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Rilling Conducts A German Requiem
Minnesota Orchestra
Helmuth Rilling, conductor
Letizia Scherrer, soprano | Mathias Hausmann, baritone
Minnesota Chorale, Kathy Saltzman Romey, artistic director
Friday, April 22, 2016, 8 pm
Saturday, April 23, 2016, 8 pm
Sunday, April 24, 2016, 2 pm
Orchestra Hall
Orchestra Hall
Orchestra Hall
Today’s concert begins with conductor Helmuth Rilling leading an illuminating
lecture-demonstration that introduces the audience to Johannes Brahms’ A German
Requiem, as the conductor brings together musicians and audience members in a
personal exploration of music and meaning. Rilling will use illustrative examples to offer
insight into the thinking of Brahms and his organization of A German Requiem, a work
the composer also referred to as a Human Requiem. Among the topics explored are what
inspired this profound and deeply moving composition, how it is constructed, what its
overarching themes are, and how the composer so eloquently portrayed the journey through
grief and consolation in his union of text and music. This guided tour of A German
Requiem lasts approximately 35 minutes. Following intermission, A German Requiem will
be performed in its entirety.
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Johannes Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), Opus 45
Chorus: “Blessed are they that mourn”
Chorus: “For all flesh is as grass”
Baritone solo and chorus: “Lord, make me to know mine end”
Chorus: “How lovely are thy dwelling places”
Soprano solo and chorus: “And ye now therefore have sorrow”
Baritone solo and chorus: “For here have we no continuing city”
Chorus: “Blessed are the dead”
Letizia Scherrer, soprano
Mathias Hausmann, baritone
Minnesota Chorale
ca. 20’
ca. 68’
The text and translation for Brahms’ A German Requiem are found on page 37; the translation will also be projected
as surtitles.
Minnesota Orchestra concerts are broadcast live on Friday evenings on stations of Classical Minnesota Public Radio,
including KSJN 99.5 FM in the Twin Cities.
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MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA
SHOWCASE
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Artists
Helmuth Rilling, conductor
Letizia Scherrer, soprano
Mathias Hausmann, baritone
German conductor Helmuth Rilling,
who last appeared with the Minnesota
Orchestra in 2008, is one of the world’s
leading interpreters of choral-orchestral
music. He has toured internationally,
collaborating with the world’s foremost
orchestras, and he has founded numerous
ensembles and music festivals including
the Gächinger Kantorei, Internationale
Bachakademie Stuttgart and Oregon
Bach Festival. The first to record Bach’s
complete cantatas, Rilling guided a
project to record a 172-disc cycle of
Bach’s entire compositional output. His
extensive recording repertoire on
television, radio and disc has been
recognized with a Grammy Award and
additional Grammy nominations. In
2015 he published a book about Handel’s
Messiah that was co-authored by Kathy
Saltzman Romey, choral advisor to the
Minnesota Orchestra. Among his many
honors, he has been awarded the
Staufer Gold Medal, the Herbert von
Karajan Music prize and the ECHO
Klassik award. More: opus3artists.com,
helmuth-rilling.de.
Soprano Letizia Scherrer, who debuts
with the Minnesota Orchestra in these
concerts, has worked extensively with
conductor Helmuth Rilling; her
Carnegie Hall debut was in a
performance of Brahms’ A German
Requiem under his leadership. A native
of Switzerland, she is known for her
outstanding interpretations of Baroque
and Classical repertoire. Her concert
engagements have included performances around the world with ensembles
such as the Stuttgart Radio Symphony
Orchestra, Netherlands Radio
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Salzburg
Festival and the International Bach
Academy. She can be heard on
numerous recordings and has received
many awards including the Eliette von
Karajan Cultural Foundation prize.
Austrian baritone Mathias Hausmann,
now making his Minnesota Orchestra
debut, has performed with such
ensembles as the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, London Mozart Players,
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Simón
Bolívar Youth Orchestra, Stuttgart’s
Bach Academy, Symphonieorchester
des BR, Stuttgart Philharmonic,
Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig, Haydn
Philharmonie Eisenstadt and the
Mozarteumorchester Salzburg. He has
also become widely recognized for a
series of recordings from the Salzburg
Festival, Teatro alla Scala and Moerbisch
Festival. Among the major roles he has
sung are Mozart’s Papageno, Guglielmo
and Conte Almaviva; Rossini’s Barbiere
and Dandini; and Verdi’s Marcello. He
was also heard in the Austrian premiere
of Nicholas Maw’s opera Sophie’s Choice.
