CHORAL FESTIVAL CONCERT #2:
THE ROAD WEST
MAY 3, 2024 8:00 PM
ORLANDO SINGS SYMPHONIC CHORUS
ORLANDO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Justin Chase & Andrew Minear, conductors
HARMONIA
Melinda Fradley, guest conductor
First United Methodist Church of Orlando
On The Road West, find an unmissable encounter of tradition and innovation through the transcendent beauty of Fauré’s Requiem, and the groundbreaking blend of Indian and Western classical styles in Esmail’s Malhaar: A Requiem for Water.
2024 marks 100 years since the death of French composer Gabriel Fauré, one of the most revered composers of the late 19th century. His beautiful Requiem, unlike traditional requiem settings, embraces a serene and contemplative approach, focusing on the themes of rest, peace, and eternal light.
In Hindustani music, Malhaar refers to a family of raags that beckon rain. The work intertwines texts from the traditional Latin Requiem mass alongside the work of Wendell Berry and William O’Daly, along with interspersed Hindi. It traces a trajectory of beauty and awe of water, the fear and devastation around its loss, an answered plea of atonement, and eventually a promise of a new cycle of life.
Both works are full of hope as they guide the listener through a spectrum of feelings – from contemplation to exultation, from reflection to catharsis. In this powerful fusion of west and east, timeless and contemporary, we are reminded of our connection with the earth and our common humanity.
Gabriel Fauré Requiem, Op. 48
Reena Esmail Malhaar: A Requiem for Water
Selections from Harmonia's new recording project!