I am a military wife whose husband is away right now. Today, we suffered a miscarriage, and this video has been on repeat as I pace back and forth in our house. God gives such good grace, but also at times heart breaking grief. I am learning to accept the cross I am given to bear, regardless of the weight. Regardless of the splinters. If you are a parent grieving the loss of a child or a spouse separated from your loved one, my heart beats with you right now. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His beautiful face shine upon you. May He send His countenance upon you and bring you the peace you so desperately need today. May there be sunshine, may there be peace. 🤟
I’m so sorry for your loss. ❤️ I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to go through it with your husband away! I had an early miscarriage in March and my husband was on a work trip, but only for a few days. I can’t imagine it being an extended situation. It was difficult because it was very early. I only knew for sure I was pregnant for two weeks. But we were so excited. People acted like… the milk in the fridge was there longer than I knew about it, so I should “move on,” quickly. God was with me though. A few weeks later I had a dream that I was in a park with the sweetest little boy (it’s odd; I’ve always wanted a girl) who had my husband’s nose and freckles and my eyes. We played together and he was outlined by the sunlight. I try to think that my mom gets a head start on being a grandmother, and she’ll be watching over my little one in heaven until I can meet them. And today my doctor told me I’m in the clear to try for a family again. My odds of another loss are still higher than for most women, due to some health issues, but it’s not enough to make him think I should avoid pregnancy. I know I’m supposed to be a mom and eventually I will have my family. The songs I Believe in Love (which utilizes the text of this song as well) and Surrender by Barlow Girl may be comforting to you. I hope time bring peace, and all the warmth, love, and comfort God can provide will bring healing. ❤
I am so sorry for you loss! I can't even imagine the pain and anguish that caused you. I pray that God has given you healing and peace, and the grace to deal with this. God Bless you!
I understand your pain and grief, and I am so sorry. From my own personal experience, we may not see or understand why, but we can rest in the faith and knowledge that we can trust Him.
Wij weten niet waarom wij ons verdrietige dingen moeten meemaken, maar er komt een dag dat wij alles begrijpen zullen. Houd hieraan vast en God zal het vertrouwen niet beschamen. Ik wens je veel kracht in deze moeilijke dagen.
I'm a music major at a small college on the east coast. Recently, we had a student in our music department who passed away after a concert suddenly, and many students in our department were left traumatized and hurting. I found myself having to rationalize this event with my Christian faith. This specific recording of this piece has brought so much comfort to myself and many people in our department after this tragedy. The last line is so relevant to the struggle our school has been having, "I believe in God, even when He is silent." Thank you all for blessing us with this.
1 Corinthians 10:13 we still have suffering but God helps in time of need. Arnesen’s version of this poem which was supposedly from a wall in a concentration camp is the most powerful I’ve heard.
"I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining. I believe in love even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God even when He is silent." These three lines were scratched into the wall of a German concentration camp during WW2. In the midst of horror, someone declared their faith in the God that did not answer the way they thought He would. A poem and a song.
Such a magical experience to be a part of this performance. This was the culmination of a multi-week tour in Norway, and a year of practicing an hour and a half every day. I still remember feeling chills on some of these chords, being part of an entity bigger than myself. Thought of it today, and I'm so surprised with how many views this video has!
Thank you for putting in the work...and the chills in MY spine. Music is my favorite way to be reminded that we are all part of somthing so vast and amazing that we have not the fuculties to notice but a small.piece of the.handiwork. The chord voicings in modern chorale can suddenly wring grief from within me that i forgot i had. You did a beautiful job..and did a great service to your fellow human being.
Lyrics: I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining. I believe in love, even when I feel it not. I believe in God, even when He is silent. "Even when He is silent" was commissioned by the St. Olaf Festival (Olavsfestdagene) in Trondheim, Norway. The SSAA version was premiered by the Nidaros Cathedral Girls´ Choir and conductor Anita Brevik on July 30, 2011 in Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim. This is a work about hope even in the darkest time of life. The text was found on a wall at a concentration camp after World War 2 and was written by a prisoner. Even if your freedom and the people you love is taken away from you, no one can take your faith and hope.
CrazeFaze Sanders i think some of their greatness has to do with how the whole choir has their dynamics down to a tee, resulting in the basses shining a lot more than we’d expect
This is the most beautiful and tender performance of the song. Many choirs sing it too quickly. This director and choir truly embody the lyrics and music.
I am doubly fortunate, not only to count Kim, the composer as a dear friend...he is so very kind and humble. I also live in the town where St Olaf is located and am able to hear this magnificent choir...not 10 minutes from my front door. So blessed. So blessed.
