The final concert in the Kamloops Symphony’s Salmon Arm Series for the 2022/23 Season is Brahms’ Requiem.
The concert will take place at 2:30 p.m. on The Nexus at First on Sunday, April 2.
Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (or A German Requiem) is widely considered to be one of the most iconic choral pieces of the classical repertoire. The piece traces a journey of grief: there is sorrow, anger and pain, but also warmth, brightness and calm. The texts he chose, very different from the typical texts for the Catholic Mass of the Dead, seem intended to soothe those who mourn. Also, unlike the standard Latin requiem, Brahms didn’t include any vengeance or judgement, placing human suffering in the foreground and omitting much of the religious imagery.
Brahms reportedly told a friend he could happily omit the “German” from the title and simply say “Human.”
The KSO Chorus, which provides local singers with the opportunity to perform masterworks for choir and orchestra in concert with the Kamloops Symphony, and is led by Chorus Master Tomas Bijok, will be joining the orchestra on stage in a rare appearance in Salmon Arm.
Other guest artists for this concert are soprano soloist Emma Jang and baritone soloist Micah Schroeder. Jang is a Vancouver-based singer who recently completed her M.Mus in Opera Performance at UBC. She has performed in numerous roles with UBC Opera, in addition to performing in collaboration with organizations such as Opera West, Bard on the Beach, Opera Unbound and Players & Singers. Jang was a recipient of this year’s Tony and Hildegard Cavelti Foundation Award, which was distributed as part of the Vancouver Opera Foundation Bursary Program.
Schroeder is a graduate of the opera studio of Opéra de Lyon, the Vancouver Opera Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program, and the Opera Idaho Young Artist Program. In addition to performing in numerous traditional opera roles, he is also a champion of contemporary repertoire, and recently curated and created the documentary film DENKMAL as an Artist-in-Residence for Pacific Opera Victoria. Schroeder has been a featured performer with the Aspen Opera Centre, Banff Centre, Against the Grain Theatre, Saskatoon Opera, Vancouver Symphony, and is making his second appearance with the KSO.
“Featuring two amazing soloists and presented in its chamber orchestration, this will be an occasion to hear the chorus in its most exciting challenge since our sold-out performance of Carmina Burana, years ago,” said Kamloops Symphony Music Director Dina Gilbert.
Brahms’ Requiem consists solely of Ein deutsches Requiem, and the duration of the concert is approximately 90 minutes without an intermission.
Tickets are $35, $10 for youth (under 19), $15 for KSOundcheck members (age 19-34), and are available from Kamloops Live! Box Office by going to kamloopslive.ca or calling 1-866-374-5483.
Submitted
Read more: Kamloops Symphony returning to Salmon Arm with The Essence of Mahler
Read more: Kamloops Symphony returning with Salmon Arm series of concerts
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