Posted on Facebook 4/21
Chorus Master Kathy Saltzman Romey gives us a glimpse into what it takes to prepare the MN Chorale for their participation with the MN Orchestra in a work like Brahms’ “German Requiem.”
She writes, “For every major performance project, I build a distinctive choral instrument. From the Chorale’s roster of more than 200 singers, I draw a group of the appropriate size with the needed skills: vocal color and technique, linguistic capability, musical experience and leadership, esprit de corps. (A chorus that’s right for Brahms won’t be right for Handel, and vice versa.) Over the course of six to ten weeks of rehearsal, we weld these building blocks into an ensemble that is flexible, nuanced, engaged and alive, developing a shared musical understanding that enables us to bring the composer’s intentions to life.”
Read the rest of Kathy’s unique insights to choral/orchestral collaboration on the Orchestra’s “Stories” page. Here’s a link: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/showcase/126-essay-the-chorus-master-speaks
And if you don’t yet have your tickets for this weekend, grab some here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/513/-/rilling-conducts-a-german-requiem
We hope to see you at Orchestra Hall Friday or Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon!
Chorus Master Kathy Saltzman Romey gives us a glimpse into what it takes to prepare the MN Chorale for their participation with the MN Orchestra in a work like Brahms’ “German Requiem.”
She writes, “For every major performance project, I build a distinctive choral instrument. From the Chorale’s roster of more than 200 singers, I draw a group of the appropriate size with the needed skills: vocal color and technique, linguistic capability, musical experience and leadership, esprit de corps. (A chorus that’s right for Brahms won’t be right for Handel, and vice versa.) Over the course of six to ten weeks of rehearsal, we weld these building blocks into an ensemble that is flexible, nuanced, engaged and alive, developing a shared musical understanding that enables us to bring the composer’s intentions to life.”
Read the rest of Kathy’s unique insights to choral/orchestral collaboration on the Orchestra’s “Stories” page. Here’s a link: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/showcase/126-essay-the-chorus-master-speaks
And if you don’t yet have your tickets for this weekend, grab some here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/513/-/rilling-conducts-a-german-requiem
We hope to see you at Orchestra Hall Friday or Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon!
Posted on Facebook 4/20
“Brahms throws all the conventional rules aside to create a profound, deeply personal statement about sorrow and hope. It is a Requiem unlike any other.” Scott Chamberlain shared his unique insights into both the text and the music of this masterpiece in his blog post last week.
Scott continues, “This is the recurring theme of the German Requiem, to attend the needs of the living. He focuses on providing them with solace, or allowing the bereaved to cry out if they need to. It is only after the mourners are ready that Brahms has them release the departed and send their loved one on to his or her Final Rest. This release is a glorious moment, made all the more powerful because in this conception it is not God alone that gathers up the soul… we send it to Him. This level of human agency gives the work a spiritual power unlike the comparable moments of similar works….”
Then, with his “insider’s ears” (he’s a member of the MN Chorale) and deep musical understanding, Scott takes us through each movement, talking about how this deeply profound and moving music marries to the text. Anguish, sorrow, consolation, reflection, comfort, joy, hope, affirmation, contemplation, catharsis, radiance – it’s all there in the music as well as the text.
Read Scott’s post here: https://maskoftheflowerprince.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/brahms-a-german-requiem-a-visionary-masterpiece/
Then grab your tickets for one of this weekend’s performances with Helmuth Rilling conducting the MN Orchestra, MN Chorale and soloists. Just click here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/513/-/rilling-conducts-a-german-requiem
Thanks, Scott!
“Brahms throws all the conventional rules aside to create a profound, deeply personal statement about sorrow and hope. It is a Requiem unlike any other.” Scott Chamberlain shared his unique insights into both the text and the music of this masterpiece in his blog post last week.
Scott continues, “This is the recurring theme of the German Requiem, to attend the needs of the living. He focuses on providing them with solace, or allowing the bereaved to cry out if they need to. It is only after the mourners are ready that Brahms has them release the departed and send their loved one on to his or her Final Rest. This release is a glorious moment, made all the more powerful because in this conception it is not God alone that gathers up the soul… we send it to Him. This level of human agency gives the work a spiritual power unlike the comparable moments of similar works….”
Then, with his “insider’s ears” (he’s a member of the MN Chorale) and deep musical understanding, Scott takes us through each movement, talking about how this deeply profound and moving music marries to the text. Anguish, sorrow, consolation, reflection, comfort, joy, hope, affirmation, contemplation, catharsis, radiance – it’s all there in the music as well as the text.
Read Scott’s post here: https://maskoftheflowerprince.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/brahms-a-german-requiem-a-visionary-masterpiece/
Then grab your tickets for one of this weekend’s performances with Helmuth Rilling conducting the MN Orchestra, MN Chorale and soloists. Just click here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/513/-/rilling-conducts-a-german-requiem
Thanks, Scott!
Posted on Faceboon 4/18
Rilling. Brahms. MN Orchestra. MN Chorale. It doesn’t get much better than this. Fri & Sat night plus Sun afternoon.
This morning the StarTribune said: ”With age, they say, comes wisdom. That is often true of classical musicians, and it certainly applies to the German conductor Helmuth Rilling. Now in his 80s, Rilling is a choral practitioner of unparalleled experience, and brings the accumulated insight of decades to Brahms' masterpiece "A German Requiem," in three performances this weekend with the Minnesota Orchestra and Chorale. As a curtain-raiser, Rilling leads a lecture-demonstration on Brahms' working methods in the Requiem, and the reasons why he wrote it. If you follow choral music, this is an essential date for your diary. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Orchestra Hall, Mpls. $25-$79. mnorch.org or 612-371-5656)” http://www.startribune.com/heavyweight-for-a-requiem-helmuth-rilling-does-brahms-with-mn-orchestra-chorale/376091041/
Tickets & more info here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/513/-/rilling-conducts-a-german-requiem
Will we see you this weekend at Orchestra Hall?
Rilling. Brahms. MN Orchestra. MN Chorale. It doesn’t get much better than this. Fri & Sat night plus Sun afternoon.
This morning the StarTribune said: ”With age, they say, comes wisdom. That is often true of classical musicians, and it certainly applies to the German conductor Helmuth Rilling. Now in his 80s, Rilling is a choral practitioner of unparalleled experience, and brings the accumulated insight of decades to Brahms' masterpiece "A German Requiem," in three performances this weekend with the Minnesota Orchestra and Chorale. As a curtain-raiser, Rilling leads a lecture-demonstration on Brahms' working methods in the Requiem, and the reasons why he wrote it. If you follow choral music, this is an essential date for your diary. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Orchestra Hall, Mpls. $25-$79. mnorch.org or 612-371-5656)” http://www.startribune.com/heavyweight-for-a-requiem-helmuth-rilling-does-brahms-with-mn-orchestra-chorale/376091041/
Tickets & more info here: http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/buy/tickets/browse-calendar/eventdetail/513/-/rilling-conducts-a-german-requiem
Will we see you this weekend at Orchestra Hall?
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