This is a great example of how Dr. Armstrong is one of the best out there. You can hear the vocal and musical discipline - good, strong consonants, vanishing vowels, etc. - all the marks of a great conductor who demands the best. Having worked with him several times, I can say that he does it in a very positive, encouraging way. He's never domineering or nasty. Ever.
So, as a graduate of St. Olaf (a long time ago) and having recently returned from a magical trip to Norway, I visited Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. This beautiful concert came to mind, having watched it many times on PBS at Christmas. I am more and more mesmerized by the choral excellence and moving text. It gives me hope in this very challenging, and at times very dark world. I love my legacy with St. Olaf, always remembering the the wonderful and inspiring people who have gone on to make this world a better place-one of the best is my daughter (‘20 graduate). Tears and joy!
So thankful that you don't get to decide how everyone worships. If it's not your style, it's not your style, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't speak to people and inspire people differently. God inhabits the praise and worship of his people! Celebrate the variety! Jesus even healed people differently - sometimes just the touch of his robe, sometimes he spat in the dirt and put the mud on blind eyes. I was a music major and love and miss high choir, but I also love classic Christian rock, and modern praise music. Remember that GRACE is what has been offered you, so pass that on freely to others and without judgement.
This is a seriously fantastic choir. Just look at the way they move in perfect unison, providing the perfect amount of consonance to each word, swelling and fading appropriately to capture the phrasing. They sound so... unified. These people are doing amazing work.
Which is surprising considering only a few have proper and consistent vowel shape and even opening their mouths. The gal in the middle with the poodle hairdo at 0:28, the blonde on the right at 0:40 and the guy at the far left at 1:10 are showing good shape, but no so much the people around them.
Stephen Weigel This is the best choir ever. They come to Rochester every five years and I have heard them twice. They use kinesthetic methods to enhance their music even with Bach and it's wonderful!
Oh, I think they're doing just fine. Actually, far better than fine. There are all sorts of ways to "make a beautiful noise." As for their technique, well.. the Kawasaki school produced a lot of musicians/instrumentalists with great technique, but musicianship was second-fiddle. This is consistently one of the premier choirs in the US if not the world. They keep sounding/performing like that, their vowel shapes and mouths can do whatever they want.
With COVID, I wasn't able to do any choral music. Now that its coming towards an 'end' of sorts, I am finally getting back to it and no one understands how thrilled I am about it. Emotional songs like this just make me feel so much.
Before COVID, I had to miss a practice for a performance with a choir for a choral festival, so I joined the cathedral's choir for a practice of theirs to work on things. This was shortly before Holy Week of 2020. I got to hear the choir practice this. Sitting in the middle of a choir of professionals and hearing this for the first time, my jaw just hung open. I ended up looking up the song and found this video. I think I've yet to listen to it without crying the first time through. And I hope that never changes.
I first heard this song at a high-school choir concert (my granddaughter is a member of the chorus). The choir director commented that this is one of the most difficult pieces for a choir to sing. This recording is also wonderful.
This is such a wonderfully moving work with a simple, yet powerful text! It inspired me to write a choral work titled “My Plea” using the text from a poem by Mary Matsuzawa, a young “prisoner” during the WWII Internment of Japanese-Americans.
Beautiful! This video was just shared in the aftermath of the shootings targeting Dallas police. God's presence is often questioned in times like these, just as it was during the holocaust when these lyrics were written. This piece of music and St. Olaf's performance restore my faith. I always will be reminded of these words in dark times, "even when He is silent." Thank you.
Can you believe it's been ten years since this video was posted? I've loved this performance ever since I bookmarked it many years ago. This morning I listened to it several times. How timely this message is, given everything that is happening in the world today. I'm so thankful these good young people who share the light, love, and hope that God provides. Thank you St. Olaf College singers. Amazing as always!
It's music like this that makes me miss the church choir I sang with for four years. The text is so short and simple but full of hope and faith. The composition is heavenly and this choir sounds like a group of angels. There are words in the tongues of men to describe the beauty of this piece.
I feel the same. These are the types of songs that made me want to be in choir. They are challenging musically and have such straightforward and strong messages. I can do without singing the stuff I hear on the radio all the time (what church music has turned into in my neck of the woods).
The first time I heard this it brought me to tears and that's rare for me... The beauty of the composition couples perfectly with the simplest text that carries so much meaning. It's a great reminder when I'm feeling down or even abandoned.
