Sunday, March 22 3:00 pm

State College High School Performance Hall

650 Westerly ParkwayState College, PA 16801​

Erik Clayton, Artistic Director

Laura Choi Stuart, soprano

Timothy LeFebvre, baritone

State High Master Singers

State College Choral Society Orchestra

Tragic Overture, Op. 81

Johannes Brahms

Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45

Johannes Brahms

The highlight of the season is our performance of Johannes Brahms’ timeless Ein deutsches Requiem.  Although composed over several decades, the requiem was undoubtedly influenced by the passing of Brahms’ mother.  Not specifically liturgical, the work nevertheless exists within a Christian context.  Rather than being a setting of the Catholic Rite for the Dead, Brahms selected biblical passages of his own choosing that focus on the comfort of the living in the consolation of an afterlife free of sorrow and pain. 

Many hallmarks of Brahms’ musical style are present in the work: the economical utilization of melodic and harmonic motives, an emphasis on counterpoint and fugue, and the lyrical vocal writing.  This piece is Brahms’ most enduringly popular major work, and the beauty of music and emotion touches our hearts as much today as when it premiered nearly 150 years ago.