WHAT’S NEWS IN MONROEVILLE
STEWART COPELAND’S
‘SATAN’S FALL’ TO HAVE
WORLD PREMIERE
AT THE ROXIAN
THEATRE WITH THE
MENDELSSOHN CHOIR
OF PITTSBURGH
The tale of Satan’s fall from Heaven, as
told in John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” has
fascinated readers for centuries. In February,
audiences will have the opportunity to
experience the timeless story in a powerful
new way, when the Mendelssohn Choir of
Pittsburgh (MCP) presents “Satan’s Fall,”
composed by Stewart Copeland, former
rock drummer and co-founder of the
legendary post-punk band The Police.
At 112 years in operation, MCP is
known for its ability to masterfully
tackle any genre of choral music, from
the traditional to the most avant-garde.
Composed of approximately 150 singers,
it is led by Robert Page Music Director
Matthew Mehaffey.
“Satan’s Fall,” which will be performed
Feb. 7 and 8 at the newly restored Roxian
Theatre in McKees Rocks, is a work for large
chorus commissioned by an international
consortium of choirs, including MCP,
Huddersfield Choral Society in the UK,
Pepperdine University, Trinity Church Wall
Street, Montclair State University
and VocalEssence.
Mehaffey was in close communication
with Copeland over the past year, working
with him in Los Angeles and workshopping
the new piece in Pittsburgh. Copeland is
MCP’s current Composer in Residence, a
position through which the choir invites
composers to blur boundaries of traditional
genres and create works for non-traditional
venues so that choral performances may be
re-imagined for 21st century audiences.
After Copeland’s last concert with The
Police in 1984, he began exploring genres
beyond rock, going on to become an award-
winning composer responsible for some
of the film world’s most innovative scores.
He has described this journey as a 20-year
intensive education in how to tell stories
with music.
That journey eventually led him into
the world of contemporary classical
composition, where he has created pieces
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for orchestra, chamber opera, and ballet.
As he ventured deeper, he came to be
fascinated by the story of Satan in
“Paradise Lost.”
“In the vast 17th century epic of John
Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’ there lives a
story within the story,” says Copeland. “It
concerns the essential prequel to the sacred
tale: Why did Satan do it? How and why
does Almighty God have an adversary? We
get an answer in Books V and VI when we
learn of Satan’s journey to the dark side and
of the mighty battle that cast him out of
Heaven. Such a story must be told with a
heavenly choir!”
Accompanied by a 14-piece ensemble of
strings, winds, and, of course, percussion,
the MCP will unleash that heavenly sound.
Audiences can expect to be immersed in the
drama and emotion of a truly epic conflict
during the 90-minute program. The first
half of the evening will set the celestial
stage with Copeland himself conducting
“O Fortuna” from Carl Orff ’s “Carmina
Burana,” and sharing the story of creating
Satan’s Fall. The MCP will also entertain
the audience with a version of the famous
“Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling
Stones. The evening’s second act contains
Copeland’s new 35-minute rock oratorio.
Soloists will voice lead roles, including
the archangels Raphael and Raphaella
who serve as narrators, as well as God,
Satan, and the Messiah. Joining the MCP
will be guest soloists Nathan Granner and
Jamie Chamberlin. Granner is a founding
member of the American Tenors, as well
as a former performer with Wolf Trap and
Glimmerglass Operas and a Metropolitan
Opera National Competition winner. Singer
and actress Chamberlin has been hailed as a
“superhuman soprano” for her performance
as Faustine in Copeland’s 2018 opera “The
Invention of Morel,” in which Granner was
also a cast member.
Of “Satan’s Fall,” Mehaffey says, “It’s
incredibly unique. The structure actually
feels like an oratorio, and therefore it is truly
timeless in how it tells the story. It’s part
‘Carmina Burana,’ part musical theater, part
hard rock, and very intense rhythmically. It’s
almost like an extended 1970s rock opera.”
Says Scott Forsyth of the Roxian Theatre,
“We’re excited to bring this unique show
to audiences. The Roxian is all about
icmags.com
enhancing the live music culture in
Pittsburgh, and innovative productions like
‘Satan’s Fall’ add a vital ingredient to that
culture.”
Stewart Copeland will attend both
performances. A limited number of VIP
tickets are available for meet-and-greets
with Copeland before each performance.
MCP is partnering with Kimpton Hotel
Monaco downtown to offer discounted
room rates along with tickets to the show,
so out-of-town visitors can experience this
unique work and local audience members
can make a full night of it.
iHeartMedia Pittsburgh is the official
media partner for “Satan’s Fall” and MCP’s
2019-‘20 Composer in Residence program
with Stewart Copeland. The MCP also has
support from the Pittsburgh Broadcasting
Corporation (WESA/WYEP).
“Satan’s Fall” will be performed Feb. 7
and 8 at the Roxian Theatre in McKees
Rocks (425 Chartiers Avenue). For more
information or to purchase tickets, visit
themendelssohn.org/current-season/
satans-fall.
RUBY’S CLEANERS
CELEBRATES 90TH YEAR
IN BUSINESS
With a three-lane, covered canopy drive-
through and a state-of-the-art facility, it’s
hard to believe that Ruby’s Cleaners started
out 90 years ago as a shoe repair shop in the
Beltzhoover neighborhood of Pittsburgh,
serving the South Hills.
“My grandfather had a little shoe repair
shop, and my dad started to pick up shoes
from customers with a shopping bag from
the streetcar,” said current third-generation
owner Jerry Rubenstein. “He’d pick up and
deliver them, and then in 1930 he started to
pick up cleaning along with the shoes. That’s
how Ruby’s got started.”
The “more recent” location in
Monroeville opened for business in 1954,
and still does all work on the premises.
And while Rubenstein’s children aren’t
planning to carry the business on to a fourth
generation, the semi-retired businessman
is still carrying hope that one day his
grandchildren or their spouses might be
interested in taking over. n