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Readying a Requiem for Carnegie Hall By CHRISTOPHER KAPICA
What goes into preparing a large chorus to perform works like the Brahms German Requiem? The intricacies of this 75-minute masterpiece must be treated meticulously in order for the essence of the revered composer to emanate—perhaps a cumbersome feat. It is a challenge that Judith Clurman, director of the Juilliard Choral Union, is more than willing to undertake as she readies her chorus for a performance of the Requiem with the Juilliard Orchestra under James DePreist.
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| Judith Clurman (Photo by Peter Schaaf) |
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"Every little note, every nuance is important," says Ms. Clurman. "Brahms has marked the score brilliantly; it's right there in black and white. That's what makes it so exciting to work on a piece like this." Her ardor is certainly present in her work. At rehearsals, she sticks entirely to the orchestral score as opposed to a piano arrangement. This allows her to delve into every facet of the music with her chorus, from scrupulous study of the text and enunciation of the original German to rhythmic articulation and tone coloration in order to most accurately present Brahms's vision. Anything less assiduous would be a disservice to the score, she says.
For the Carnegie Hall performance of the Requiem, Maestro DePreist, Juilliard's new director of conducting and orchestral studies, will conduct the orchestra and the 100-member Choral Union. Ms. Clurman says she is eager to work in tandem with Maestro DePreist and anticipates a synergetic relationship that will last long into the future. There has to be a "musical marriage" between a choral and orchestral conductor in order to present such a superlative work, she says. "Understanding a conductor's temperament and his style are what's important." In order for a collaboration such as this to be successful the two groups must work independently first; generally the chorus and orchestra hold a series of independent rehearsals, followed by one or two piano rehearsals prior to the long-awaited dress rehearsal with the orchestra and the soloists (the Brahms is scored for orchestra, chorus, and soprano and baritone soloists). It is then that the true grandeur of the Requiem will finally manifest.
A collaboration of this nature is relatively new at Juilliard and has enormous potential. Says Ms. Clurman: "Putting language with an instrumental ensemble is very exciting. We make Brahms come alive together." She hopes that the sounds and colors she creates with the chorus inspire the orchestral players and move the audience as much as Brahms's poignant music moves her.Christopher Kapica is a first-year undergraduate studying music composition.
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