UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra and a massed choir of Penn State students from the Concert Choir, Essence of Joy, Glee Club, Oriana Singers, and University Choir will join forces to perform Johannes Brahms’ "A German Requiem" at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
Soloists are School of Music faculty members Ted Christopher, baritone, and Amy Petrongelli, soprano. The performance is conducted by Director of Choral Activities Christopher Kiver. The conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra is Gerardo Edelstein.
In terms of both length and musical content, the "German Requiem" is Brahms’ largest single work. Deeply moving, profound and powerful, its status as one of the greatest monuments of choral music, especially among its 19th-century peers, is unchallenged. It is an oratorio, a choral setting of biblical texts, and has little to do with the Latin Requiem Mass. Brahms, whose religious views were complex and skeptical, nonetheless knew his Bible very well. He assembled the text using the Old and New Testaments and two verses from the Apocrypha. They are meant primarily as a consolation for mourning survivors, but also contain much hope and blessing for the departed, particularly in the last two movements.
Tickets are $20 for the general public and $10 for students. Tickets purchased in advance are eligible for a 40 percent discount, and there is no limit on the number of tickets that may be purchased. Purchases made on the day of the concert are not eligible for the discount. Tickets are available at any Arts Ticket Center location, by phone at 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX, or online at Penn State Arts Ticket Center.
This performance will be livestreamed on the Penn State School of Music website.
Program
Selig sind, die da Leid tragen (Blessed are they who bear suffering)
Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras (For all flesh, it is as grass)
Herr, lehre doch mich (Lord, teach me)
Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen (How lovely are thy dwellings)
Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit (You now have sadness)
Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt (For here we have no lasting place)
Selig sind die Toten (Blessed are the dead)