Concerts@Ohio State presents performances by the students and faculty from the School of Music at The Ohio State University, Sunday afternoons at 1 on Classical 101. This week features a special 2-hour season finale broadcast on Classical 101 Sunday, March 13th at 1:00 PM.
This Week's Program:
- Brahms Alto Rhapsody with Katherine Rohrer and OSU Men's Glee Club
- Beethoven Mass in C with OSU Symphony and Combined Choirs
- Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain with Orlay Alonso, piano and OSU Symphony
- Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms with OSU Combined Choirs and Wind Symphony
Well, that was fast! The fifth season of Concerts@Ohio State concludes this Sunday afternoon at 1:00 with one of my favorites, and one of the world's favorite pieces of sacred choral music.
My own favorite is the augustly titled Rhapsodie fur Alt-stimme un Maennerchor by Brahms, better known as the Alto Rhapsody. This is the first piece I heard performed 'live' in Columbus. This was also a concert at Ohio State. The Men's Glee Club sang then, and thankfully the Men's Glee Club sings now, though today probably with the sons of the young men I heard back in the day.
We'll hear the lovely artist Katherine Rohrer from the OSU School of Music faculty as the soloist in music which Brahms created for the great Pauline Viardot-Garcia. (Look her up, its worth your time.) Ms. Rohrer is an artist from the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and San Francisco Opera among others, and for the past few years she happily belongs on the OSU campus. The sublime Men's Glee Club conducted by Robert Ward needs no further introduction!
The OSU Symphony conducted by Marshall Haddock complements both works. Beethoven's Mass in C was completed in 1807, on commission from Prince Nikolas Esterhazy. The Esterhazy famikly had been Haydn's long time patrons. No doubt one of the gorgeous, etheral liturgal settings was expeced from Beehoven. Insterad, the Mass in C is grand, dramatic and at times stark. The composer stormed out of the Esterhazy palace when the Prince, hearing Beethoven's work for the first time, declared, "But my dear Beethoven, what is it you have done?!"
The Prince got over it. Beethoven's Mass takes the kind of power and skill easily embraced by the combined choirs and the orchestra of the OSU School of Music. This is a great finish to the fifth season of Concerts@Ohio State on Classical 101. I look forward to many more!