So beautiful. I first heard this just before the pandemic when I got to hear the Cathedral Choir in Newark, NJ practice it for Holy Week. I was there to work on something with them and was sitting in the midst of the choir as they practiced this and was blown away by the sound of it. I eventually had to find a recording of it and came across this and was just moved to tears the first time I listened. So haunting and gorgeous. And one of the most haunting parts is that chord at 2:18, which blew me away when I looked at the sheet music. The women and the Tenor 1s are all singing adjacent notes. It's literally GFEDCA for the top 6 voices with the bases just hanging WAY low. And it is GORGEOUS somehow. I hope sometime in my life I will get to perform this piece. I have no idea how, when, or with who, but I would absolutely love to do so.
World class. Just simply world class. I can't sing. I used to be able to play soccer. All MIAC is just sort of a funfact when you listen to this ... Unbelievably beautiful, and absolute perfection! And singing in my country. St. Olaf Choir, I love you! We all do!
Tenor 2 all the way!!! :D This is a such a beautiful arrangement! It's a great pleasure to sing this with Mt. SAC chamber singers. It's amazing to have such an amazing impact from this song....our audience was crying and I also did as well especially on the part when began the "I believe in God even when He is silent". simple yet such a powerful song.
Michigan All-State HS Honors Choir 2016, we did this piece too. One of the most beautiful and especially the most meaningful choral pieces ever composed.
We did this in my first semester in undergrad. 18, scared, and unsure if music was still a good idea, in the middle of everything something in this song gave me clarity. I remember feeling so much love and hope in singing this song, I knew I was in the right place and exactly where I needed to be. Years later and readying for grad school, it still gives me hope. 😊
Most assuredly, one of the most musically beautiful persuasive pieces to evangelize a lost and unbelieving world I do believe "Even When He is Silent" especially the ending. Amen.
1:50...through tough times when you think that you’ve hit rock bottom, love is there, even when you feel it not. We’re singing this in the NJ All-State Chorus and I keep coming back to listen to it.
Comment for Dormi Jesu: I just discovered this composition tonight. My only regret is that I did not discover this on January 1st. Had I done so, I would have listened to this song for 278 consecutive days. I've listened to it 10 straight times tonight, so maybe I can still catch up by the end of the year.
For everyone who has enjoyed this performance, we encourage you to check out our digital concert series - Sounds from St. Olaf, which premieres a new episode every Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT. : ua-cam.com/play/PLAQGawh84RS7mSYebFXCAgZsStYLysYjw.html
Actually, if you look at the sheet music, the song starts pianissimo, maybe even double pp. With that being said, they are respecting the intention of the conductor by starting the song incredibly soft. I also had to listen with earbuds.
The quality of this recording is downright poor. Such a pitty because it ruins an otherwise beautiful performance. There’s multiple drop-outs of sound... f.i. at 2:15 and 2:25. And Kelly Cbert is absolutely correct: the recording volume is simply too low.
A thrilling, magnificent performance of this piece of few words & powerful insight & meaning. Our choir is practicing this currently. & I feel humbled to be able to sing this for the poet who left these words/thoughts behind for the rest of us to ponder deeply. ..Reading the story behind the history of the written words was a revelation. The sheer beauty reminds me of the hope & meaning that is still being discovered through art left behind by those in those wicked camps...I also recall the important book written by a physician's own concentration camp survival: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. God's purpose for our lives eternally being played out...Sing it out!!!
The truly amazing part of this composition are the lyrics- they came from a Nazi concentration camp where they were carved into a wall in a bunk. The fact that a human who was not treated as such still had the hope in them to create this work of art is so astounding and beautiful to me.
I receive most of my religious practice from the best of UA-cam clips like this. If an afterlife exists, I’d imagine to be greeted to a performance like this. 🙏 I listen to this particular video several times a week for years now to achieve calm and peace.
I had the privilege of seeing them at Messiah College this winter. I listen to this song several times a week. What a perfect delivery of such an amazing piece. Congratulations on 1M views.
Lovely work. I shared this on my Facebook this evening after learning about another mass shooting at a college in the United States. It can be tough out there to keep the faith. Catholic guy loves this choir.
YES! I believe in GOD when He is silent, for I feel His wings embracing me, I feel His kiss upon my heart, I hear Him moving in the winds of the stars, and I know He is there all around me. I once fell into a deep sleep and dreamed I was upon a lake shore with the greenest of grasses and flowers all around me. It was the greatest garden ever, it was the beginning of sunset. The swans were gliding. And over my right shoulder, a small swirling dark cloud appeared. From behind this cloud, light beyond my poor attempt to describe and a still small voice spoke to my mind and heart - love beyond love beyond more love! YES! I know that I know that even when He is silent - He Is Always There, With me, guiding me, guarding me, holding and sailing me through my courses. I LOVE YOU MY DEAREST LORD ELOHIM - MY FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT - PURE LIVING INTELLECT, INCARNATE LOVE AND THE FIRE OF THAT LOVE.
