Alumni and University Choruses | Jeffrey Thomas, conductor
UC Davis Symphony Orchestra | Christian Baldini, music director
Parry: Blest Pair of Sirens
Hubert Parry (1848–1918) is an oft-overlooked English composer of
the Romantic era. Parry absorbed musical influence from both
Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner, and managed to filter a
distinctly English style through these influences
in Blest Pair of Sirens, a choral setting of
John Milton’s At a solemn Musick. Through
careful word painting, Parry musically highlights salient
emotional moments of the poem. The result of
pairing his stately and solemn musical setting with Milton’s
heartfelt, triumphant poetry is the quintessential ode
to heavenly ascension.
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
with Mary Wilson, soprano, and Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Johannes Brahms (1833–97) composed the Requiem between 1865
and 1868, almost certainly in the wake of his mother’s
death. As with the requiems of Mozart and Verdi, the Brahms
Requiem is a sacred piece that stands on its own in concert.
Brahms opted to use Luther’s German bible texts rather than
Latin texts. Not only is the work a testament to Brahms’s
sense of meticulous, creative craftsmanship—which is reflected,
for example, in the first movement’s lack of violins—but it
is also a testament to the notion that the living
need comfort in the midst of the dead or dying.
Thanks to photographer Nicholas Yoon for documenting the
remarkable rehearsal process for the Department of Music
performance of Brahms’ “German Requiem,” scheduled for Sunday,
March 12. Featuring the University and Alumni Choruses, the Davis
Chorale and the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, the rehearsals and
concert are under the direction of Professor Jeffrey Thomas, the
Barbara K. Jackson Chair in Choral Conducting.
Rehearsals were photographed by Nicholas Yoon, copyright UC
Davis
