We invite you to join the Kāpiti Chorale for a special performance of Antonín Dvořák's Requiem, Op.89 at St Paul's Church, in the heart of Kāpiti.
The Chorale will be accompanied by an orchestra brought together by our Music Director Eric Sidoti. We're also joined by organist Heather Easting and four talented soloists—Sarah Mileham (Soprano), Jennifer Huckle (Alto), Jamie Young (Tenor), and Roger Wilson (Bass).
Tickets are available on Eventfinda.com.
Dvořák composed this Requiem between 1889 and 1890, and it was first performed in 1891 in Birmingham. Critics have praised it for its depth and beauty. It's a piece full of emotion, exploring themes of life, death, and hope; a masterpiece that showcases Dvořák's skill in writing for both orchestra and choir.
Our concert is a unique chance to experience this music live as it is rarely performed in New Zealand. We are all excited to have the opportunity to sing it and bring this experience to our audience.
We're looking forward to sharing this afternoon with you. Please note, the limited seating at our venue means tickets will be in high demand. Don't miss the chance to be part of this rare occasion.
Hope to see you there.
Musical Director: Eric Sidoti
Organist: Heather Easting
Soprano: Sarah Mileham
Alto: Jennifer Huckle
Tenor: Jamie Young
Bass: Roger Wilson
A few quotes about the Requiem:
Musicologist Jarmil Burghauser: This is a case of deliberate symbolism as the most profound expression of Dvořák’s genius, both as musician and individual: the ephemeral disappears together with death; higher things endure forever.
After its debut in 1891: The music critics all agreed that Dvořák’s Requiem was one of the most powerful settings of the Mass for the Dead. The sheer depth and technical mastery of this work overturned once and for all any prejudice against its author as a “natural” composer capable “only” of producing romantic evocations of folk dances and songs.
In the Dalibor magazine after the Prague premiere in 1892:
“The Requiem exceeded even our most audacious expectations. We can only use superlatives to describe a product of this calibre. He who witnessed the atmosphere this work generated even during the orchestral rehearsals at the theatre, he who sensed the fervour among the performers themselves during the awe-inspiring, breathtaking Dies irae, could not resist the magic through which this prayer incarnate, this epic of sombre mysticism, besieges the soul. Only he whom music has permitted to glimpse the innermost meanders of the human heart, he who, instinctively or unconsciously, is guided by his inspiration to create something beautiful and precious – only he can speak the language of music with such conviction.
