Brahms: A German Requiem

Friday 24 March / 7:30PM

Saturday 25 March / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Curated Series 2

Supported by Guest Artist Supporter: Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program

Chorus Supporter: Borak Forte Program Program

Rune Bergmann, conductor Brendan Lord, interim chorus director

Meigui Zhang, soprano

Peter Barrett, baritone

Calgary Philharmonic Chorus

Johannes Brahms

A German Requiem, Op. 45 68'

I. Selig sind die da Leid tragen

II. Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras

III. Herr, lehre doch mich

IV. Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen

V. Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit

VI. Denn wir haben hie

VII. Selig sind die Toten

This concert has no intermission Program and artists subject to change without notice

Surtitles by Michael Chadwick

A German Requiem, Op. 45

Johannes Brahms

(1833 to 1897)

Johannes Brahms’ catalogue contains a good deal of choral music, both with and without accompaniment. A German Requiem lies within the accompanied sector, as do several impressive shorter works such as Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) and Triumphlied (Song of Triumph).

The longest of all his compositions, the Requiem is the work that established his international reputation, evolving over several years. As early as 1854, he began a large-scale work. He eventually used two of its movements in his Piano Concerto No. 1, and a third evolved into the second movement of the Requiem.

The death of his beloved mother in 1865 spurred him to complete the Requiem. He may also have intended it as a final gesture of respect to his mentor, Robert Schumann, who had died 10 years earlier and whose list of unrealized projects (unbeknownst to Brahms until many years later) included a requiem sung in German. Brahms composed the greater part of his piece in Zurich, Switzerland, completing the first version during the summer of 1866. By then, it had acquired six movements and the title, A German Requiem. In this form, it premiered at the cathedral in Bremen, Germany, on Good Friday, 1868. It was a great success, but Brahms was still not satisfied with it. The following summer, he added another movement, the fifth, and the work was finally finished.

He feared that the title would be misinterpreted as indicating a work that he designed solely for performance by German people. Such was not at all his intention. He wished to address his Requiem to all humanity, not to any particular segment of it. It is solely the language of the text that is reflected in the title. Brahms assembled the words himself, drawing upon the Lutheran Bible. He selected verses from the Old and New Testaments, drawing upon the Psalms, the writings of the prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.

Language and text are only the most superficial of its unique qualities.

In many respects, it differs from most other works of its kind. A requiem is a ritual specifically associated with the Roman Catholic faith. It is performed in honour of someone who has died, and its text is sung in Latin. Traditional settings of this text are, in essence, prayers for the peaceful resting of the dead, who are threatened with the terrors of the Last Judgement. This latter concept is set forth most strongly in the Dies Irae, the Day of Wrath section of the traditional requiem text. Brahms omitted this portion completely, substituting a less fearinducing, more uplifting view of the same concept. This exemplifies the contents and manner of the work as a whole. In the German Requiem, Brahms concentrated not on seeking forgiveness for those who have left this earth but on offering consolation to those still here, mourning their departed loved ones.

The piece’s unorthodox content was recognized from the beginning. In fact, the city fathers of Bremen only gave permission for the premiere after Brahms agreed to allow, as a gesture to established beliefs, the performance of the aria, I Know That My Redeemer Liveth, from George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, after the fourth movement of the German Requiem. That practice has seldom, if ever, been repeated. Brahms’ German Requiem long ago established itself, without the need for interpolations, as precisely what its composer intended it to be: a heartfelt, universal gift of hope.

Program notes by Don Anderson © 2023 Rune Bergmann biography on page 7 Calgary Philharmonic Chorus biography on page 9

Brendan Lord Interim Chorus Director

Brendan Lord holds a Bachelor of Arts (Music) degree from Augustana University College, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta. Recognized for his unique blend of artistic and administrative abilities, Dr. Lord is equally comfortable in the boardroom and on the podium. As an administrator, he is the Executive Director of Choir Alberta, Project Manager of Music Conference Alberta, and Advisor for Alberta Music Advocacy Alliance. Artistically, he has conducted choirs at all levels, including Calgary’s Spiritus Chamber Choir, Edmonton All-City Children’s Choir, Sherwood Park Festival Singers, and Sangkor Women’s Ensemble at the University of Alberta Augustana Campus. Between 2001 and 2016, Dr. Lord was a Sessional Instructor at the University of Alberta, where he taught courses in conducting, music theory, and musicianship.

Meigui Zhang’s 2022/2023 Season features an exciting role debut as Euridice opposite Jakub Józef Orliński in San Francisco Opera’s Orfeo ed Euridice, her Atlanta Opera debut as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and a return to the Metropolitan Opera covering Ilia in Idomeneo. She is also engaged as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the North Carolina Symphony, Brahms’ A German Requiem with the Calgary Philharmonic, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Bard College’s The Orchestra Now, and Bruckner’s Te Deum with the New Jersey Symphony. 2021/2022 sparkled with notable performances in esteemed venues. At the Metropolitan Opera, Zhang sang an “energetic, bright-voiced Thibault” in Sir David McVicar’s Don Carlos under the baton of Yannick NézetSéguin, as well as reprised her “warm, honeyed” Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro. She also made her triumphant debut at the San Francisco Opera, starring in the lead role of Dai Yu in Bright Sheng’s The Dream of the Red Chamber.

A recipient of the Ian Rosenblatt Bursary at the Wexford Festival in Ireland and a top prizewinner at the Montreal International Music Competition, baritone Peter Barrett is one of Canada’s most important and acclaimed artists on the opera and concert stage. The 2021/2022 Season saw him appear in Gianni Schicchi with the Canadian Opera Company, La bohème with Edmonton Opera, and the world premiere of Nicole Lizée’s R.U.R.: A Torrent of Light with Toronto’s Tapestry Opera. Barrett looks forward to 2022/2023 engagements with the Calgary Philharmonic and Calgary Opera, and returns to the Canadian Opera Company and Edmonton Opera. Other performance highlights include Valentin in Faust for Vancouver Opera, Wolseley in Louis Riel at the Canadian Opera Company, Mozart’s Requiem with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Marcello in La bohème for the Minnesota Opera, and Emile De Becque in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific with the Calgary Opera. The Newfoundlander made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Malatesta in Don Pasquale opposite Anna Netrebko, and subsequently covered the role of Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus and Lord Cecil in Maria Stuarda. Barrett is an alumnus of the Ensemble Studio of the Canadian Opera Company and Tanglewood’s Music Institute.