New York Choral Society and Orchestra to Play Rarely Heard 'St. Paul' by Felix Mendelssohn at Carnegie Hall, David Haynes Music Director

The New York Choral Society and Orchestra with Music Director David Hayes will present the rarely heard "St. Paul" by Felix Mendelssohn at Carnegie Hall.

The performance will be sung in original German with English subtitles. Soloist will include
soprano Sarah Shafer, mezzo-soprano Haejung Shin, tenor Vale Rideout, baritone Mark Delavan and the Princeton Girlchoir.

The New York Choral Society, founded in 1958, has become known by audiences and critics for the quality of its performances and the diversity of its repertoire, which encompasses well-known choral masterworks as well as many compositions rarely heard in concert halls

The story of St. Paul is filled with drama, action, intrigue, murderous plots and miracles. Mendelssohn was deeply influenced by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and was solely responsible for the resurgent popularity of his music after his performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829. Through his music, Mendelssohn tells the story of the conversion of Saul, later known as the apostle Paul, through beautiful and dramatic choral music. The performance consist of three dramatic sections that take us from the martyrdom of St. Stephen to Saul’s conversion to the Roman Paul, and finally to his spreading of the gospel and the creation of the Christian church at Ephesus. St. Paul is full of nods to Bach’s in form and style, however, the beauty and expressiveness of this work, which The New York Times has called “serenely beautiful,” is Mendelssohn’s own.

“I’m extremely pleased with the new direction we are taking at the New York Choral Society. This season, we are expanding our activities to include performances around New York City while continuing to bring exciting and thought-provoking programming to our Carnegie Hall audiences. I’m especially pleased to be working again with the wonderful Princeton Girlchoir for a performance of Mendelssohn’s rarely heard masterpiece, St. Paul,” says Hayes

The concert will be on Jan. 25 at Carnegie Hall at 3 p.m. You can purchase tickets here.