I was blessed to perform this piece on tour in Italy and other places throughout our city as we raised funds for that tour. Amazing piece!!! Kudos to Kin Arnesen!!! This is truly a masterpiece for Choral Arts!
Came here right after watching Martin Scorsese's "Silence". My choir sang this piece two years ago, this song is forever burned into my mind because of how beautiful it is. Now I'm weeping all over again, having an existential crisis.
I am a military wife whose husband is away right now. Today, we suffered a miscarriage, and this video has been on repeat as I pace back and forth in our house. God gives such good grace, but also at times heart breaking grief. I am learning to accept the cross I am given to bear, regardless of the weight. Regardless of the splinters. If you are a parent grieving the loss of a child or a spouse separated from your loved one, my heart beats with you right now. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His beautiful face shine upon you. May He send His countenance upon you and bring you the peace you so desperately need today. May there be sunshine, may there be peace. 🤟
I’m so sorry for your loss. ❤️ I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to go through it with your husband away! I had an early miscarriage in March and my husband was on a work trip, but only for a few days. I can’t imagine it being an extended situation.
It was difficult because it was very early. I only knew for sure I was pregnant for two weeks. But we were so excited. People acted like… the milk in the fridge was there longer than I knew about it, so I should “move on,” quickly.
God was with me though. A few weeks later I had a dream that I was in a park with the sweetest little boy (it’s odd; I’ve always wanted a girl) who had my husband’s nose and freckles and my eyes. We played together and he was outlined by the sunlight. I try to think that my mom gets a head start on being a grandmother, and she’ll be watching over my little one in heaven until I can meet them.
And today my doctor told me I’m in the clear to try for a family again. My odds of another loss are still higher than for most women, due to some health issues, but it’s not enough to make him think I should avoid pregnancy. I know I’m supposed to be a mom and eventually I will have my family.
The songs I Believe in Love (which utilizes the text of this song as well) and Surrender by Barlow Girl may be comforting to you.
I hope time bring peace, and all the warmth, love, and comfort God can provide will bring healing. ❤
I am so sorry for you loss! I can't even imagine the pain and anguish that caused you. I pray that God has given you healing and peace, and the grace to deal with this. God Bless you!
I understand your pain and grief, and I am so sorry. From my own personal experience, we may not see or understand why, but we can rest in the faith and knowledge that we can trust Him.
Wij weten niet waarom wij ons verdrietige dingen moeten meemaken, maar er komt een dag dat wij alles begrijpen zullen. Houd hieraan vast en God zal het vertrouwen niet beschamen. Ik wens je veel kracht in deze moeilijke dagen.
Thank you for sharing.
I'm a music major at a small college on the east coast. Recently, we had a student in our music department who passed away after a concert suddenly, and many students in our department were left traumatized and hurting. I found myself having to rationalize this event with my Christian faith. This specific recording of this piece has brought so much comfort to myself and many people in our department after this tragedy. The last line is so relevant to the struggle our school has been having, "I believe in God, even when He is silent." Thank you all for blessing us with this.
Makes you believe in the life hereafter doesn't it?
1 Corinthians 10:13 we still have suffering but God helps in time of need. Arnesen’s version of this poem which was supposedly from a wall in a concentration camp is the most powerful I’ve heard.
Beautiful sentiment. A true testament of faith. God bless you all.
For the mystic, silence is His presence
"I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining.
I believe in love even when I don’t feel it.
I believe in God even when He is silent."
These three lines were scratched into the wall of a German concentration camp during WW2. In the midst of horror, someone declared their faith in the God that did not answer the way they thought He would.
A poem and a song.
Thanks so much for the lyric and the story! So moving! I needed this!
Such a magical experience to be a part of this performance. This was the culmination of a multi-week tour in Norway, and a year of practicing an hour and a half every day. I still remember feeling chills on some of these chords, being part of an entity bigger than myself. Thought of it today, and I'm so surprised with how many views this video has!
Thank you for putting in the work...and the chills in MY spine. Music is my favorite way to be reminded that we are all part of somthing so vast and amazing that we have not the fuculties to notice but a small.piece of the.handiwork. The chord voicings in modern chorale can suddenly wring grief from within me that i forgot i had. You did a beautiful job..and did a great service to your fellow human being.
One of the highlights of my life was singing with this group as a college student. This song touched my heart so deeply.
my choir just sang this. it is truly one of the most beautiful songs ever written
nice!
Wow - so emotional, great song, great choir, bravo
if not the most!
Singing this in the NJ All-State Choir. Seriously a beautiful piece.
