American composer Daniel Knaggs’s The Joyful Mysteries is a choral symphony of five movements which correspond to the “Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary” in Catholicism: The angel’s Annunciation to Mary, her Visitation of Elizabeth, the Nativity of Christ, his Presentation in the temple, and his Finding in the temple as a young boy. The libretto is drawn from Biblical texts and the writings of Hildegard von Bingen and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The work is scored for orchestra, including a variety of pitched percussion instruments, chorus, and four soloists with the majority of the solos shared between the soprano who sings Mary and the mezzo-soprano who sings the Angel, Elizabeth, and the Prophetess Anna. A bass-baritone sings Simeon in the fourth movement, and a boy treble sings the Child Jesus in the fifth movement. In addition to the highly accessible music, well-recorded sound, and excellent performances, this album is of interest for featuring soprano Gabriella Reyes who returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago in the new year to sing Musetta in La bohème.
The Joyful Mysteries Choral Symphony and Other Works
Gabriella Reyes (Photo: Jesús Cornejo)
