Spokane Symphony and Chorale perform Brahms’ masterpiece

Oct 12, 2011

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow 464-7071

SPOKANE—The Spokane Symphony, together with the Spokane Symphony Chorale, directed by Dr. Julián Gómez Giraldo, will perform Brahms’ most transcendental work, A German Requiem, under the baton of Music Director Eckart Preu at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m. Soprano Rachel Rosales and baritone Philip Cutlip will be the soloists. The concert will also include Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, and J.S. Bach’s Cantata No. 192 (Nun danket alle Gott).

In lieu of the usual pre-concert talk, there will be an organ recital held in the hall one hour before each performance, included in the price of admission. The organist will be John Bodinger, organist at Manito Presbyterian Church. A native of California, he began organ study at age 12 and was appointed Assistant Organist-Choirmaster at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Episcopal) in San Diego when he was only 15. John earned a Doctor of Musical Arts the Eastman School of Music. He has since served as Director of Music and Organist at various churches and as a faculty member at the Eastman School. John moved to Spokane with his wife and children in 2004. He now serves as Director of Music at Manito Presbyterian Church in Spokane and as Adjunct Faculty at Whitworth University.

The concert will begin with Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, an exquisitely beautiful piece composed in 1977 in memory of Britten who had died the previous year. Pärt creates an ethereal vastness of sound using a technique of his own creation he dubbed ‘tintinnabuli’ or little bells. The technique is the essence of simplicity, reflecting the composer’s claim: “I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played.” A single tubular bell in A – the funeral bell – struck at fixed intervals throughout, serves as the fulcrum around which the string melody evolves, gradually bringing it to climax through dynamics alone.

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata No. 192 (Nun danket alle Gott) stands in complete contrast to the previous selection. Over his lifetime, Bach composed close to 400, half of which are lost, to be performed at both sacred and secular events. There is some debate on whether this one was composed for a festive occasion, such as a wedding, or for church celebration. Since the text is taken from a hymn by Martin Rinckart that is only three verses long, it is the shortest of Bach’s cantatas. Each movement is taken from a verse of the hymn, from which Bach weaves three distinct chorale fantasies.  

The climatic finale will be Brahms’ Requiem, a musical testament to the genius of one of the great Romantic composers. Born in part from the grief Brahms experienced after the death of his mother, it embodies the concept of a requiem described in the writings of Schumann – a gentle, comforting text that focuses on the living, on our sorrows, our fears and our longing for redemption. The Requiem is a personal statement of faith, intentionally distanced from institutional religion. Brahms took the texts, all in German, from Luther’s translation of the Scriptures in keeping with his own spiritual and musical vision. It was to be a memorial to the dead, a comfort to those left behind and the promise of eternal redemption. The work as a whole is a grand arch of which the apex, Movement 4, is the choral description of the joy of eternal life. The first three movements focus on comfort for those who mourn, the inevitability of death, and prayer entrusting the souls of men into the care of God. The final three movements deal with promises of comfort and eternal joy, for those in mourning as well as the dead, the eternal kingdom of God which has victory over death, and blessing of eternal life.

Soprano Rachel Rosales is capable of delivering the intensity of Verdi’s most demanding works or spinning out the delicate filigree of Handel’s intricate embellishments--from Early Music to Modern--and has achieved both popular and critical acclaim on national and international stages in opera, oratorio and solo recital. Upon completion of her undergraduate studies at Arizona State University, she joined the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and later earned her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School in Voice and Opera Performance. Since then, she has performed as a soloist in major concert venues in New York, and across the nation, and on numerous recordings. She currently a member of the teaching faculties of Bennington College, Vassar College and maintains a private teaching studio in NYC.

Baritone Philip Cutlip has garnered consistent critical acclaim for his performances across North America and Europe. Established on both concert and opera stages, he has performed with a distinguished list of conductors that includes Nicholas McGegan, Yves Abel, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Gerard Schwarz, and Donald Runnicles. He has also appeared as soloist with nearly every major North American orchestra. A distinctive element in Cutlip’s career is his ongoing collaboration with well-established dance companies and avant-garde ensembles alike, starting with his first appearance with the New York City Ballet to perform songs by Charles Ives. He has toured internationally with the Hamburg Ballet singing Bernstein’s Dances, and has appeared on European and American tours of Philip Glass’ Les Enfants terribles. He gave the world premiere of American Love Songs - a set of 10 commissioned pieces for vocal quartet, and appeared in a program of commissioned works at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Spokane Symphony Chorale was established in 1955 and has been an official entity of the Spokane Symphony since 1978, regularly appearing Classics, SuperPops and Holiday Pops concerts. The dedicated volunteer base comes from the greater Spokane area including Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint, Deer Park, and Pullman and participates in the more than 100 hours of rehearsal and performance time required for each concert season. They are directed by Dr Julián Gómez-Giraldo, Director of Orchestras at Eastern Washington University. He has also been professor of conducting at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional in Bogotá, as well as choral and orchestral clinician for the National Choral-Orchestral Program of the Ministry of Culture of Colombia. He is also a composer and arranger, with several of his instrumental and choral works published by Hal Leonard. Giraldo began his studies of conducting and French Horn in his native Colombia and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Conducting from the National Pedagogic University of Bogotá. He also earned Master’s degrees from Texas Christian University in Choral and Orchestral Conducting, and in Theory and Composition, and has a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting with Music History emphasis from the University of Northern Colorado.

Ticket prices for either performance begin at $14 and are available in advance at the Spokane Symphony Ticket Office, located at Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, 1001 W. Sprague, or by calling 509-624-1200. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.spokanesymphony.org. Tickets are also available at all TicketsWest outlets.

Billie Severtsen is the underwriter for this concert.