+Reid Shriver beautiful indeed. Enjoy NJ All State- great memories for me from a lifetime ago (2003-04!).
Lyrics:
I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining.
I believe in love, even when I feel it not.
I believe in God, even when He is silent.
"Even when He is silent" was commissioned by the St. Olaf Festival (Olavsfestdagene) in Trondheim, Norway. The SSAA version was premiered by the Nidaros Cathedral Girls´ Choir and conductor Anita Brevik on July 30, 2011 in Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim.
This is a work about hope even in the darkest time of life. The text was found on a wall at a concentration camp after World War 2 and was written by a prisoner. Even if your freedom and the people you love is taken away from you, no one can take your faith and hope.
Thank You
faith is truly an amazing gift.
Thank you for your beautiful words. May God abides with you at all times.
This is beautiful, thank you ❤
Amen! So beautiful is The Lord
THE BASSES! My god they sound so wonderful and I thought there were bass players at the beginning.
CrazeFaze Sanders i think some of their greatness has to do with how the whole choir has their dynamics down to a tee, resulting in the basses shining a lot more than we’d expect
This is the most beautiful and tender performance of the song. Many choirs sing it too quickly. This director and choir truly embody the lyrics and music.
The lyrics to this song are believed to be part of a poem found scratched onto the wall of a Jewish concentration camp/or hiding spot during WWII.
Sean Hellems they were
this song was made off those few lines that were discovered
@@CJ-xw4tl oh ok
Thank you for teaching.
@@gabrielfigueroa8131 Yes. So few words packed with eternal meaning.
I am doubly fortunate, not only to count Kim, the composer as a dear friend...he is so very kind and humble. I also live in the town where St Olaf is located and am able to hear this magnificent choir...not 10 minutes from my front door. So blessed. So blessed.
The chord on "love" from 2:15 - 2:24 -- I've never heard a sound like that before. It almost doesn't seem human.
Almost sounds like a harmonious note from a large church organ
Claire Decker my favorite chord ugh chills every time
If you like chord clusters I suggest you listen to Eric Whitacre. 'Water Night' has a crapton of them iirc...
it is just a C chord, but instead the E is an octave higher.
@@issacwashington789 true, but it was preformed so well.
This is a great example of how Dr. Armstrong is one of the best out there. You can hear the vocal and musical discipline - good, strong consonants, vanishing vowels, etc. - all the marks of a great conductor who demands the best. Having worked with him several times, I can say that he does it in a very positive, encouraging way. He's never domineering or nasty. Ever.
It’s incredibly difficult to walk that line effectively.
The St. Olaf choir is Always perfection. It's not just about good vocal technique. It's about faith and belief in the text.
So, as a graduate of St. Olaf (a long time ago) and having recently returned from a magical trip to Norway, I visited Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. This beautiful concert came to mind, having watched it many times on PBS at Christmas. I am more and more mesmerized by the choral excellence and moving text. It gives me hope in this very challenging, and at times very dark world. I love my legacy with St. Olaf, always remembering the the wonderful and inspiring people who have gone on to make this world a better place-one of the best is my daughter (‘20 graduate). Tears and joy!
Today's church has lost the sanctity of worship and reduced it to a rock show. When I heard this, I was stunned at the beauty of the Lords music.
Well said.
So thankful that you don't get to decide how everyone worships. If it's not your style, it's not your style, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't speak to people and inspire people differently. God inhabits the praise and worship of his people! Celebrate the variety! Jesus even healed people differently - sometimes just the touch of his robe, sometimes he spat in the dirt and put the mud on blind eyes. I was a music major and love and miss high choir, but I also love classic Christian rock, and modern praise music. Remember that GRACE is what has been offered you, so pass that on freely to others and without judgement.
This is a seriously fantastic choir. Just look at the way they move in perfect unison, providing the perfect amount of consonance to each word, swelling and fading appropriately to capture the phrasing. They sound so... unified. These people are doing amazing work.
Stephen Weigel they visited my little college in Ohio in 2005. 😍
Which is surprising considering only a few have proper and consistent vowel shape and even opening their mouths. The gal in the middle with the poodle hairdo at 0:28, the blonde on the right at 0:40 and the guy at the far left at 1:10 are showing good shape, but no so much the people around them.
Stephen Weigel This is the best choir ever. They come to Rochester every five years and I have heard them twice. They use kinesthetic methods to enhance their music even with Bach and it's wonderful!
Dr. Armstrong has great rehearsal techniques, words, lead singers sing from heart, etc. He is amazing!!
