CROSSING THE DEEP
JAN 17 + 19
Overview
Parallel lives, shared stories, and transatlantic musical traditions intertwine in this revelatory choral drama. Premiered by H+H in 2023 to sold-out houses, Crossing the Deep explores the resonances and juxtapositions between sacred music by Handel and Negro spirituals by enslaved Africans in America, written at the same time and often using the same Biblical texts. “There should be next performances and then some,” raved The Boston Globe, and we’re glad to deliver: Now, we’re inviting even more Bostonians to join us for this one-of-a-kind emotional journey.
In 2013, music librarian David Hunter discovered George Frideric Handel’s name in a printed list of investors in one of Britain’s official slave trading companies. Following this discovery Ellen T. Harris, musicologist, member of the H+H Board of Governors, and Professor of Music Emeritus at MIT, conducted a thorough study of Handel’s bank records and contacts, ultimately concluding that Handel’s connection to the Royal African Company account was not as an investment, but the way in which he was paid by his employers, similar to a direct deposit account today. Crossing the Deep was developed by H+H as a musical response to these findings.
Location
NEC's Jordan Hall
Dates
SOLD OUT Friday, January 17, 2025 at 7:30pm
SOLD OUT Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 3:00pm
To be added to the waitlist for tickets, please email us.
Music
Handel: from select Chandos Anthems
Sonata, HWV 246, No. 1
O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands, HWV 246, No. 2
The waves of the sea rage horribly, HWV 249b, No. 4
In the Lord put I my trust!, HWV 247, No 2
Have mercy upon me, O God, HWV 248, No. 2
Tears are my daily food, HWV 251b, No. 3
“Save us O Lord” from Esther, HWV 50a
The Lord is my light and my salvation, HWV 255, No. 2
Though an host of men were laid against me, HWV 255, No. 3
Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered, HWV 256 No. 2
Praise be the Lord, HWV 256 No. 6
Spirituals
In This Lan’ (arr. Anthony Trecek-King)
Stand the Storm (arr. Anthony Trecek-King)
I will Trust in the Lord (arr. Anthony Trecek-King)
Freeman: Solemnity
When I’m Dead (arr. Anthony Trecek-King)
Tryin’ to Get Home (arr. Anthony Trecek-King)
I want to go home (arr. Anthony Trecek-King)
I’m Building Me A Home (arr. Anthony Trecek-King)
Children, We All Shall Be Free (arr. Anthony Trecek-King)
Amazing Grace (arr. Stephen Feigenbaum)
Performed by
Anthony Trecek-King, conductor and co-creator
Reginald Mobley, countertenor and co-creator
Dawn M. Simmons, director
Regie Gibson, literary performer, narrator, and author of the text
Brianna Robinson, soprano
H+H Orchestra and Chorus
The concert runs 80 minutes with no intermission.
