A Psalm of David---Psalm 22 - an Oratorio in Baroque Style

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/4a454a2_7vgText from the Holy Bible, King James VersionChoral music is the major part of An-lun Huang's compositions. This oratorio, A Psalm of David---Psalm 22, as the largest Chinese choral work ever composed, with its grand structure and superb compositional technique, it has lifted such types of Chinese music to a new level. This oratorio was commissioned by the Association of Toronto Chinese Evangelical Church Missions (ATCECM) of Canada. It has...
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Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/4a454a2_7vgText from the Holy Bible, King James VersionChoral music is the major part of An-lun Huang's compositions. This oratorio, A Psalm of David---Psalm 22, as the largest Chinese choral work ever composed, with its grand structure and superb compositional technique, it has lifted such types of Chinese music to a new level. This oratorio was commissioned by the Association of Toronto Chinese Evangelical Church Missions (ATCECM) of Canada. It has been premiered by the Mass Choir of the ATCECM, conducted by the father of the composer, prof. Fei-li Huang, in Toronto, 1987. After a great performance in Hong Kong, the composer was invited to conduct another successful concert of the cantata in Lincoln Center, New York, U.S.A., 1994.A Psalm of David---Psalm 22 has been called the Psalm of the crucifixion. The Psalm, though written a thousand years before the days of Jesus, describes His bodily condition and emotional experience on the cross. In fact, the description is so vivid and accurate that one would think the writer was physically present at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.It is precisely this great sense of awe and reverence induced from reading the marvelous Psalm that inspired composer An-lun Huang to set the text into music. Following the foot steps of traditional church music, the cantata is essentially written in the Baroque style. The musical conception is typical of this 18th century musical era when a highly emotional type of expression was favored. Yet the music sounds refreshingly modern thanks to the ingenious use of chromatics which was prevalent in the 19th and early 20th century music.