Oh, I think they're doing just fine. Actually, far better than fine. There are all sorts of ways to "make a beautiful noise." As for their technique, well.. the Kawasaki school produced a lot of musicians/instrumentalists with great technique, but musicianship was second-fiddle. This is consistently one of the premier choirs in the US if not the world. They keep sounding/performing like that, their vowel shapes and mouths can do whatever they want.
Is there really any doubt of God's presence when you hear music like this?
I agree. Anyone who's ever said that music is not a spiritual experience doesn't know what they're talking about.
Of course there's doubt. Good to have beautiful music to listen to though.
Drill Writer dude have you ever been in a choir before??? It's truly a spiritual experience.
you're not thinking about the "credit" when it's happening
David Walk nigga u gay
I miss choral music that moves you emotionally like this. Amazing work.
With COVID, I wasn't able to do any choral music. Now that its coming towards an 'end' of sorts, I am finally getting back to it and no one understands how thrilled I am about it. Emotional songs like this just make me feel so much.
Before COVID, I had to miss a practice for a performance with a choir for a choral festival, so I joined the cathedral's choir for a practice of theirs to work on things. This was shortly before Holy Week of 2020. I got to hear the choir practice this. Sitting in the middle of a choir of professionals and hearing this for the first time, my jaw just hung open. I ended up looking up the song and found this video. I think I've yet to listen to it without crying the first time through. And I hope that never changes.
I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining.
I believe in love, even when I feel it not.
I believe in God, even when He is silent.
I sang this with my women’s choir in college a few years ago. It had me in tears then. When the stress of the pandemic hit, I relistened and cried.
I first heard this song at a high-school choir concert (my granddaughter is a member of the chorus). The choir director commented that this is one of the most difficult pieces for a choir to sing. This recording is also wonderful.
St. Olaf treats this song with the perfectly delicate touch it deserves.
I wept. Thank you.
Chatham Hedges c
i wept too! Simply beautiful.
how they did not start crying while singing this is beyond me. It's so beautiful
Especially with the historical record of where and how it was found. Amazing...
This is such a wonderfully moving work with a simple, yet powerful text! It inspired me to write a choral work titled “My Plea” using the text from a poem by Mary Matsuzawa, a young “prisoner” during the WWII Internment of Japanese-Americans.
I was already having a hard time making it through this song- but after reading the description on how these words came to be- I'm speechless.
Beautiful! This video was just shared in the aftermath of the shootings targeting Dallas police. God's presence is often questioned in times like these, just as it was during the holocaust when these lyrics were written. This piece of music and St. Olaf's performance restore my faith. I always will be reminded of these words in dark times, "even when He is silent." Thank you.
transcendental! etherial! delicate! confident..... healing. Thank you!
David Wirick haha the EXACT WORDS IM THINKING!!!!!!! BRAVO
Rondez Rolle Mccrary is
VERY WELL PUT, DAVID, I TOTALLY AGREE
Can you believe it's been ten years since this video was posted? I've loved this performance ever since I bookmarked it many years ago. This morning I listened to it several times. How timely this message is, given everything that is happening in the world today. I'm so thankful these good young people who share the light, love, and hope that God provides. Thank you St. Olaf College singers. Amazing as always!
It's music like this that makes me miss the church choir I sang with for four years. The text is so short and simple but full of hope and faith. The composition is heavenly and this choir sounds like a group of angels. There are words in the tongues of men to describe the beauty of this piece.
panasalsero19
I feel the same. These are the types of songs that made me want to be in choir. They are challenging musically and have such straightforward and strong messages. I can do without singing the stuff I hear on the radio all the time (what church music has turned into in my neck of the woods).
The first time I heard this it brought me to tears and that's rare for me... The beauty of the composition couples perfectly with the simplest text that carries so much meaning. It's a great reminder when I'm feeling down or even abandoned.
Christmas At Norway In Mighty Reel A Tribute To Sylvester !
So beautiful it brings tears to my eyes...
And mine.
By understanding ..... for sure.
glad to have studied and sang the same piece, it was hard but worth the rehearsals we spent for this piece, still getting the goosebump I got. ❤
En mi adolescencia canté en un coro durante algunos años , y fue la época mas feliz de mi vida. Esta música me recuerda aquella época, hace ya 50 años
The sound of their voices is so capturing. I am finding songs for my baptism as a adult and I am in awe watching this ❤x
So beautiful. I first heard this just before the pandemic when I got to hear the Cathedral Choir in Newark, NJ practice it for Holy Week. I was there to work on something with them and was sitting in the midst of the choir as they practiced this and was blown away by the sound of it. I eventually had to find a recording of it and came across this and was just moved to tears the first time I listened. So haunting and gorgeous.
