was decided that the commemorative work would be a setting of some of Frost’s poetry. The town suggested “The Gift Outright”; however Thompson feared that the text was inappropriate for the occasion, and asked to be allowed to choose his own texts. In the end, the composer selected seven poems and constructed a seven-movement suite of choral art songs. According to some reports, Frost was so delighted by the performance that, at the conclusion of the piece, he stood up and shouted, “Sing that again!” It was also said that he was so impressed by the composition that he banned any other composers from setting his poems to music.
See them performed in the Grace Church Sanctuary on Sunday. Grace Congregational Church is located at 10 Court St. in Rutland. For more information, gracechurchvt.org
