Trio de Chats Noirs in Ottawa, Illinois
“Transcendent: From Baroque Grace to Romantic Glory”
Trio de Chats Noirs, featuring Rachel Velvikis on horn and Mark Fry on bass trombone, joins forces with organist Christopher Powell for a radiant survey of sacred music. Bold chorales, luminous lyricism, and intricate Baroque dialogues unfold from Mueller’s variations and Liszt’s Hosannah! through the tender melodies of Saint-Saëns, Mozart’s serene simplicity, and Corelli’s elegant grace, culminating in Dykes’ gentle lament. The program’s heart turns to profound prayer: Anton Bruckner’s Ave Maria WAB 7, newly arranged for bass trombone and organ, glows with hushed reverence and velvet sonority, followed by Alan Hovhaness’s Prayer of Saint Gregory in a luminous new scoring for horn, bass trombone, and organ—an ecstatic, soaring intermezzo of mystic longing. The evening closes in triumph with Handel’s Concerto Grosso in F Major—arranged for horn, bass trombone, and organ—ablaze with brilliant dialogue, radiant counterpoint, and joyous Baroque splendor.