The Brigham Young University combined choirs and Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Gabriel Faure's Requiem Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12, under the direction of Rosalind Hall and Kory Katseanes. The performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.
Tickets at $9 for the general public with $3 off with a BYU or student ID are available at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 378-4322 or www.byu.edu/hfac. KBYU-FM will broadcast the April 12 concert live on 89.1 and 89.5 and online at www.kbyufm.org
"This will be a very sacred and faith-promoting concert," said Rosalind Hall, conductor of the Requiem. "This kind of work is extremely appropriate, and I am hopeful it is a piece of healing to both the students who are participating and the audience members."
The BYU Singers and BYU Philharmonic Orchestra will also perform at this concert.
The Singers under the direction of Ronald Staheli will perform "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine" by Eric Whitacre, from their newly released compact disc, "Eric Whitacre: The Complete A Cappella Works."
The Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Kory Katseanes will perform Shulman's Theme and Variations for Viola and Orchestra featuring Michelle Pettit on the viola.
First performed in 1888 in the Church of the Madeleine in Paris, the Requiem was not written to mourn the death of his parents but as an experiment in Faure's endless quest to write music that was new and different. Even so, the Requiem does convey his own personal feelings and attitudes about death.
In 1902 Faure said, "That's how I see death: as a joyful deliverance, an aspiration towards a happiness beyond the grave, rather than as a painful experience."
Rather than focusing on the fear and trepidation of facing death, Faure concentrates on the true meaning of the word "requiem" or "rest." His Requiem is about peaceful acceptance and release, and the music is serene, elevating and comforting.
Historically, Faure's Requiem is performed by 30 voices accompanied by a chamber group. This performance will include 450 singers and a full symphony orchestra with solos being sung in unison by the different sections of the choirs resulting in an unusual and powerful rendition of this great work, according to Hall.
Writer: Elizabeth B. Jensen
