THE 2011-2012 SEASON The traditional Roman Catholic liturgical text for the requiem mass is a prayer for the dead, filled with images of the horrors of the Last Judgment. Brahms’ text, on the other hand, which he compiled from Martin Luther’s German vernacular translation of the Bible, seeks to comfort the living who must deal with and accept death. Just 33 years old when he completed the bulk of Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), Brahms had no wish for it to be a memorial for any particular individual, but rather, a message of hope for us all. Brahms took great pains putting together his text, piecing together fragments from throughout the Bible to create a tapestry of solace. Nowhere in Ein Deutsches Requiem do we glimpse the vivid darkness of the traditional requiem texts, neither does it specifically mention Jesus Christ. Brahms was, at best, ambivalent about Christianity, and he seems to have sought to create a work that transcends specific belief systems. A masterwork of choral and orchestral writing, it stands uniquely alone in the sacred repertoire both for its spell-binding beauty and its unerring humanity!   SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012 at 4:00 PM THE FISRT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF MONROE 142 Stage Road • Monroe, New York SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2012 at 4:00 PM THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF MIDDLETOWN 25 Orchard Street • Middletown, New York   featuring JEANAI LA VITA, soprano ANDREW MARTENS, bass THE HUDSON OPERA THEATRE CHORUS & ORCHESTRA   Conducted by RON DE FESI   HOME • CURRENT SEASON • SCHEDULE • ARTISTS • PHOTOGRAPHS • TICKETS • DIRECTIONS MEMBERSHIP • HISTORY • OPERA QUIZ • NEXT SEASON • AUDITIONS • CONTACT US   © 1998-2011 Hudson Opera Theatre, Inc.