Sunday, March 30, 2025 @ 7:30 PM
The Orpheum Theatre – 601 Smithe St., Vancouver, BC
Saturday, April 5, 2025 @ 7:00 PM
Fraserview MB Church – 11295 Mellis Dr., Richmond, BC
A collaborative presentation by Vivaldi Chamber Choir and Richmond Orchestra and Chorus Association – featuring Canadian soloists: Chloé Hurst, soprano and Aaron Durand, baritone. Conducted by Edette Gagné – Artistic Director, Vivaldi Chamber Choir.
Brahm’s Requiem is unique in its choice of lyrics, humanist approach and overall emotional arc. Most requiem masses set the same traditional collection of liturgical texts to music – Brahms intentionally chose and collated very specific Lutheran Bible texts which trace a trajectory from suffering to acceptance.
This is a deeply personal composition for Brahms. He penned the first two movements shortly after his beloved mother died in early 1865, which he immediately sent to his dear friend Clara Schumann. His mother’s death occurred midway through Brahms’ seemingly tortured process of composing his First Symphony (feeling ever overshadowed by the works of Beethoven.) During this time, Brahms also broke off his engagement to a woman whom he later described as “the last love of his life.” Suffering upon suffering…
The final version of Brahms’ Requiem speaks to listeners on many levels: a journey from personal loss and suffering to acceptance; a broader humanist message beyond the liturgical texts; and a nationalist imperative (having been completed just before the Franco-Prussian War) which touched German listeners, symbolizing the dead of war and the emergence of a new empire.
If you are interested in a season’s subscription, please e-mail us at info@vivaldichoir.com. Prices for a season’s subscription are $85 flat for adults, and $70 flat for students/seniors. Save your seat, $5, and the fees! Subscriptions available via e-transfer, cheque, or cash!
Donations can be made at the concert by cash, cheque, or e-transfer.
Your continuing support is always much appreciated.
Vivaldi Chamber Choir believes in the power of music to affect positive change in our world. We recognize that we rehearse, perform and record on the traditional, ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleiwatuth people. We acknowledge that the land’s historical relationships with these peoples has existed since time immemorial. We express our gratitude to these peoples and value the opportunity to create music on this land.
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