May 27–June 3, 1999
music|review
Ein Deutsches Requiem
Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia,conducted by Donald Nally, Academy of Music, Sat., May 15
What images are conjured by the title "A GermanRequiem"? In some ways, Johannes Brahms conforms to, andextends, the German choral tradition, especially in the warm,dark colors and humanistic thrust that also appear prominentlyin the music of Bach and Beethoven. In many aspects, however,Brahms confounds stereotypes. Most significant, as suggested bythe title of the work itself, is the highly personal vision ofthe religious component of the text—a kind of non-Christianpantheism that Bach would not have imagined, and even Beethovendid not dare employ.
Thus, as in the case of the French composer Fauré,Brahms omits the most spectacular element of the Latin mass, theDies Irae, the day of judgment depicted in fire-and-brimstonepassion in the requiems of Verdi, Mozart and Berlioz. There isno lack of passion in the music of Brahms, but it is subdued andintrospective. "A German Requiem" is a long (hour-plus)work nearly devoid of rapid tempos and brilliant fortissimos.But the concentrated beauty of the music inspires deep reverencefrom performers and audiences alike.
The season finale by the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia,under the direction of Donald Nally, drew the appreciative audienceinto the spiritual world of Brahms in the same way that successfulperformances of Bach's "St. Matthew's Passion" and Beethoven's"Missa Solemnis" cast a spell over all present. Nallyproduced broad, arching phrasing, following the gentle, yet firmimpulse of the score instinctually, never fighting the naturalflow. The singers threw out a billowing, open-throated sound,emphasizing the vowels of the text, so that the hard, gutturalquality of the German language was barely noticeable.
Even the fine soloists of the evening, baritone GreggBaker (known to local audiences for his stentorian operatic impersonations)and soprano Stella Zambalis, eschewed their usual energetic operaticprojection in favor of the softer hues that the spirit of themusic called for.
The evening opened with a work for chorus and stringorchestra by American composer Andrew Imbrie, "On the Beachat Night," a setting of a section of Leaves of Grassby Walt Whitman. The words of America's greatest poet have inspiredmany composers, but his quirky meters do not often lend themselvesto a comfortable musical pattern. Imbrie has proven more successfulthan most by selecting text that is more regular in construction,and has set it within a balanced musical structure. In both musicalterms and literary content, Imbrie's work was a fitting lead-into the Brahms.
