SUSTINUIT ANIMA MEA (MY SOUL HAS HELD FAST TO GOD’S WORD)
from De Profundis (The Depths)
Marcel Dupré (1917)
SUITE GOTHIQUE (GOTHIC SUITE), OP. 25
Léon Boëllmann (1895)
Greg Zelek, organist
I. Introduction—Chorale
II. Menuet Gothique (Gothic Minuet)
III. Prière à Notre-Dame (Prayer to Our Lady)
IV. Toccata
CANTATE DE LA GUERRE (CANTATA OF WAR)
Darius Milhaud (1940)
Carey Shunskis, soprano, and Kristina Rodel Sorum, alto
I. Choeur du Peuple Criminel (Chorus of the Guilty People)
II. Vox Domini (The Voice of the Lord)
PIE JESU (PIOUS LORD JESUS)
Lili Boulanger (1918)
JoAnna Johnson, soprano
L’ÉCHELLE DE JACOB (JACOB’S LADDER)
from Deux Spirituals
Jacques Chailley (1930)
Jared Campbell, tenor
SANCTUS (HOLY)
from Requiem
Maurice Duruflé (1947)
INTERMISSION
CLAIR DE LUNE (MOONLIGHT)
from Suite Bergamasque
Claude Debussy (1905), arr. for organ by Greg Zelek
Greg Zelek, organist
O SACRUM CONVIVIUM! (O SACRED BANQUET!)
Oliver Messiaen (1937)
CRUX FIDELIS (FAITHFUL CROSS)
Jean-Jules Aimable Roger-Ducasse (1911)
Kathryn Rupp, soprano
LITANIES À LA VIERGE NOIRE (PRAYERS TO THE BLACK VIRGIN)
Francis Poulenc (1936)
FINALE
from Organ Symphony No. 1
Louis Vierne (1899)
Greg Zelek, organist
CONSURGE, FILIA SION (ARISE, O DAUGHTER OF ZION)
from Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1858)
Jennifer Bevington, Robin Helgen, Cat Terres, Will Berendsen, David Gindra, solo quintet
SUSTINUIT ANIMA MEA (MY SOUL HAS HELD FAST TO GOD’S WORD), Marcel Dupré (1917)
From De Profundis (The Depths)
My soul has held fast to God’s word.
My soul hopes in the Lord.
—Psalm 130:5
CANTATE DE LA GUERRE (CANTATA OF WAR), Darius Milhaud (1940)
I. Choeur du Peuple Criminel (Chorus of the Guilty People)
Ah! Ah!
Out of the sky came a mighty voice saying: Woe!
Coming from the ranks of the foe who advance upon the ramparts,
Coming from deep within, from my heart, crying, “Ah, me!”
Now do I descend on thee–Accursed! O Cain!, thus saith the Lord.
I know thy works and where thou dwellest on Satan’s very throne!
When you are come to judge all nations, how can I escape thee?
Where can I lie hidden from the awful face of your wrath?
The thought of all my sins overwhelms me,
And here am I, ashamed and fearful at your feet.
A tremor has shaken the earth ‘neath the town of Dan.
The shouts of warriors has caused all of creation to tremble and shake.
And now are they come and their arms will utterly destroy all nations,
The cities and those within.
Now my wrath is turned on thee, unclean one!
Do you not know that my pronouncements are as living fire,
Even as the hammer shatters rock asunder?
I stand at the door and I knock but none answer.
From the awful face of thy dread wrath, where can I hide?
If I mount to the heights of heaven, thou art there!
Though I make my bed in hell, thy hand will not let me go!
All the princes of all nations shall be cast down from their glory,
The princes of the earth, coming before thee.
They will make reply and say to thee:
Then it is true! Not only us, but you have also been wounded.
Then are you even as ourselves.
All your arrogance and pride are cast down into hell,
And the worms of death shall feed on your body.
(Thus says the Voice of the Lord: Ego sum.)
II. Vox Domini (The Voice of the Lord)
O people, what have I done, tell me, why have ye turned from me?
For I knock at the door and would enter, but none answer!
Repent! People accursed, at the sight of the Lamb,
See now the Dove that stands before you.
He is come, who never was far away from you–
Open your hearts to receive him.
Learn from me, for I am good and humble of heart.
Know that the thing I did command of you
Was in no way too hard for you, nor too distant from you.
For it was close by your side, in your ear that you might hear it,
And in your heart so that you might know it.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart;
And as yourself–shall love your neighbor.
—Paul Claudel, 1940
PIE JESU (PIOUS LORD JESUS), Lili Boulanger (1918)
Pious Lord Jesus grant them rest. Amen.
—Requiem Mass, 2nd century
L’ÉCHELLE DE JACOB (JACOB’S LADDER), Jacques Chailley (1930)
from Deux Spirituals
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder, soldiers of the Cross.
Every step goes higher, higher, soldiers of the Cross.
