Los Angeles Master Chorale Releases Eric Whitacre's THE SACRED VEIL

On August 28, 2020, the Los Angeles Master Chorale will release its recording of The Sacred Veil on Signum Classics. This powerful, thought-provoking 12-movement work is scored for SATB choir, cello, and piano by composer Eric Whitacre and poet-lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri. Silvestri's wife, Julie, died of ovarian cancer at age 36 in 2005, leaving two young children. His texts (written collaboratively with Whitacre) and the intimate, compelling score tell a story of courtship, love, loss, and the search for solace.

Described by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director, as Whitacre's Requiem, The Sacred Veil was commissioned by the Master Chorale, who premiered the piece in February 2019 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. In a review of that performance, the Los Angeles Times said that The Sacred Veil "memorably celebrate(s) the precarious beauty of life, offering the welcome consolation of art and a momentary stay against our collective fate."

Please visit https://ericwhitacre.com/music-catalog/the-sacred-veil for the track listing and comments from Whitacre.

"Little did we know when we recorded The Sacred Veil in January 2020 that this would be one of the last times the Master Chorale would come together before the pandemic struck," said Gershon. "It's fitting that this stunning work is being released during a time of transformation, when so many of us are searching for peace and understanding in an incredibly disruptive time. This is one of Eric Whitacre's greatest achievements, and we are so grateful for his commitment and dedication at the Master Chorale as our Swan Family Artist-in-Residence for the past four years."

"About three years ago, Tony Silvestri presented me with a poem, now the first movement of The Sacred Veil, and upon reading the poem I could immediately hear the music, which happens to me very rarely," said Whitacre. "I loved the idea in the poem of this veil as a ribbon of energy between those who are living and those who passed. Together, Tony and I decided to craft this intensely personal work, filled with love, hope, honestly, authenticity, and in the end, surrender. I'm deeply grateful to the Master Chorale for performing and recording The Sacred Veil, and hope that those who listen find peace in the journey."