Although the link is by no means exclusive, choral music’s association with Christian liturgy is a strong one. Through composers such as Léonin, Pérotin, Giovanni Palestrina, Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, choral music gradually migrated from the cathedral to the concert hall. Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Missa solemnis” was never intended for liturgical use, nor was Hector Berlioz’s Requiem.
Enter Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) and his counterpoint to Berlioz’s massive work, the “German Requiem,” Op. 45, which is quite modest and contemplative. He used Martin Luther’s German translation of the Bible in selecting texts that address death and its repercussions, emphasizing consolation for the survivors of the departed rather than the destiny of the soul. Death is perceived as something that is inevitable, but also possible to be triumphed over, not via postmortem resurrection but the more human-scale response of remembrance, acceptance and resignation.
Brahms’ “German Requiem” gradually came together over an 11-year period and its emotional roots lie in the death of his mother in 1865; the latter’s influence is witnessed in the work’s nurturing spirit. It seeks to console. Despite the lengthy gestation period, it has a remarkable unity of style, form and mood, giving it the appearance of having been through composed, start to finish, in a relatively short time. The first person to see the completed score was the other prominent woman in Brahms’ life, Clara Schumann, widow of his mentor and ardent champion, Robert Schumann. Her response was enthusiastic. “I am completely filled with your Requiem,” she wrote, adding it “takes hold of a person’s whole being like very little else.”
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The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Chorus and vocal soloists perform Brahms’ “German Requiem” at 8 p.m., Oct. 10-11 and 2:30 p.m., Oct. 12 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St. Leading the concert will be conductor and pianist Robert Spano, the acclaimed music director of the Aspen Music Festival. Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have won multiple Grammy Awards, including Best Choral Performance.