The Master’s University’s Forest Lawn concert series, a celebration of choral and orchestral music performed at the Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection in Glendale, Calif. ahead of Resurrection Sunday, made its grand return on April 5 and 6. The concerts featured a blend of almost 200 voices and a full orchestra pit.
The nights’ performances took place in front of the largest religious painting ever created: a masterpiece of the late Polish painter, Jan Styka. “The Crucifixion” measures 195 feet in length and 45 feet in height, depicting a scene of Christ glancing to heaven moments before He is nailed to the cross by Roman soldiers.
Pieces performed included “And Can It Be” arranged by Dan Forrest and “Requiem” by John Rutter, which is a seven-part piece that took students roughly forty minutes to complete. The “Hallelujah Chorus” by G.F. Handel topped off the program.
