Saint Peter's Tears by Lassus, O. D., Dg. 20 Gen. 2019, De (2018/2020), Dirigit per Peter Sellars, Director musical Grant Gershon, The Royal Conservatory, Toronto, Canada

From the creative mind of acclaimed director Peter Sellars comes his very first a cappella staging and most personal work to date. Orlando di Lasso knew that Lagrime was to be the last piece he would ever compose, and so he packed every measure with an emotionally charged texture that channeled all of his pain and remorse into a towering work of beauty. Twenty-one singers transform this 75-minute sweeping a cappella Renaissance masterpiece – committed to memory and dramatically staged – into an overwhelmingly emotional performance piece. Set to the poetry of Luigi Tansillo (1510-1568), “I accept responsibility” is the fundamental theme of this work depicting the seven stages of grief that St. Peter experienced after disavowing his knowledge of Jesus Christ on the day of his arrest and prior to his crucifixion. Sellars translates Lagrime through a contemporary lens, suggesting a powerful allegory that by taking responsibility and facing our past head-on, we can forge a more resolved and fulfilling future.