And one of the most haunting parts is that chord at 2:18, which blew me away when I looked at the sheet music. The women and the Tenor 1s are all singing adjacent notes. It's literally GFEDCA for the top 6 voices with the bases just hanging WAY low. And it is GORGEOUS somehow.
I hope sometime in my life I will get to perform this piece. I have no idea how, when, or with who, but I would absolutely love to do so.
World class. Just simply world class. I can't sing. I used to be able to play soccer. All MIAC is just sort of a funfact when you listen to this ... Unbelievably beautiful, and absolute perfection! And singing in my country. St. Olaf Choir, I love you! We all do!
Tenor 2 all the way!!! :D This is a such a beautiful arrangement! It's a great pleasure to sing this with Mt. SAC chamber singers. It's amazing to have such an amazing impact from this song....our audience was crying and I also did as well especially on the part when began the "I believe in God even when He is silent". simple yet such a powerful song.
junsone19 aye me too! We're going to perform this song for the first time tomorrow :)
Florida All State 2016! We, the high school concert choir, did this song and it was splendid! Amazing number!
I was in the choir, too! So glad I got to sing this piece last night!
I was in the choir as well!!! I cried during rehearsal AND during the concert while performing this piece. ugh.
I was also in the choir. I cant stop listening to this piece
Michigan All-State HS Honors Choir 2016, we did this piece too. One of the most beautiful and especially the most meaningful choral pieces ever composed.
The New York All-State mixed choir is about to sing this too, actually. I can't stop listening!
We love you st. olaf choir!!!
We did this in my first semester in undergrad. 18, scared, and unsure if music was still a good idea, in the middle of everything something in this song gave me clarity. I remember feeling so much love and hope in singing this song, I knew I was in the right place and exactly where I needed to be. Years later and readying for grad school, it still gives me hope. 😊
this song, if sung correctly, is magical
my choir is traveling to Germany in a week and we’re singing this there and I cry every time we rehearse it. truly a beautiful piece
Most assuredly, one of the most musically beautiful persuasive pieces to evangelize a
lost and unbelieving world I do believe "Even When He is Silent" especially the ending.
Amen.
1:50...through tough times when you think that you’ve hit rock bottom, love is there, even when you feel it not.
We’re singing this in the NJ All-State Chorus and I keep coming back to listen to it.
Comment for Dormi Jesu: I just discovered this composition tonight. My only regret is that I did not discover this on January 1st. Had I done so, I would have listened to this song for 278 consecutive days. I've listened to it 10 straight times tonight, so maybe I can still catch up by the end of the year.
The best choral singing is blest by this shimmering quality....as this is!
For everyone who has enjoyed this performance, we encourage you to check out our digital concert series - Sounds from St. Olaf, which premieres a new episode every Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT. : ua-cam.com/play/PLAQGawh84RS7mSYebFXCAgZsStYLysYjw.html
congrats to composer, choir and conductor.
For some reason this video is very low volume on my computer, and I thought with the title of the song that this was some kind of prank.
Actually, if you look at the sheet music, the song starts pianissimo, maybe even double pp. With that being said, they are respecting the intention of the conductor by starting the song incredibly soft. I also had to listen with earbuds.
Betty-Alexandria Pride it’s a double p I’m singing it right now!
The quality of this recording is downright poor. Such a pitty because it ruins an otherwise beautiful performance. There’s multiple drop-outs of sound... f.i. at 2:15 and 2:25. And Kelly Cbert is absolutely correct: the recording volume is simply too low.
Look forward to seeing St Olaf's on PBS during Christmas season.
나는 태양이 비추지 않는다 해도 태양 믿습니다.
나는 사랑이 주변에 없는 듯 느껴져도 사랑을 믿습니다.
그리고 나는 그분이 침묵하신다
하더라도 하느님을 믿습니다.
The best version I,ve heard love it sublime
A thrilling, magnificent performance of this piece of few words & powerful insight & meaning. Our choir is practicing this currently. & I feel humbled to be able to sing this for the poet who left these words/thoughts behind for the rest of us to ponder deeply.
..Reading the story behind the history of the written words was a revelation. The sheer beauty reminds me of the hope & meaning that is still being discovered through art left behind by those in those wicked camps...I also recall the important book written by a physician's own concentration camp survival: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. God's purpose for our lives eternally being played out...Sing it out!!!
Greetings from Røros, Norway. This is amazing to listen to. A masterpiece. Thank you.
Thank you. When I needed to lament, you helped me.
very beautiful
😢. So beautiful. I love to listen to this choir. Brings tears to my eyes. Thank u God
beautiful. praise His holy name
Michigan All state honors choir this year it was amazing!!!
