Wednesday, Nov 2, 2011
Maestro Nézet-Séguin visits campus to rehearse for concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
by Anne Sears
The Westminster Symphonic Choir will perform Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) November 3 – 5 with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
To prepare for the concerts Maestro Nézet-Séguin traveled to the Westminster campus in Princeton for a two-hour piano rehearsal with the Choir on October 31. His visit was something of a homecoming since the music director designate studied choral conducting with Joseph Flummerfelt at Westminster for two summers.
“This is the materialization of a dream,” he said, noting that Brahms is his favorite composer and that he was looking forward to performing this work with the Westminster Symphonic Choir.
It was an energetic and inspiring two hours as Maestro Nézet-Séguin shared his perspectives on what he described as Brahms’ “human requiem,” inspiring the students to connect with their own spirits as artists to convey the profound meaning of each movement.
At the conclusion of the rehearsal, Joe Miller, Westminster’s director of choral activities, presented the Maestro with a Westminster Choir College jacket amidst cheers and applause from the choir members.
To learn more about these performances and Maestro Nézet-Séguin’s thoughts on Brahms' choral masterwork, go to the Philadelphia Orchestra web site – www.philorch.org.