Faure Requiem and Mendelssohn Motets

Our June concert presents works by two great composers of the Romantic Period: Gabriel Fauré and Felix Mendelssohn.
The centerpiece of the program is one of Fauré's most famous works, the “Requiem” for soprano and baritone solo, choir, orchestra and organ. Even those who are not well acquainted with Fauré's music will probably know the soprano aria “Pie Jesu” from this composition. The “Requiem” will be preceded by Fauré's beloved “Cantique de Jean Racine,” which shows the influence of Mendelssohn on the young Fauré.

As an homage to Mendelssohn, the concert will include two of his cantatas for choir and orchestra: “Jesu, meine Freude,” and “Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten.” These virtually unknown cantatas are a fascinating combination of Bach-like compositional techniques and influences of the Romantic period, and hearing such rarely performed works by Mendelssohn is an opportunity that should not be missed. “The Lord is my Shepherd,” by the Irish composer Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, is Romantic music of a lighter quality, and it stands in contrast to the style of Mendelssohn. Our program will open with the optimistic “Fear not, O Land,” by British composer Edward Elgar, and conclude with Mendelssohn’s “Verleih uns Frieden” (“Graciously Grant us peace, O Lord”).
Don't miss what promises to be rich and moving musical experience.