Reena Esmail: Exaltations
Acis
Recorded at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. the day after its live March 2024 premiere at Washington National Cathedral, Exaltations by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail (b. 1984) does something no other choral work has done. It's not its coupling of double choir and brass quintet, though that is unusual, but rather its daring interweaving of Western and Eastern traditions: while the piece aligns itself to other choral works in the Roman Catholic tradition, it also draws on Indian classical music and Hindu religious practice by setting each of its three movements in a different Hindustani raag (melodic framework), Megh, Pratiksha, and Bageshri. The sound world resulting from the fusion is subtly different from anything else in the choral genre.
Performed by Cathedral Choral Society under the direction of conductor Steven Fox, the work was commissioned by the company and was for Esmail the first time she'd composed a piece for choir and brass, though she'd written for them independently. The soloists gracing the performance are Katelyn Grace Jackson (soprano), Matthew Newhouse (tenor), and Aryssa Leigh Burrs (mezzo-soprano), with the brass quintet led by French hornist Mark Hughes. Latin text is used but minimally, with each movement deploying a single world or phrase.
Surging flurries of brass and ecstatic vocal declamations of “Hosanna” initiate the work and establish its celebratory tone. As high-volume as the movement is, it's not without an occasional subdued moment, which makes the repeated escalations all the more dynamic. In contrast to the full ensemble treatment of “Hosanna,” the serene “Alleluia” allows the soloists to separate themselves from the choral mass, and it's in the undulations of both vocal elements that the work's Hindustani dimension comes most fully to the fore. As anticipated, “Gloria” reinstates the ecstatic character of the opening movement, with this time a short verse delivered by the Cathedral Choral Society rather than a single word. As dominant as the vocalists are, Hughes, trumpeters Daniel Taubenheim and Kristopher Westrich, trombonist Austin Westjohn, and tubist Zach Bridges show themselves to be as integral to the performance.
Be aware that the release is a mere thirteen minutes long and is thus more single or EP than full-length. But as Esmail clarifies, the choice was by design, as she wanted the piece to stand alone rather than be presented with two other works as was the case at the Washington concert. While that makes for a short release, one does give one's undivided attention to Exaltations and reaps fulsome rewards for doing so. Esmail likens herself to “a connector” who brings people and traditions together, and this uplifting creation is substantial enough that a wholehearted appreciation for its fusion of two spiritual lineages is possible.September 2025