"The Redeemer," Robert Cundick's masterpiece about the Savior's ministry and mission, will be the Easter offering of the Tabernacle Choir, Temple Square Chorale and Orchestra at Temple Square. It will be presented April 13-14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.
Brother Cundick, who served as Tabernacle organist from 1965 to 1991, acknowledges that the work is "oratorio like" in nature, but prefers to describe it in terms of its subtitle: "A Sacred Service of Music."
"It's an experience of music and the sung word rather than 'music and the spoken word'," he reflected in a telephone interview.
Indeed, the words are drawn from all four standard works of the Church.
"It's a total experience that makes great demands on the listeners to look into their hearts and lives and discover how these scriptures are meaningful. It's a key to unlock that dimension. And the curious thing that happens is when I hear those scriptures today, I'm immediately hearing the music."
Brother Cundick composed the music in a 10-week period in 1977.
He found that as he approached the Lord in prayer, music would come freely to his mind. If he ever forgot to pray about it, he would quickly be reminded, as the inspiration would not flow without the prayers.
What resulted was a piece divided into three sections: "The Prophecy," "The Sacrifice," and "The Promise." In keeping with the worship-service imagery of the piece, these sections are preceded by a prelude and followed by a postlude.
In notes to a recording of the work on BYU's Tantara Label, part of the "Heritage" recording series, Ralph Woodward, former music professor and choral director at BYU, wrote: "The composer feels that the prelude should provide a background of prayerful contemplation of that which is to be heard. And the postlude provides a similar moment for reflection on that which has passed. In a live performance, extemporaneous prayers of invocation and benediction occur immediately after the prelude and immediately preceding the postlude."
That procedure will be followed in the April performances in the Tabernacle, except that in keeping with the preferences of the Tabernacle Choir staff, there will be an opportunity for applause from the audience after the postlude, Brother Cundick noted.
He said he often has people approach him in the grocery store or elsewhere to tell him how the work has changed their lives. "It's a unique work; I stand in awe of the fact that anything like it could have been done through me."
He added: "I don't know what will happen with the performance in the Tabernacle this time, but I suspect the beauty will still be there. It's incredible to have it performed by the Tabernacle Choir, which is singing so incomparably well now, with the new orchestra and the conductor, Barlow Bradford, who believes in the work so much. Barlow's an ex-student of mine.
"I'm looking forward to two wonderful performances there."
E-mail: rscott@desnews.com