The UA Symphony Orchestra, choir and symphonic choir will tackle Brahms' "Ein Deutsches Requiem," the composer's largest-scale piece for orchestra and voice, in concerts this weekend.
Brahms wrote his requiem not long after his mother died in 1865, but unlike other composers of the day, he did not intend it to be a commemoration of the dead. He wanted it to serve as a comfort for those left behind, and a message of hope for life ahead.
Brahms' requiem also strayed from the conventions in its German text, lifted from Martin Luther's biblical translations rather than the traditional Latin text.
The Brahms piece employed the dynamics of mixed-voice chorus, soprano and baritone soloists and a complement of orchestra that ranged from full strings, winds, percussion and harps — and it has secured his place as a master at home in Germany and around the world.
Soprano Jennaya Robison, a doctoral music student in choral conducting, will take the solo soprano part, and University of Arizona professor Charles Roe will sing the baritone solo.
Roe's colleague Bruce Chamberlain, who heads UA choral activities and directs the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus, will conduct the performance.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. today and 3 p.m. Sunday at Crowder Hall, in the UA Fine Arts Complex, North Park Avenue and East Speedway. Admission is free; 621-2998.
