Johannes Brahms' "Ein deutsches Requiem" will be performed by the Yale Glee Club at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, in Woolsey Hall, corner of Grove and College streets. Joining the chorus will be two soloists and a 60-piece orchestra composed of area professionals.
Taking slightly more than an hour to perform, the Brahms Requiem is a cycle of seven movements. It was created by the composer after the deaths of his mother and his friend, Robert Schumann. Brahms assembled the texts from Martin Luther's translation of the Bible in the 16th century and set them to music. Like other requiems, the piece is a reflection on death, but in creating the piece, Brahms chose to emphasize the themes of comfort for the grieving and joy for the departed.
David H. Connell, assistant professor adjunct at the School of Music and the Institute of Sacred Music, will direct the 80-voice Yale Glee Club. The featured soloists, both members of the Yale Opera program, will be soprano Kyoung-Wha Cho and baritone Robert Gardner. A native of Korea, Ms. Cho has sung at Carnegie and Merkin halls in New York City and was a finalist in the DiCapo Opera Theater Vocal Competition. Mr. Gardner has sung with Opera Colorado and the Santa Fe Opera, and performed throughout Europe; he has recorded two compact discs with the Colorado Choir.
Tickets for the Feb. 15 concert are $25 for reserved seats, $10 for general admission and $5 for students. They can be purchased at the Yale Glee Club's office at 165 Elm St., second floor, and will be on sale at the door the night of the performances. General admission tickets may also be purchased at Foundry Music Co., 120 Audubon St. For information, or to order tickets, call 432-4136.