The Garden (1995) by Michael Mclean and Bryce Neubert
- Papa Merv
- Apr 15, 2022
- 5 min read
-- In honor of Easter weekend, an allegorical oratorio about the ultimate mission of Jesus Christ, for 7 soloists, choir, and orchestra.
I don't remember when I was introduced to this. I'm pretty sure I was introduced to it as a young teenager, when my father worked as custodian for the Boise Institute of Religion and would be given tickets for all their choirs' musical performances. I had a dear friend, later in High School, who loaned me her CD copy of it, and I grew fond of it. Later, I obtained the piano-vocal songbook, which I enjoyed playing and singing with a few friends or family members, but never had opportunity to perform. While not as well-known as The Forgotten Carols, The Ark, or Mr Kruger's Christmas, it is one of my favorite Michael McLean productions.
The story
After some introductory pieces, four characters in a garden are introduced that represent struggles most of us have had at some point in our lives:
The seedling - trapped in the dark, waiting for opportunities to grow. It is entirely dependent on factors beyond its control.
The ram - rebelliously abandoned his flock and his shepherd, thinking he knew better, but now he is lost and caught in a thicket, unable to escape. He knows it is his fault and would love a second chance (or third, or fourth, we don't know whether this happened before?).
The barren tree - despite decades of growth and experience and survival, still has no fruits to show, wondering if it even has any purpose anymore
The millstone - in despair because of its lack of beauty and its monotonous day of emotionlessly crushing dead plant material
In the meantime, the snake, weeds, and thistles thrive on the ruinous state of the garden, eager for the landlord to close the garden so that no order can intrude on their chaos.
A gardener, representative of prophets, apostles, or other messengers of God, comes to do what pruning and clearing he can, assuring that a Man with many names (Christ) will soon come to fix what is otherwise beyond repair. The Landlord, representing Satan, meanwhile tries to intimidate the gardener, and when the Man comes, mocks Him as well and [unsuccessfully] tries to turn Him from His Holy task.
The characters are relieved from all their predicaments; they sing the praises of the Man with many names, and the garden begins to flourish.
The songs
Overture: A showcase of arranger/conductor Merrill Jenson's superb composition and orchestration skills.
Prologue: perhaps meant to invoke a recitative, the melody is a single monotone over a gradually changing chord progression. surprisingly beautiful for its simplicity.
The Garden: the actual introduction to the story, beautifully sung by the uniquely warm tenor of Roger Hoffman. Also features some beautiful orchestration - I love the interplay between flute and oboe.
I Can't Grow: the seed's solo. The soprano chosen for this is fitting in her childlike voice, naive and frustrated. "Should I stop saying, 'It's not fair'? Am I less of a failure down here than up there? . . . What would it be like to be grown? Would I wish for these days in this darkness alone?"
Next time: the ram's solo. My personal favorite of the four "character solos." Probably because it fits my voice part best :) "Next time I won't get caught in this tangled web of mine. But I'm filled with fear As night's drawing near; there may never be next time."
A Snake Lies in the Grass. Just a small bridge to let us know about the landlord lurking nearby. The original recording is a bit slow for my taste. But one thing I find is that listening to the entire program and not skipping the 'weaker' tracks, helps the build and tension, making the best pieces more dramatic and impactful.
What Good Will I Ever Be? The olive tree's solo. I personally have a harder time relating to this one, as I've been blessed with many successes along the way in my life, but it embodies a category of struggle of which we all should be mindful.
I Feel Nothing. The millstone's solo. "There is no beauty inside me that one could embrace. I feel nothing . . . dead as the things I am crushing."
A Snake Lies in the Grass part 2. Segue into a new section of the program . . .
I Help Things Grow: the Gardener's solo. The soloist matches the self-description in this song "A Simple and honest man." A very down-to-earth, trustworthy voice.
This is My Garden: showdown between the Gardener and the Landlord. This is where things get more intense, Very well done by both parts.
I Cannot Save You: Another interlude to bridge to the next two songs, which are probably the most important messages of the whole program . . .
The Man With Many Names: the Gardener teaches and testifies of the One who can save each of the characters. A central melody to the program, memorable, a good stand-alone track as well.
The Breath of Spring: a beautiful and intricate choral piece. I'd like to hear a larger, more polished chorus perform this. Probably the strongest track for performing on its own without context.
Who is this Man? The four characters see the Man with many names and doubt whether he can truly save them. Mostly a bridge to the climax piece . . .
Not My Will: Roger Hoffman portrays Christ praying in Gethsemane. This piece finds all soloists and chorus building and joining one another, until 4 distinct pieces are being sung simultaneously: The Gardener commenting on the Man's suffering, The Landlord taunting and antagonizing fiercely, The Man continuing to pray, and the four characters joined by the chorus. Magnificent.
- 19. Trio of songs to conclude the story and close out the album. I won't review them here, as to appreciate them you really must hear them in context, in order.
The Invitation
No YouTube links are included here, as the songwriter has been respectfully adamant that all the original material be removed from YouTube. You may listen to previews of each track on Apple Music (most are 1:30 long). But these will not do the album justice, it really needs to be heard in its entirety.
I would invite you to purchase the album yourselves. It may not be a masterpiece, and some people will dislike it for a variety of reasons. Others may feel it ranks up there with Les Miserables. I personally find it beautiful and touching, and have thoroughly enjoyed multiple listens while preparing this review. Michael McLean does what he does best: craft meaningful and simple stories. The Garden is worth at least 2-3 listens. And maybe it will touch you and convey the message of hope through Christ, the central message of Easter, the way it does to me.
I affirm that it will be $9.99 (price on iTunes) well-spent!
Comments