More: mathiashausmann.com.
one-minute note
Brahms: A German Requiem
Brahms chose texts from Luther’s translation of the Bible for this profoundly personal work, one in which he responds to
the loss of his mother and of his dear friend Robert Schumann with a message of consolation. Humankind is represented
by choral singers; solo soprano and baritone introduce individual viewpoints. Memorable are the muted march “All flesh
is as grass,” the pivotal “How lovely are thy dwelling places” and the triumphant choral fugues.
APRIL 2016
MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA
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Artists
Minnesota Chorale
Kathy Saltzman Romey, artistic director
Barbara Brooks, accompanist and artistic advisor
The Minnesota Chorale, the Minnesota Orchestra’s principal chorus since 2004, is now
in its 21st season under the leadership of Kathy Saltzman Romey. Founded in 1972, the
Chorale is the state’s preeminent symphonic chorus, performing regularly with both this
Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Among the Chorale’s initiatives are the
acclaimed Bridges program, the Minneapolis Youth Chorus, Men in Music for high-school
boys and InChoir for adults. The Chorale most recently performed with the Minnesota
Orchestra last December and January, singing in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
More: mnchorale.org.
Minnesota Chorale Roster
soprano
Kristi Bergland*
Ivy S. Bernhardson
Siri Caltvedt
Deborah Carbaugh*
Monica deCausmeaker*
Laurel E. Drevlow
Amanda K. Fitze
Carole Hofstad*
Michelle Hayes*
Heather Hood*
Anika Kildegaard
Jihye Kim
Jami A. Lercher*
Wendy Lukaszewski
Amy Madson
Krin McMillen
Penny Meschke
Linda Neuman
Elizabeth M. Nordling
Elizabeth Pauly*
Elizabeth Pemberton
Krista L. Sandstrom*
Laura Schmidt
Becky Shaheen
Shari M. Speer*
Regina Stroncek
Karen R. Wasiluk
Jan Storhoff Weber
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MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA
alto
Judy Arnstein
Elizabeth Balay
Kate Biederwolf
Sara Boss
Rachel Buchberger
Krista Costin*
Carol Diethelm*
Susan Sacquitne Druck*
Marcia K. Evans*
Jesse Fleming*
Michelle Hackett
Katherine Scholl Holisky
Beth Kellar-Long
Claire M. Klein
Britta LaBarre
Mary Monson*
Molly Palmer
Rebecca Pearson
Erica Perl*
Barbara S. Prince*
Susan Ramlet*
Deborah E. Richman
Kristina Rodel*
Kristin Rongstad
Sue Tuthill Schiess
Kathleen Stuebner
Elizabeth Sullivan*
SHOWCASE
tenor
Eric Alman
James T. Ball*
Mark Bergaas
Taylor Bothun
Claude Cassagne*
Ryan Cogswell*
Patrick L. Coleman
Benjamin G. Cooper
Timothy Faatz*
Tom Knabel
Rich Maier
Joshua McCallister
Andrew McIntyre
Scott D. McKenzie
David Mennicke*
Kevin Navis
Daniel Parks*
Mike A. Pettman*
Paul Riedesel
Patrick Romey*
Scott Sandberg
Mark L. Trease
bass
David Afdahl
Peder Bolstad
Scott Chamberlain
Steven J. Dahlberg*
David Goudzwaard-Vaught*
Samuel Grace
James Hild*
Eric Hobbs
Steven Hodulik*
Thomas Hollenhorst
Stephen Hughes
Adam Irving
Jon C. Lahann*
Anthony Manfredi
Robert Oganovic
Nathan Oppedahl
Bob Peskin*
Bob Simon
William Smale
Justin A. Staebell*
Michael R. Tomlinson*
Russ Vander Wiel
Rick Wagner*
Joe Walton
* section leaders