Preview – Faure,Rossini, and Beethoven at Carnegie Hall (4/7)

Pieces:

  • Gabriel Faure – Requiem in D Minor, Op.48
  • Gioachino Rossini – Overture to Il barbiere di Siviglia
  • Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op.51

Venue: Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, Manhattan, NY

Performers: New England Symphonic Ensemble, Joanna Medawar Nachef (Guest Conductor), Giuseppe Lanzetta (Guest Conductor), Amy Shoremount-Obra (Soparano vocalist), Toufic Maatouk (Bass-baritone vocalist), and 12 participating choruses from California and Lebanon

http://youtu.be/tmrQHRnT4Mw

 

According to Emile Vuillermozs’ book entitled Gabriel Faure, “Requiem, Op.48” is described as “an absolutely unique work….the only one of its kind”(Vuillermoz 1960,74). When first listening to this piece, I was struck by the minor key which immidiately gave a melancholic theme. The libretto in general, is initially dominated by the soprano vocals within the main theme. The baritone voices are introduced at a moment when a new theme is introduced, and is again brought back to the main theme with the soprano vocals. Halfway into the Requiem there is a big shift in theme and the key is now in a major. It has a more uplifting quality, compared to the somber theme in the first half.

Gabriel Faure is probably most recognized for this piece. Unlike Mozart’s or Monteverdi’s Requiems, Faure has created a piece that has no religious or musical connections to past Requiems. Faure was not a religious man, yet designed this piece in a way that respected the views of religious people.

Sources: Vuillermoz, Emile. Gabriel Faure. Philidephia: n.p., 1960. Print.