Northwest Choral concert highlights Durufle's Requiem
French composer Maurice Durufle's Requiem (Opus 9) for chorus and organ will be featured at Northwest Choral Society's concert titled "Requiem" at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights.
A selection of songs that speak to a spirit of rebirth and renewal and point toward the joyful energy of springtime also are included on the concert program.
"The 'Requiem' is regarded as one of the finest choral works of the 20th century," said Artistic Director Thomas Colao. "In this intimate setting, arranged by the composer for chorus with organ accompaniment, listeners will delight in the detailed interplay of the voices and the many colors of the organ part, which calls for an organist of considerable virtuosity."
Chicago-area organist Meg Cutting will accompany the choir on Requiem.
Composer and organist Maurice Durufle's (1902-1986) Requiem is the longest, most substantial and best-known of his works, and one of the most famous of all 20th century requiem masses. He was among the French composers commissioned in May 1941 by the (exiled French) Vichy regime to write extended works for a monetary award.
Durufle, commissioned to compose a symphonic poem, decided to compose a requiem, and was still working on it in 1944 when the Vichy regime collapsed. He completed it in September 1947.
The composer set the Latin text of the requiem Mass, structuring it in nine movements and using numerous themes from the ancient Gregorian "Mass for the Dead."
The final movement, "In Paradisum," according to Durufle, represents "the ultimate response of faith to all the questions by the flight of the soul toward paradise."
Nearly all the thematic material in the work comes from chant established by the Benedictines at the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes.
Durufle was a slow, meticulous and methodical composer, constantly rewriting and revising, and, as a result, there are only a handful of works by him. He published a total of just 14, mostly for organ, choir or orchestra.
Meg Cutting is a versatile organist and keyboard accompanist, specializing in classical organ repertoire and sacred music. She has appeared in recitals and performances throughout the United States, and has been featured on radio programs such as Pipedreams, Live! and WFMT Chicago classical radio.
In 2018, she was a finalist in the Taylor Organ Competition in Atlanta, Georgia. She also was an E. Power Biggs Fellow for the 60th National Organ History Society Convention (2015), and subsequently assisted in the preparation and planning of the 2018 OHS Convention.
She is the two-time recipient of the Robert Carwithen Music Foundation Scholarship, given to musicians who show particular promise in the field of sacred music.
In addition to performing as a soloist, Cutting enjoys accompanying choirs, solo singers and instrumentalists. In 2022, she completed a two-year tenure as organ scholar at St. James Cathedral in Chicago and started her own private piano studio. Prior to St. James, she served as the Wilson Family Sacred Music intern at the Brick Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York,
Cutting holds a Master of Music in organ performance and sacred music from the Yale School of Music and Yale Institute of Sacred Music. She received a Bachelor of Music in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music.
Jocelyn Colao will perform the mezzo-soprano solo in the Requiem. Colao is a graduate of Westminster Choir College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in vocal performance. Colao has sung with professional ensembles such as Anam Cara, Princeton Pro Musica, Juneau Vocal Alliance, Kinnara Ensemble and Brevitas Choir.
Colao also has sung internationally as a member of the choruses for the Festivale Pro Musica e Arte Sacra, the International Festivale per Giovanni Musicisti, and the Concerto Capella Sistina & Idyllic Ireland tour, where she was a member of the first American choir to give a performance in the Sistine Chapel.
Other songs on the concert program, sung a cappella, explore what comes after the Requiem, echoing the constant cycle of death and rebirth that is experienced every day, especially poignant as seasons move from winter into spring.
Tickets for the "Requiem" concert are $20 or $15 for students and seniors if purchased online at www.nwchoralsociety.org or by calling (224) 585-9127 prior to the April 30 concert.
Tickets purchased starting an hour prior to the concert at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights, 302 N. Dunton Ave., Arlington Heights, are $25 or $20 for students and seniors.
Northwest Choral Society will sponsor a four-evening summer program (Summer Madrigal Chamber Choir Intensive), with rehearsals starting June 19, followed by a concert performance on June 24. Individuals potentially interested in joining the chorus can obtain information about the summer program at www.nwchoralsociety.org.
Rehearsals for NWCS's 2023-24 season will begin Sept. 12, with the new session's first concert to be scheduled for early December. Details of the 2023-24 season programs and concert venues will be released as soon as possible this summer.
The Northwest Choral Society invites experienced singers to audition to join the organization. Basses, tenors, altos and sopranos with previous choral experience and at least 17 years of age can obtain additional information at www.nwchoralsociety.org.