Sunday, April 28, 2024
4:00 p.m.
BMPC Sanctuary
A German Requiem, Op. 45 Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Nicholas Provenzale, baritone
Kara Goodrich, soprano
Susan Ricci Rogel & Laura Ward, piano
A German Requiem, To Words of the Holy Scriptures
I. Selig sind, die da Leid tragen
Blessed are those who mourn
II. Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras
For all flesh is like grass
III. Herr, lehre doch mich
Lord, teach me
IV. Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen
How lovely is your dwelling place
V. Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit
You have sorrow now
VI. Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt
For here we have no lasting city
VII. Selig sind die Toten
Blessed are the dead
A Note About This Afternoon’s Program
This afternoon we have the privilege to present one of the greatest choral masterpieces of all time: Johannes Brahms’s A German Requiem. Those of you familiar with the piece know that it was conceived for full orchestra and symphonic chorus. But a number of years ago I was delighted to discover that Brahms himself had arranged the original orchestral accompaniment for two pianos. I immediately fell in love with this more intimate version, finding the immediacy of the pianos and voices deeply moving. I knew right away that this version of the Requiem would become an important staple in our Sanctuary Choir’s repertoire.
Two-piano arrangements of orchestral music were commonplace in the 19th century. Like today, large instrumental ensembles were often impractical and expensive, so many publishing companies commissioned piano arrangements of orchestral music. Before the dawn of recordings, these arrangements allowed people to enjoy symphonic and operatic masterpieces in their own homes. They also offered producers the opportunity to become familiar with pieces before investing large sums of money into full performances. Although employees of the publishers often created these arrangements on behalf of the composers, it is significant that Brahms arranged this two-piano accompaniment for his Requiem himself.
Composed between 1865 and 1868, many people speculate that A German Requiem was
inspired by two bereavements in Brahms’s life: the loss of his dear friend, the great composer Robert Schumann in 1856, and then his own beloved mother in 1865. Although Brahms was a deeply private person who never confirmed nor denied these speculations, the fact that he took the time to compose the two-piano accompaniment personally speaks to his fondness for this particular piece.
This arrangement of the Requiem received its premiere in London at a private residence in
1871, and has since come to be known as the “London” version. Not a mere reduction of
the orchestral score, Brahms created an artful and idiomatic piano accompaniment, one that arguably allows the listener to experience the piece with a clarity beyond that of the original orchestral score. In this intimate chamber version, the beautiful text setting and brilliant choral textures are presented with an immediacy not soon forgotten—a direct, heart-to-heart conversation with the brilliant composer of this profound, human Requiem.
Thank you for attending this special performance of Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem, nach Worten der heiligen Schrift, op. 45.
