Friday, March 25, 2022, 7:30pm | Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church
Sunday, March 27, 2022, 4:00pm | First Presbyterian Church of Oakland
In March 2022, Cantare will present one of the pinnacles of Western Art, Johannes Brahms’ Requiem. This work stands apart from other requiem settings in that Brahms does not use any part of the traditional Latin requiem texts. He selects his texts from the Bible, passages from Old Testament, Apocrypha and New Testament. He uses the Luther Bible as his source, thereby titling his work Ein deutsches Requiem—A German Requiem (not a Latin one). He is referring to the language of the text and nothing more. He also writes, “I will admit that I could happily omit the ‘German’ and simply say ‘Human.’” Brahms completed the piece when he is just 33 years old and without any impetus of a commission. He had nothing to gain from it apart from articulating what he wanted and need to express.
It is a work whose focus is on the living, those who have experienced loss and who now seek comfort in their solitude. Singers are drawn into the mastery of Brahms’ writing, his use of classical forms, his elegant melodies coupled with the harmonic richness of the Romantic period. Brahms is at his best when writing for singers.
Original Poetry Presented by Students from the MLK, Jr. Freedom Center
Before each of the seven movements of the Requiem, young speakers will share their perspectives in expanding our understanding on these themes of loss, death, grieving, hopelessness, comfort, promise, and possibility.