God never sleeps
Breathtakingly beautiful performance.
St. Olaf Choir consistently shines. Conductor/Director Anton Armstrong is an absolute genius.
The truly amazing part of this composition are the lyrics- they came from a Nazi concentration camp where they were carved into a wall in a bunk. The fact that a human who was not treated as such still had the hope in them to create this work of art is so astounding and beautiful to me.
Gives me goosebumps every time!
We performed this my senior year of highschool and I have never sang a song more beautiful or touching, brought tears to my eyes more than once.
My God! In tears... this is beautiful
Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Thank you for sharing your gifts.
Beyond profound
God bless the great Nordic ladies 😀. Beautiful ❤️❤️❤️❤️
We sung this piece for Southern Illinois District Festival, and lets just say many people were brought to tears
God, keep in your care; the Soul that wrote this message. Their Spirit and hope; live on.
ทุกสิ่งมีความสุก สุดๆๆๆๆๆปลอดภัย สุดสุดๆๆๆๆๆ ทุกสิ่งมีกินสุดสุดๆๆในแบบที่ทุกสิ่งชอบ ทุกสิ่งดูดี สุดๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆ ทุกสิ่งบิวตี้ฟลูสุดสุดๆๆๆๆๆทุกสิ่งกลิ่นหอมสุดๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆทุกสิ่งสะอาดๆๆๆสุดๆๆๆๆๆๆๆในแบบที่ทุกสิ่งชอบ
Im in choir just want to sing this song. This is a masterpiece of heaven song. Need to be at peace to sing this song.
amazing!!! Brings me closer to God!
Talent beyond words!!!
I receive most of my religious practice from the best of UA-cam clips like this. If an afterlife exists, I’d imagine to be greeted to a performance like this. 🙏
I listen to this particular video several times a week for years now to achieve calm and peace.
Awesome choir...awesome voices with the most perfect blend and balance...impeccable vocal control...and a successful conductor to be proud of.
Perfection
Absolutely Amazing Performance !!!!!
I had the privilege of seeing them at Messiah College this winter. I listen to this song several times a week. What a perfect delivery of such an amazing piece. Congratulations on 1M views.
Lovely work. I shared this on my Facebook this evening after learning about another mass shooting at a college in the United States. It can be tough out there to keep the faith. Catholic guy loves this choir.
Thank you for sharing this great performance!
May God have mercy on us all.
YES! I believe in GOD when He is silent, for I feel His wings embracing me, I feel His kiss upon my heart, I hear Him moving in the winds of the stars, and I know He is there all around me. I once fell into a deep sleep and dreamed I was upon a lake shore with the greenest of grasses and flowers all around me. It was the greatest garden ever, it was the beginning of sunset. The swans were gliding. And over my right shoulder, a small swirling dark cloud appeared. From behind this cloud, light beyond my poor attempt to describe and a still small voice spoke to my mind and heart - love beyond love beyond more love! YES! I know that I know that even when He is silent - He Is Always There, With me, guiding me, guarding me, holding and sailing me through my courses. I LOVE YOU MY DEAREST LORD ELOHIM - MY FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT - PURE LIVING INTELLECT, INCARNATE LOVE AND THE FIRE OF THAT LOVE.
Know that the sun is there even when it's cloudy.
Know that it is love even when you feel scared.
Know God as the silent observer within.
Truly a holy moment.
Pinnacle of musical excellence........opens our hearts to our oneness in Christ and to our eternal connection in Christ’s Kingdom. Such a prayer.
I was blessed to perform this piece on tour in Italy and other places throughout our city as we raised funds for that tour. Amazing piece!!! Kudos to Kin Arnesen!!! This is truly a masterpiece for Choral Arts!
why would anyone give this a thumbs down?
I thought the same thing! It was beautiful.
I AM SO GLAD THAT A YOUNG PERSON FEELS THIS WAY
Stunning…in every way!
Wonderful performance. Thank you!
My choir is singing this and I am beyond excited!! It is so beautiful
I enjoy this very much. Thank you.
What can I say--this music restores my soul.
Bravissimi e bellissimo il pezzo. 👏👏👏👏
Stunning. Literal tears. Kudos.
The harmonies in this song are magical and mysterious. I love how layered they are.
I had the chance to sing this beautiful song at Carnegie hall 2 years ago and in a time like this, these words are so relevant and powerful!
Came here right after watching Martin Scorsese's "Silence". My choir sang this piece two years ago, this song is forever burned into my mind because of how beautiful it is. Now I'm weeping all over again, having an existential crisis.
Beautiful!
St. Olaf has to be one of the best choirs out there. Oh my gosh.