April 3rd marked the 102nd Good Friday performance of John Stainer’s The Crucifixion at Brick Presbyterian Church. This year’s soloists were Sean Fallen and Nathaniel Sullivan, along with organist Alistair Reid.
Of the century-old pre-Easter concert tradition, Minister of Music, Dr. Raymond Nagem says, “It was a very popular piece of music in many churches back in the early 20th century. Most churches have let a lot of traditions go. Brick has kept on. The Crucifixion is a signature event here. We have an inheritance from wonderful and thoughtful people who came before us. They did things very intentionally, and we have to honor that.”
Stainer’s music tells the story of the Christian faith’s belief in the sacrifice of Jesus and humanity’s redemption with dramatic solos, choruses, and hymns sung by the entire congregation. Says Nagem, “Stainer was heavily influenced by the passions of Bach, where you have orchestra and chorus and soloists, but then you have chorales: the music of the people. For the professional singers, they’re leading the song, and then the room joins in. It’s communal music making, and that is something the world really needs. I think Stainer wanted this piece to unify people, and it does.”
The free concert’s enduring popularity is a testament to Stainer’s skill in painting the text, most famously his sublime unaccompanied setting of “God So Loved The World.”
The performance showcased the talents of soloists Sean Fallen and Nathaniel Sullivan who serve as narrators throughout the piece.
This was Fallen’s second year participating in The Crucifixion. The tenor is an active opera and oratorio soloist at many venues in New York City, as well as throughout the U.S. and on three continents. The Messiah is a specialty of his, and he has literally sung it from coast to coast, ranging from our own Carnegie and Avery Fischer Halls to the American Bach Soloists in CA.
Fallen was honored to return and pointed out that even though the music and words are the same, “It’s always something new and fresh. The choir is different. We have new people coming in to join us and maybe a new organist.” Yet he says that the opposite is also true. “It’s just nice to see the same people out there, how important it is to them. I feel a responsibility to do my best.”
For Sullivan, this is his seventh time participating in the concert. “I love coming back year after year. It’s an absolutely beautiful piece of music that really resonates with people, especially because there’s such a tradition in this community. It’s that nostalgic quality that endures in people’s hearts.”
The baritone has been described as impressive and having great eloquence. This season, he will perform in Salome with West Bay Opera, and in the world premiere of Constance: A Confession with Experiments in Opera, make solo appearances in Bach’s Mass in B Minor with Abendmusik, and perform in the premieres of two oratorios at Carnegie Hall.
The Crucifixion is just one of the magnificent offerings in Brick Church’s concert series, Worship & Arts, which welcomes all to experience the joyous, uplifting power of the performing arts.
Worship & Arts concerts and special worship services are year-round events, featuring Brick’s superb Chancel Choir, recitals on the church’s magnificent Casavant organ, as well as performances by extraordinary guest artists and ensembles from New York City’s vibrant artistic scene.
Now in its second season, the program has grown to become an important part of the Brick congregation’s way to celebrate and has become a valued part of the New York City arts community. The house of worship’s philosophy is that music, dance, and drama can comfort, inspire, challenge, and bring all closer to the divine.
Says Nagem, “We want to open the doors of Brick and invite people in. We have this treasure of a space with gorgeous acoustics, wonderful instruments, and we have wonderful people here, musicians and staff, and we want to share what we have with the community to grow and find spiritual solace.”
Since 1767, everyone who has ever worshipped or even visited Brick Church knows it has a lively and growing congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA). All are welcome on Sundays at 11 am, followed by a coffee hour, and at all seasonal weekday services. Brick Church also sponsors thriving preschool programs, as well as community outreach to its Upper East Side neighborhood and beyond.
Lorraine Duffy Merkl is a New York City journalist and novelist.