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A collaborative presentation by Vivaldi Chamber Choir and Richmond Orchestra and Chorus Association - featuring Canadian soloists: Chloé Hurst, soprano and Aaron Durand, baritone. Conducted by Edette Gagné - Artistic Director, Vivaldi Chamber ChoirBrahms' Requiem is unique in its choice of lyrics, humanist approach and overall emotional arc. Most requiem masses set the same traditional collection of liturgical texts to music - Brahms intentionally chose and collated very specific Lutheran Bible texts which trace a trajectory from suffering to acceptance.
This is a deeply personal composition for Brahms. He penned the first two movements shortly after his beloved mother died in early 1865, which he immediately sent to his dear friend Clara Schumann. His mother's death occurred midway through Brahms’ seemingly tortured process of composing his First Symphony (feeling ever overshadowed by the works of Beethoven.) During this time, Brahms also broke off his engagement to a woman whom he later described as "the last love of his life." Suffering upon suffering…
The final version of Brahms’ Requiem speaks to listeners on many levels: a journey from personal loss and suffering to acceptance; a broader humanist message beyond the liturgical texts; and a nationalist imperative (having been completed just before the Franco-Prussian War) which touched German listeners, symbolizing the dead of war and the emergence of a new empire.
Musically, Brahms used highly descriptive tempo/style markings and removed metronome markings, to allow the music to speak more intimately through whomever is performing the work.
Our performance on March 30th, 2025 leans even more into the intimacy and personal nature of this iconic work for two reasons. Firstly, the musicians collaborating in this performance are amateurs who create music for the love of making music. Secondly, we will be performing with a more intimate choir and orchestra than the usual "full"/ “professional” performance. The Orpheum Theatre is the perfect acoustic for audience members to allow themselves to be immersed in the deep power of Brahms’ Requiem.
Join us for an evening of beautiful music, celebrating Edette's 10th season with Vivaldi Chamber Choir at the iconic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver!
https://www.showpass.com/vivaldi-chamber-choir-presents-ein-deutsches-requiem/
We recognize and respect that our place of rehearsal and performance is on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səl̓ilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
601 Smithe St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5G1, Canada
