In a culture where influencers, social media, and pharmaceutical commercials bombard us with perfectly toned bodies, sparkling smiles, and happily-ever-after lives, Brahms and Walker are more relevant than ever. These compositions reveal and affirm the full spectrum of human emotion, from despair and grief to hope and vitality, and invite us to share in each others' sorrows and triumphs. Loss comes in many forms, death being only one. Whether we mourn the loss of loved ones, relationships, or seasons of life, Brahms' Requiem and Walker's Lyric for Strings have something to say to each of us.
Joy Cometh in the Morning
"Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Sacred Music Notre Dame, the Singing Irish of Sacred Music at Notre Dame, members from the Notre Dame Children's Liturgical Choir, and the Sacred Music Festival Orchestra perform Brahms' Requiem (1868). Another in the canon of genuinely sublime choral masterworks was written not as a Mass for the Dead but to comfort the living. Brahms charts a journey through grief to hope and healing that is beautiful, moving, and spiritually uplifting, making this timeless work of the 19th century still relevant today.
The first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1996, George Walker's Lyric for Strings (1946) is a lament infused with the pathos of the Spiritual. Dedicated to his enslaved grandmother, Melvina King, the composition invites us to acknowledge our losses.
In a culture where influencers, social media, and pharmaceutical commercials bombard us with perfectly toned bodies, sparkling smiles, and happily-ever-after lives, the Brahms and Walker are more relevant than ever. These compositions reveal and affirm the full spectrum of human emotion, from despair and grief to hope and vitality, and invite us to share in each others' sorrows and triumphs. Loss comes in many forms, death being only one. Whether we mourn the loss of loved ones, relationships, or seasons of life, Brahms' Requiem and Walker's Lyric for Strings have something to say to each of us.
Commissioned Work
A spectacular evening of choral music opens with Joy, It's On The Way, a new work in the gospel tradition composed and conducted by Emorja Roberson, baritone and Notre Dame alum. Inspired by Psalm 30, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning," the composition features Roberson's sublime vocals and The Singing Irish.
Artists
Emorja Roberson, baritone, composer
Anne Slovin, soprano
The Singing Irish
Notre Dame Children's Choir
Sacred Music at Notre Dame Festival Orchestra
Mark Doerries, conductor