A wave of sound, made by 125 voices and the musicians in the Bangor Symphony Orchestra washed over concertgoers Sunday at the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono and embraced them in a comforting hug provided by Johannes Brahams’ requiem.
The near-capacity crowd on Sunday rose from its seats and cheered the singers, orchestra and soloists, Aundi Marie Moore and Isaac Bray, in appreciation. The audience also gratefully acknowledged the leadership of conductor Lucas Richman and Francis Vogt, the director of choral activities at the University of Maine. Together, they wove a rich tapestry of emotional music that spanned centuries.
The final concert of each season for many years has included a choral piece featuring the University of Maine Singers and the Oratorio Society, made up of community members and students, and is often the most popular concert of each season. Two years ago, a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” his Ninth Symphony, sold out.
A requiem is, traditionally, a Mass for the dead sung by a chorus accompanied by an orchestra but Brahms departed from the Latin text used by other composers. “Ein deutsches Requiem,” or “The German Requiem,” was written after the death of Brahms’ mother in 1865, according to program notes. It premiered at the Bremen Cathedral on Good Friday in 1868 to great acclaim.
The composer used passages from Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible and they “are meant to console the living.” The first words in the first movement are “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”
In their solos, Moore and Bray beautifully and brilliantly captured the emotional intelligence of Brahms’ intent to emphasize the joy and hope of the resurrection.
The concert opened with “O Filie Israhel” by Hildegard von Bingen, a German Benedictine abbess who composed during the 12th century. The nine-minute piece was arranged for strings by the conductor. The symphony performed it in spring 2011, Richman’s first season with the orchestra. It is a fitting companion to any requiem.
The BSO has announced its 130th season, labeling it “A Season of Symphonic Storytellng.” It will include a symphony by French composer Ernest Chausson, a Wynton Marsalis violin concerto, a fanfare by Joan Tower along with the music of Brahms, Antonin Dvorak, Ludwig van Beethoven, Igor Stravinsky and George Gershwin.
The deadline for season ticket sales is Aug. 5. Single tickets go on sale Aug. 7.
Sunday’s concert will be available for streaming May 2-16 at watch.bangorsymphony.org. The orchestra will perform the score to “Star Wars: A New Hope” as the film is shown at 7 p.m. Saturday and at 1 p.m. Sunday.
