 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
N.B. Bella Oct 08, 2002
Practice Tapes: will probobly arrive tomorrow. The total per tape comes to $8.75.Dress Rehearsal: is still Thursday, December 5, 7-10pm.
Want a black binder? The UC Alumni chorus is buying those fancy black binders with a strap to make it easy to hold etc. They cost about $20, but the price goes down based on the number of people interested. Sign up if you are interested.
Sectional: Basses and Tenors are cordially invited to be sectioned... Sunday Oct 20, at William's house 1992 Los Angeles @ Marin 528-6348. Talk to William to arrange time etc.
More about the Music; Duruflé Requiem Part II
Maurice Duruflé has written the following about his Requiem:
"Completed in 1947, my Requiem is built entirely from the Gregorian themes of the Mass for the Dead. At times, the text is paramount, and therefore the orchestra intervenes only to sustain or to comment; at other times an original musical fabric, inspired by the text, takes over completely -- notably in the Domine Jesu Christe, the Sanctus, and the Libera Me. In general, I have attempted to penetrate to the essence of Gregorian style, and have tried to reconcile as far as possible the very flexible Gregorian rhythms as established by the Benedictines of Solèsmes with the exigencies of modern notation.
"As to the musical form of each of these pieces, it is dictated simply by the form of the liturgy itself. The organ plays a merely episodic role; it intervenes not to support the chorus but to underline certain rhythms, or to soften momentarily the too human orchestral sonorities. It represents the idea of comfort, faith, and hope."
Springing from the precedents of two extraordinary French Requiem settings of the past -- those of Berlioz and Fauré -- and yet totally individual in its voice and avenues of expression, Duruflé's Requiem has at last been accorded the 20th Century Choral Masterpiece mantel it so richly deserves.
The composer actually prepared three versions of this work. The first, richly supported by a very large orchestra, is brilliant, colorful, and highly dramatic. Fearing that the inherent cost of a large orchestra would be prohibitive to future performances, and also to underscore the composer's wish that the work be performed in a church rather than a concert hall, Duruflé in 1961 prepared a version of his Requiem scored for voices, organ, "quintette" of strings, plus ad libitum trumpets, tympani, and harp. The work may also be performed with solo organ accompaniment, the virtuoso and demanding organ part prepared by the organist-composer as accompaniment to the piano/vocal score. Several performers of versions of this work feel that the reduced orchestra version offers a special intimacy and directness of expression perhaps more appropriate to the mood of the work. It is in fact this version of the Duruflé Requiem we will perform this season.
SOURCE: http://www.spectrumsingers.org/archives/1999-00/may00_notes.html
Upcoming Musical Events:
A concert of music by Donald Aird at the Crowden School Oct 12, 8pm. Free Admission. Check flyers for more information.
Saturday November 9 Gala Benefit Recital at the Crowden School featuring Matthew Lawrence Edwards, Jerry Kuderna, Marcelle Dronkers, Richard Mix, Clarence Wright, Asher Davison. (Tickets on sale now).
Now available! Matthew's long-awaited CD: a live recording of two romantic masterpieces: the Schubert Sonata in A, Op. Posth.(written in the final year of Schubert's life), and the Brahms Sonata in F minor, Op. 5, dating from the composer's 20th year, his first great masterpiece. Only $15! See Matthew for details.