Event
Requiem by Maurice Duruflé
Wisconsin Chamber Choir's spring concert will feature the inspiring works of two 20th century French composers: Requiem composed by Maurice Duruflé and the Quatre Motets by Francis Poulenc. The program also features excerpts from the Requiem composed by English composer Herbert Howells. The performance is set for March 23, 2012 at First Congregational Church, 1609 University Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m. Ted Reinke will accompany the choir on organ and Robert Gehrenbeck will conduct.
French composer Maurice Duruflé (1902 - 1986) composed the Requiem in 1947 on the occasion of his father's death. Best described by the composer:
"This Requiem is entirely composed on the Gregorian themes of the Mass for the Dead. Sometimes the musical text was completely respected, the [accompaniment] intervening only to support or comment on it; sometimes I was simply inspired by it or left it completely, for example in certain developments suggested by the Latin text, notably in the Domine Jesu Christe, the Sanctus and the Libera. In general, I have sought above all to enter into the characteristic style of the Gregorian themes. Therefore, I have done my best to reconcile, as far as possible, Gregorian rhythm as it has been established by the Benedictines of Solesmes with the demands of modern meter. As for the musical form of each of these pieces, it is generally inspired by the same form presented in the liturgy. The organ's role is merely episodic: it intervenes, not to support the chorus, but solely to underline certain accents or to replace temporarily the sonorities of the orchestra which sound all too human. It represents the idea of peace, faith, and hope."
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was a contemporary of Duruflé. He completed "Quatre Motets pour un temps de pénitence" in 1939 dedicated to his compositional mentor Nadia Boulanger. Poulenc's trademark choral style is established in sharply defined dynamic contrasts, unsettled meter, and often ingenious chord progressions. Poulenc was described in a 1950 Paris-Presse article as "half monk, half deliquent" ("le moine et le voyou"), yet the four movements of "Quatre Motets" are sombre and serious as they progress from the simple unison melody in the first movement to a tearful depiction in the fourth movement of Jesus being taken in the garden of Gethsemane.
Herbert Howells (1892-1983), an English composer most famous for his prodigious output of Anglican church music, composed his Requiem largely in 1932 with words in English and Latin. Parts of the Requiem were used in "Hymnus Paradisi," written in 1938 in memory of his son, who had died tragically of polio in 1935. The original Requiem went unpublished for almost 50 years, finally, at the composer's direction, being assembled from the original manuscripts in 1980 and published in 1981. The WCC will be performing three movements from the Requiem.
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LocationFirst Congregation Church (View)
1609 University Ave
Madison, WI 53726
United States
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| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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