—Negro Spiritual
SANCTUS (HOLY), Maurice Duruflé (1947)
from Requiem
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord,
Hosanna in the highest.
—Requiem Mass, 2nd century
CLAIR DE LUNE (MOONLIGHT), Claude Debussy (1905), arr. for organ by Greg Zelek
from Suite Bergamasque
Your soul is like a landscape fantasy.
—Paul Verlaine
O SACRUM CONVIVIUM! (O SACRED BANQUET!), Oliver Messiaen (1937)
O Sacred banquet in which Christ is received:
The memory of his passion is recalled and the mind is filled with grace.
O sacred banquet in which Christ is received:
And a pledge of future glory is given to us.
—13th century prose attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas
CRUX FIDELIS (FAITHFUL CROSS), Jean-Jules Aimable Roger-Ducasse (1911)
Faithful cross above all others, one and only noble tree.
None in foliage, none in blossom, none in fruit Thy peer may be.
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron, sweetest weight is hung on Thee.
Amen.
—King John IV of Portugal
LITANIES À LA VIERGE NOIRE (PRAYERS TO THE BLACK VIRGIN), Francis Poulenc (1936)
Lord, have pity on us. Jesus Christ, have pity on us.
Jesus Christ, hear us. Jesus Christ, grant our prayers.
God the Father, creator, have pity on us.
God the Son, redeemer, have pity on us.
God the Holy Spirit, sanctifier, have pity on us.
Holy Trinity, on single God, have pity on us.
Holy Virgin Mary, pray for us. Virgin, queen and patron, pray for us.
Virgin, whom Zacchaeus the tax-collector made us know and love,
Virgin, to whom Zacchaeus or Saint Amadour raised this sanctuary,
Pray for us.
Queen of the sanctuary, which Saint Martial consecrated,
And where he celebrated his holy mysteries,
Queen, before whom Saint Louis knelt
Asking of you good fortune for France, pray for us.
Queen, to whom Roland consecrated his sword, pray for us.
Queen, whose banner won the battles, pray for us.
Queen, whose hand delivered the captives, pray for us.
Our Lady, whose pilgrimage is enriched by special favors,
Our Lady, whom impiety and hate have often wished to destroy,
Our Lady, whom the peoples visit as of old, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, pardon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant our prayers.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have pity on us.
Our Lady, pray for us to the end that we may be worthy of Jesus Christ.
—French liturgical text used at the sanctuary of Rocamadour
CONSURGE, FILIA SION (ARISE, O DAUGHTER OF ZION), Camille Saint-Saëns (1858)
from Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio)
Quintet and Choir:
Arise, O Daughter of Zion.
Praise in the night at the beginning of the Vigil. Alleluia.
Let Zion go forth as the brightness of new wine,
And the Savior as a burning lamp.
Finale Chorus:
Bring sacrifices and worship the Lord in his holy court.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice for the Lord comes.
Alleluia.
—Micah 4:3, Isaiah 62.1, Psalm 96.8, 11
GREG ZELEK
Organist
Praised as “extraordinary in the classical music world” (Jon Hornbacher, PBS Wisconsin Life) and a “musical star” (Bill Wineke, Channel 3000), Greg Zelek is the Principal Organist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Curator of the Overture Concert Organ. In this role, Greg performs and oversees all of the MSO’s organ programming, with the MSO Organ Series regularly attracting over one thousand audience members per concert. Since September 2017, Greg has held the Elaine and Nicholas Mischler Curatorship.
In addition to his position in Madison, Zelek is the Northrop Organist at the University of Minnesota and Curator of the J.F. Bryan Concert Organ Series for the Jacksonville Symphony. He also performs frequently as a soloist throughout the United States, playing from memory and presenting both major works of the organ canon and new works that showcase the instrument’s versatility.
Alongside various orchestras, Greg has performed the organ concertos of Barber, Poulenc, Rheinberger, and Jongen, and has been the organist for works such as Mahler’s 8th Symphony, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass, Saint-Saëns’s Organ Symphony, Strauss’s Alpine Symphony, Respighi’s Pines of Rome, Foss’s Phorion, and Gounod’s Faust.
Zelek is known for his inventive programming and collaborations. He has performed with counter-tenor Reginald Mobley, worked with cellist Thomas Mesa, appeared in a Latin-American concert with a Cuban band from Miami, FL, collaborated with electronic trombonist Mark Hetzler, and performed with the Canadian Brass. He continues as a Visiting Guest Artist at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN.
In 2016, Greg was chosen by The Diapason as one of the top “20 Under 30” organists and has won prizes in numerous competitions. He released a recording on the Overture Concert Organ in Fall 2022. A recipient of the inaugural Kovner Fellowship, he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, as well as an Artist Diploma, from The Juilliard School as a student of Paul Jacobs. Greg, who is Cuban-American and a native Spanish speaker, grew up in Miami, FL and resides in Madison, WI with his wife and daughter.
