SEATTLE TIMES
By: Melinda Bargreen

Wednesday, January 23, 2002

A JOYOUS, CROWD-PLEASING TRIBUTE TO KING

"A large, diverse and mostly joyous crowd fround a good place to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday: Benaroya Hall, where the tow-hour oratorio, "Montage to Martin," brought the listeners repeatedly to their feet in appreciation of a remarkable performance.

With a libreto by poet/composer Ja Jahannes (who has contributed musical themes) and a score by local composer Stephen Newby, "Montage" gave a musical biography of King as diverse as the country King served.

The quality of the vocal soloist was so consistently high that the music and words shone to the strongest possible effect. One of the productions greatest assets was narrator and tenor soloist George Shirley, the first African-American tenor to sing leading roled at the Metropolitan Opera, where he was a mainstay for 11 seasons. Shirley, who still has plenty of firepower, brought immense authority and dignity to the narration, which tells of King's rise, his struggle and the impact of his death…"

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