Sunday afternoon was one of those rare times when I had a piece that I thought I knew well revealed to me in an entirely new, deeper, and more personal way. The piece was Brahms’ German Requiem, and the person who gave me that view was conductor Helmuth Rilling.
I’ve always loved Brahms’ Requiem. I love that he chose passages from the Bible that he felt were more appropriate for consoling the survivors than sending off the departed. I love that the first section has no violins, only the lower strings and the wind section. I love that he uses the noble sound of the trombone to great effect.
Rilling obviously loves this piece very much, too. As he talked to the orchestra and chorus at the dress rehearsal, he gave some of his insights into the piece, including the rising harp line at the close of the requiem, which he saw as Brahms’ nod to the resurrection of Christ (in a religious work that never mentions Jesus) and the ascension of the soul of the recently departed.
There was a valedictory feel to this performance – most likely it will be Rilling’s last performance of the Brahms with the Oregon Bach Festival, and he gave the performance his considerable all, and inspired some committed playing and singing from the assembled forces. It makes me anticipate the performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on July 9th and 10th (in Portland and Eugene, respectively) all the more.