Chorals take center stage in Olympia this weekend
It’s almost as if Olympia were having its own classical music festival this weekend.
Saturday, Masterworks Choral Ensemble will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a concert of mostly baroque pieces accompanied by a chamber orchestra, and Sunday, the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, Olympia Choral Society and Timberline High School’s Camerata Choir will tackle Brahms’ “A German Requiem.”
The concerts are linked by more than their dates. Masterworks’ orchestra was assembled by Ian Edlund, a former director of the symphony; Edlund will also play cello in the orchestra.
And the Brahms requiem is very special to Masterworks.
Asked for the highlights of his 35 years with the group, artistic director and conductor Gary Witley immediately mentioned the piece.
“One particular highlight was performing the Brahms requiem with orchestra, and not only here in Olympia,” he said. “It was the piece we went on tour with when we went to Australia.
“That was our biggest tour,” he added. “It is a marvelous work, and we got to perform it two places, in Sydney and in Canberra. It was a festival of choirs. Lots of choirs came together, and I got to be the conductor of all those choirs.”
That was in 2002, and Masterworks sung the piece in the original German, as the choral society and Timberline students will on Sunday.
About 115 singers will make up the chorus.
Also performing are two well-regarded soloists, Coral Walterman, a leading soprano in the Northwest, and baritone Charles Robert Stephens, who has sung with New York City Opera, Seattle Opera and the Seattle Symphony and was described in the New York Times as “a baritone of smooth distinction.”
Unlike most requiem compositions, which set a Catholic Mass to music, Brahms’ work is largely secular, said Terry Shaw, who directs both the choral society and the Timberline choir.
“He wanted it to be really accessible to everybody,” Shaw said. “It is religious in nature. It speaks to the fact that we’re all part of a cycle. It speaks to humanity.”
The work, written soon after the death of Brahms’ mother, focuses on consoling the mourners, said Huw Edwards, the symphony’s director and conductor.
“As a symphony, it’s great that we get a chance to delve into the choral repertoire,” Edwards said. “Many of the musicians are loving the fact that they get their first chance to play these parts.”
The Masterworks concert will travel much further back in time, focusing on baroque composers, along with a piece by Mozart and one piece of contemporary art music, Howard Hanson’s “Song of Democracy,” with text by Walt Whitman.
“We wanted to do an orchestral concert with smaller forces so we could really feature the voices,” Witley said. “The Baroque time period has a lot of chamber works for small orchestras.”
The group was formed by singers wishing to focus on the great European choral masterworks, hence the name, but it has since expanded its focus to art music from all eras and parts of the world, as well as a yearly pops concert.
Next spring, Witley plans another concert with orchestral accompaniment, this one focusing on Australian art music — a fitting choice given the highlight of his time with the group.
Saturday night will be another highlight for Witley. The board has chosen him as the recipient of the ensemble’s 25th Salute to the Arts Award, to be presented that night. The annual award honors people who’ve had a significant impact on the arts in the South Sound.
Masterworks Choral Ensemble 35th anniversary concert
What: The choir celebrates 35 years of music with “Choral and Orchestral Masterpieces,” performed with a small orchestra of local musicians assembled by Ian Edlund, former director of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra.
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Where: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia.
Tickets: $22; $16 for students, seniors and military; $10 for youths 14 and younger. The group is offering a 50 percent discount to those who buy online and use the code ANNIVERSARY.
Information: 360-753-8586 or washingtoncenter.org or mce.org.
The program: “Ave Verum Corpus,” by Mozart; “Laudate Jehovam, omnes gentes,” by Telemann; Magnificat in Bb Major, by Pergolesi; Magnificat in G, by Vivaldi; Chopin’s Étude Op. 10, No. 4 and Étude Op. 10, No. 12, both performed by Vadim Pascua, who won the ensemble’s 2015 Youth Music Competition in the high school division; and Howard Hanson’s “Song of Democracy,” based on the Walt Whitman poem.
Olympia Symphony Orchestra Choral Collaboration
What: The symphony joins forces with the Olympia Choral Society and Timberline High School’s Camerata Choir to perform Brahms’ “A German Requiem,” sung in the original German.
When: 7 p.m. Sunday.
Where: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia.
Tickets: $10-$55.
Information: 360-753-8586 or washingtoncenter.org or olympiasymphony.com.
This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 6:49 AM with the headline "Chorals take center stage in Olympia this weekend."