Brahms’ Requiem with Paris Choral Society

It is that time again – choir concert time! The 2.5 hours I spend every Monday night singing with my fellow music-lovers of varying nationalities and ages will prove to be time well spent this weekend. We are performing Brahms’ Requiem (full title: Ein deutsches Requiem, nach Worten der heiligen Schrift) composed 1865-8. I am very excited to perform this 70-minute work!

***Scroll down to the bottom for concert details.***

What is a requiem?

“The word Requiem is Latin for ‘rest.’ Originally, in the Latin liturgical tradition, Misse pro Defunctis (Mass for the Dead) began with the words Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis (Give them eternal rest, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them). A very small portion of the Latin text came from the Bible, but it was apparently composed for the express purpose of observing a mass for the departed.”

-from Kirchenmuzik, notes for the Milwaukee Master Singers

Although the text of a Requiem is religious in origin, one doesn’t have to be particularly religious to appreciate this music. Everyone can relate to the concept of death, whether they subscribe to the teachings of the Bible or not. Participating in a Requiem, whether by listening or performing, is a glorious way to honor and remember the dead. Perhaps grief and sadness, not just relating to death but to a loss of any sort, can be put to rest.

I love that each of the seven movements in this requiem are unique. I don’t enjoy singing or listening to music that is too repetitive – good job Herr Brahms for keeping my interest! I am also enjoying the voices of our baritone and soprano soloists, Rodney Earl Clarke and Elizabeth Procuronoff; you’d have to be deaf not to appreciate the facility, power, and beauty of both voices. The orchestra is wonderful too; there are so many beautiful moments in the instrumental part and the players bring so much musicality to the work. I am quite excited for this concert – it’s not one to miss!

The quotation below was written about the 7th and final movement, but I think it applies to the whole work.

“The music of the finale if full and rich but not showy. It is a finale with the same lyrical sweetness, the same austerity, humility, and limpid ecstasy that the Requiem possesses from its opening measures. It ends gently as the work began, without Beethovenian perorations or Handelian kettledrums, but with submission to the inevitable, a peace not of paradise but of deepest rest…With a radiant gentleness the music dies away on its opening word: selig=blessed” (Jan Swafford, Johannes Brahms, italics mine)

Friday 30 November 2012 20h (8:00pm)
Saturday 1 December 2012 18h (6:00pm)
10€ student, 20€ general
Cathédrale américain
23 ave George V 75008 Paris
Métro: 9 Alma-Marceau; 1 George V

Hope to see you there!

9 Tips for Attending the Opera

I love going to the opera – it is such a unique experience. Today I saw Rossini’s Barber of Seville and this blog post materialized in my head. I have now been to more than a few operas, and I have finally figured out how to maximize my enjoyment. Below are some tips I would like to share in hopes that more people will enjoy the opera experience!

1. Before you attend the opera, do some research. The more you know about the story beforehand, the more enjoyable it will be! Wikipedia has summaries of most operas, or you can do a general Google search. I have found great articles and summaries on sites like NPR. Many opera companies will post lots of content about the operas they are staging, so check the website of the company whose opera you are seeing, or any of the big opera companies (The Met, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, and London’s Royal Opera House all have great websites).
2. Be well-hydrated the day before, but not the day of the show. There is rarely an act under 1 hour, and usually if you leave to go to the bathroom, you aren’t allowed back in to your seat. So, don’t drink too much liquid on the day of if you don’t want to miss anything!
3. Before entering the theater, turn your cell off or on silent, and please don’t take it out during the performance. The glow is super annoying. I promise that you want to see every second of the production, plus don’t you want to honor the hours and hours of work and THOUSANDS of dollars that went into the show by keeping your eyeballs glued to the set?!
4. If you have a tendency to cough (allergies, sickness, whatever), it’s a good idea to bring cough drops. You can also hand them out to annoying coughers around you. However, please don’t get the kind that have noisy plastic wrappers. Get ones with paper wrappers, the kind in the roll, or better yet, unwrap a few beforehand. [This tip is a major old-person thing to do but if you don't want to feel the wrath of everyone around you, it's best to be prepared!]
5. Bring a snack! The food is ALWAYS overpriced at every single opera house. Since you just spent a ton of money on tickets, don’t waste your money on their concessions. I usually bring an apple or banana, or a bag of trail mix. It’s really exhausting to sit through 3+ hours of intense music, so you will need an energy boost!
6. I use operas as an excuse to get dressed up because I love doing so. Make sure you are wearing something relatively modest – there are usually a lot of old people around at operas, and they will glare at you if you are wearing an outfit better suited for the club. Also keep in mind that you will be sitting, so make sure that when you are sitting down your skirt is long enough. There will be lots of creepy old men around to see what you are exposing, so make sure you’re covered! If you don’t like dressing up, that’s fine, but don’t wear sweat pants! At least be at the jeans-and-tshirt level. Also, today I was lucky because I had a great seat that was a Christmas gift from my au pair family, but normally I will do standing room only seats. Most opera companies have a limited amount of seats sold the day of the show for $10-$20. If you choose this option, wear comfortable shoes! Don’t be afraid to stretch or sit on the floor as you need to.
7. Don’t bring too many layers, because you will be holding them all in your lap (unless you want to pay for the coat check).
8. Once you get to your seat, keep your ticket accessible. Theater seat labeling can be confusing, and I’ve had to prove that I am in the right seat/kick someone out of my seat at almost every single opera I have attended.
9. Enjoy the show! If you don’t know what’s going on, don’t stress. Just listen to the music and let yourself get lost in the beauty of it all.

Do you like to go to the opera? Which is your favorite?

Paris Choral Society Concert

I want to tell you a little bit about my upcoming concerts this Friday and Saturday. If you are in Paris this weekend and you are looking for something to do, check us out!

It’s 20€ (10€ for students) and I promise it is well-worth your money. The Elgar piece, From the Bavarian Highlands, is like an old-fashioned version of modern-day pump-up/drinking/dancing in the club/party song. Once you hear the lyrics, you’ll want to get down on the dance floor – it’s the perfect pre-gaming activity for a Friday night!

“Come and dance a merry measure,
Quaff the bright brown ale my treasure,
Hark! what joyous sounds!”

“Dance, dance, for rest we disdain,
Turn, twirl and spin round again,
With my arm I hold thee!”
-From I. The Dance in From the Bavarian Highlands

In the classic Old American Songs by Aaron Copland, you will have the pleasure of watching a large group of adults acting like farm animals. Confused? Come to the concert and you will understand! Most of the songs will probably be familiar. They are so simple, but not boring. Copland managed to include so much complexity in the music without taking away from the true folk-song nature of it.

The Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzer (Love Song Waltzes), our only non-English piece, is a collection of love poems translated from Russian, Polish, and Hungarian songs into German. The translations will be in the program (both French and English), and I encourage you to read through them while we are singing. I am always astonished at how relevant love poems throughout the ages are to modern life – human emotion hasn’t changed that much. For instance, my solo (movement #7 Wohl schön bewandt war es) is about being ignored by a boy. When I sing it, I pretend I am myself at the age of 15, pining over a boy.

I have really enjoyed the rehearsal process of these pieces in the past few months. Each song is a gem of lovely lyrics, melodies, and harmonies. They were difficult to learn and put together at times, which will make them that much more satisfying to perform. I think the audience will find this concert to be quite accessible, even those with little experience with classical music.

So instead of buying a 10€ beer or two at some sweaty bar this weekend, come join me at the Paris Choral Society Spring concert!